With a stubborn personality, Nancy could not get along well with her mother when she was young. Growing up in her relatives' family, Nancy became very self-centred. When Nancy first joined the Youth Employment and Training Programme, she would display her emotions openly and behave like a child whenever people or things didn't go her way. While working as an Airport Ambassador, she often insisted on her own views and refused to compromise, ending up in frequent arguments with team leaders. Her case manager had to make strenuous efforts to counsel her. One year later, Nancy made continuous improvements in her customer service skills. Upon completion of the Airport Ambassador Program, she received the Individual Excellence Award as well as appreciation letters from tourists. She was then promoted and got the Well Disciplinary Award from the Airport Authority Hong Kong.

After becoming an Airport Ambassador Leader, Nancy was aware of the need to improve her communication skills and set a good example in order to lead a new batch of Airport Ambassadors effectively. Taking the advice of her case manager, Nancy expressed her own views calmly and rationally while showing respect for others. She then came to realise that building a harmonious interpersonal relationship was the key to convince others of her views.

The great advancement in Nancy's emotion management and communication skills not only laid a good foundation for her career development in the aviation industry, but also helped her improve relationships with her family. 

Kaman came from a broken family and got admitted to a children's home starting from Secondary Two. With the financial aid from her father, she continued her studies in Taiwan after completing secondary education. She was, however, plagued by interpersonal relationship problems and academic failure. Being alone and helpless for a prolonged period, symptoms of depression such as insomnia, loss of motivation and social withdrawal began to appear. Kaman had no choice but to return to Hong Kong. She went after her interest and applied for jobs in the social welfare sector but received no replies. Fortunately, she was well acquainted with a social worker who introduced her to join the Youth Employment and Training Programme, which helped her map out her life plan.

Aware of Kaman's enthusiasm for work in the social welfare sector, her case manager nominated her to join the Career Kick-Start project and arranged her to work as a Program Assistant in a social service organisation. Kaman was encouraged to share with others her feelings and not to give up easily in the face of difficulties. Her confidence was built up. Kaman was later successfully transferred to be a Program Worker, working with her teammates to render support to the Kiddy Heart Canteen which provided low-cost quality meals to low-income families. Beneficiaries, including children and their parents, were very willing to open up to Kaman. This, in turn, enabled Kaman to learn how to show concern to others and stop isolating herself.

Sue once worked in a coffee shop chain and retail stores after completing secondary education. As she found that those jobs did not suit her, she enrolled on the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) and applied for training courses in the hope of starting afresh in other industries. Later, Sue received on-the-job clerical training for 6 months in the Labour Department, which helped her discover her interest in clerical work. She therefore joined the e-Learning Support Scheme under YETP and actively participated in the pre-employment training courses. She was successfully offered the post of eLearning Support Assistant by a school. Her duties included designing website images, handling clerical work and notices and rendering support to teachers in organising student activities.

Not only did Sue work really hard at school, but she also enrolled on various computer design software courses and applied the skills she learnt in designing the publications for large-scale school activities. In order to communicate well with the many foreign teachers and students at school, Sue also studied English to enhance her competitiveness.

Sue was friendly and maintained good relationships with her colleagues. She was also willing to take up additional duties and tried different things to enrich her work experience. Sue considered YETP a platform for young people to explore different industries and map out their career paths, and it worked out for her.

Apple was positive and outgoing and loved outdoor activities. By joining the Tradesman Trainee Programme co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) and the Vocational Training Council, Apple started to work on a construction site. As a new recruit, she dared not ask questions for fear of disturbing her colleagues. Thanks to the pre-employment training on interpersonal skills under YETP, Apple made improvements in her communication skills and became more acquainted with her colleagues. She gained the courage to ask questions whenever she encountered problems. Her supervisors and colleagues were also willing to offer help to this joyful young girl. This enabled her to acquire quickly the professional knowledge on iron works and waterproofing works.

Apple believed that women's traits of prudence and patience could come to good use in the construction industry and the performance of women was in no way inferior to that of men. In spite of the hardship, Apple always climbed up the stairs to the top floor of the building to inspect the concreting works and formwork. As a result, her physical fitness and strength were enhanced. Witnessing the completion of the building gave her great job satisfaction.

Apple went about her work seriously and systematically with self-motivation and team spirit. She intended to further her studies in building construction and pursue a career in the construction industry to become a female site agent.

LO had an introverted personality. After graduation from Secondary Six, LO chose neither to study nor work. As time went by, LO gradually became a hidden youth. He was subsequently introduced to the Youth Employment and Training Programme by one of his friends. With the assistance of his case manager, LO received on-the-job training on stage performance production which gave him the long-awaited support and encouragement. He decided to quit life as a hidden youth. In one of the performances, LO succeeded in impressing the audience by applying his balloon twisting skills to costume design. His creativity and persistence earned him the appreciation of his employer. LO enjoyed the varied nature of stage decoration work and was thankful for the care and acceptance of his colleagues.

In retrospect, LO was grateful in particular to the social workers who had helped him get through the different stages of life when he felt lost in direction. He also hoped to be a social worker someday to serve those in need.

TAM found a stable job after graduation, but the tedious and repetitive work did not fit her outgoing character. She was later introduced to the aircraft maintenance industry through the Aircraft Maintenance Mechanic Trainee Training Project under the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP). Now, TAM's day-to-day work is busy and challenging, which ignites her passion for work.

TAM is mainly responsible for inspecting aircrafts after they have reached the parking stands. Every time, she has to race against time to ensure that the flight takes off as scheduled. TAM found that in a working environment where every second counts, the pre-employment training of YETP had well equipped her with the basic knowledge of aircraft maintenance which made it easier for her to master the rapid pace of work. The adventure training offered by YETP also gave her the opportunity to learn to adapt to the tough working environment at the apron which was exposed to all kinds of weather. Upon employment, TAM had also been provided with on-the-job training in different areas by the employer for acquiring more professional knowledge about the industry to cope with the possible difficulties and challenges in future.

With passion for the aircraft maintenance profession, TAM intends to obtain a licence through the training and promotion ladder provided by the employer to become an aircraft maintenance engineer.

As WONG's family was unable to afford her further education, she started her career development by participating in the Youth Employment and Training Programme upon completing Secondary Six. At first, WONG was very confused about her future. She thought it would do no harm to try different things, so she job-hopped for a year but not a single job could meet her expectations.

Encouraged by her case manager, WONG eventually found a position that could keep her work in an upbeat mood every day. Now WONG is working as a Chinese Medicine clinic assistant. She is responsible for receiving clients, dispensing prescription and answering enquiries from patients. Since WONG did not have any experience in Chinese medicine, she mugged up on the subject as soon as she started working. She often read related publications to keep abreast of health information. She also worked hard to recite the names of numerous kinds of Chinese medicines and consulted Chinese medicine practitioners to strengthen her ability in dispensing Chinese medicine.

WONG's serious and helpful work attitude was appreciated by her supervisor who then entrusted her with the important task of assisting in the training of new recruits. WONG's knowledge in managing and operating a clinic was enhanced, which made her more dedicated to the work. WONG will pursue further studies in medical care in the hope of becoming a nurse in the future.

After graduating from secondary school, Roy took up casual and part-time jobs. He was unsure of his future. With the recommendations from his relatives and friends, he noticed that the electrical engineering field provided a promising career prospect. He then enrolled in the Tradesman Trainee Programme co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council. Through the course in job search and interpersonal skills provided under the programme, Roy's communication skills were greatly improved, enabling him to coordinate different works units smoothly. As a new entrant, Roy had a really hard time learning the specific procedures and technical terms associated with the electrical engineering industry. Worse still, he was upset by the coarse language commonly used by construction site workers, but he still strived to overcome all the difficulties with a positive attitude.

Modest and diligent, Roy is good at time management and strong in adaptability. It makes his supervisor feel at ease to assign different tasks to him. He received the outstanding performance award from his employer. He was also selected as the outstanding apprentice under the Outstanding Apprentices Award Scheme 2017 and given an opportunity to broaden his horizon in an exchange tour to Singapore.

Roy considered that the construction industry had made significant contributions to society and deserved respect from all of us. Now attending a degree course, he is determined to become an engineer and work together with the younger generation of practitioners in the industry to enhance the image and culture of working on construction sites.

Wing was an introvert lacking in self-confidence. After completing a higher diploma course in hospitality, she was still full of doubts about her employment opportunities. She subsequently enrolled in the Club Assistant Training Project under the Youth Employment and Training Programme and completed a tailor-made pre-employment training course. She was then successfully employed as a Clubhouse Assistant.

After taking up employment, Wing made efforts to adapt to the working environment. Despite being inarticulate, Wing still learned to establish a good relationship with the residents of the residential estate. Fortunately, her case manager offered her advice from time to time and the nine-month on-the-job training course provided her with ample learning opportunities. Moreover, her colleagues and mentor always gave guidance to her patiently. Wing accepted their advice with an open mind and improved herself by learning from mistakes. At the beginning of her employment, Wing was assigned to teach dessert classes. Though she knew nothing about making desserts, she equipped herself by collecting recipes and practising the skills in her spare time. Now Wing has brought together a group of fans who are always ready to enrol in her classes. Their support has significantly boosted her confidence and given her a great sense of achievement.

Wing makes the best use of time to learn Korean after work in the hope of strengthening her ability in communicating with the Korean residents and in turn, enhancing her competitiveness at work. Her goal is to advance to the post of Assistant Club Supervisor under the company's promotion mechanism within five years.

Isma is a Pakistani with an assertive personality since childhood. She actively participated in volunteer work while in secondary school. It has always been her desire to take up a meaningful job after graduation and contribute to society, especially helping the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong. Through the training provided for the young ethnic minorities by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the service provider, Isma became a member of the Ethnic Minority Ambassador Programme and underwent a six-month on-the-job training course at a job centre of the Labour Department. She assisted both local and ethnic minority job seekers in using the employment services available in the job centre. Fluent in Cantonese, Isma often took the initiative to reach out and assist the job seekers and so won the praise of her supervisor and service recipients.

Isma is optimistic and mature. She reckons that young people at the beginning of their career should not put too much emphasis on monetary rewards. Instead, they should cherish the experiences and opportunities gained from their work.

Upon completing on-the-job training, Isma was hired by a social service organisation to work as a Programme Worker. With a stable job to lessen the financial burden of her family, she is free to pursue part-time studies. She hopes to become a psychologist in the social service sector so as to prove that the female ethnic minorities can also fare well in the workplace.