The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, today (November 20) encouraged young people to make good use of the one-stop pre-employment and on-the-job training opportunities provided under the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) of the Labour Department (LD) to boost their competitiveness in employment and get equipped for joining the labour market.
 
     Speaking at the Award Ceremony of Most Improved Trainees of YETP 2017 today, Dr Law said that the Government attaches great importance to the training and development of young people. Dr Law said that over the years, the LD has been providing comprehensive training and employment support services under the YETP for young school leavers aged 15 to 24 with educational attainment at sub-degree level or below. So far, more than 220 000 young people have benefited from the YETP, with the successful placement rate exceeding 70 per cent.
 
     "To keep pace with the needs of the labour market and the interests of the youth, the YETP has been launching various employment projects in collaboration with our working partners for trainees with different career aspirations. Such new projects launched in recent years have included the Patient Care Assistant Training Project, the Junior Tradesman Associate Training Project and the Horticulture and Arboriculture Trainee Training Project, which provided training to young people to learn through work in hospitals, railway services and a theme park respectively. The YETP also organised the Aviation Recruitment Series - I Can Fly, From Ground to Sky recruitment day and the Bank Talent Recruitment Days jointly with employers in the aviation industry and the banking industries respectively, so as to assist young people in search of desirable jobs," Dr Law said.
 
     Dr Law added that in order to strengthen the support for trainees, the LD launched a new employment project under the YETP called Career Kick-start in April 2017 to support youths with special employment needs by providing 12 months' on-the-job training through placement at non-governmental training bodies with a view to enhancing their employability. 
 
     In the programme year that commenced on September 1, the level of training allowance for YETP trainees has been increased from $50 per day to $70 per day. The level of workplace attachment training allowance for trainees has also been raised, from $3,000 to $4,500. The Labour Department will keep up the efforts and will constantly assess and enhance the programme in order to assist more young people in securing employment, Dr Law pointed out.
 
     Citing the growth and development experienced by the awardees, Dr Law encouraged the youths to strive hard for self-enhancement and be courageous in achieving their goals. He also called on employers for their continued support for the YETP and collaboration with the Government in promoting youth development.
 
     The Award Ceremony of Most Improved Trainees of YETP was co-organised by the LD and Radio 2 of Radio Television Hong Kong. The awards were presented to 10 outstanding trainees who achieved significant improvements in personal development, leadership or work performance during the training period. The aim is to encourage more youths to join the YETP to equip themselves in pursuing their career goals.
 
     The YETP is open to young school leavers aged 15 to 24 with educational attainment at sub-degree level or below and is free of charge. Trainees undergoing pre-employment training and who have successfully completed the workplace attachment training are eligible for a training allowance. Employers providing on-the-job training opportunities are entitled to a maximum on-the-job training allowance of $3,000 per trainee per month as well. Enrolment is on a year-round basis. For details, please visit the YETP's website at www.yes.labour.gov.hk. The LD has also set up a Youth Employment Services hotline 2112 9932 to provide a one-stop enquiry service on the programme and receive training vacancies from employers.

Ends/Monday, November 20, 2017
Issued at HKT 12:46

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