CHEUNG SAI HIN (Daniel)
Position：
e-Learning Support Officer
Employer：
The Church of Christ In China Heep Woh Primary School
Service Provider (provided case management services)：
Hong Kong College of Technology
Service Provider (provided training on special employment project)：
Academy of the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong

Daniel acquired a Higher Diploma in multimedia profession. But without work experience, it was not easy for him to get a job. He noticed about the “e-Learning Support Scheme” under the Youth Employment and Training Programme, which did not require any relevant academic qualifications and work experience. The Scheme even offered the chance to take an e-Learning pre-employment training course for free. He then enrolled himself in the Scheme and was later employed by a primary school as an e-Learning Support Officer.

Daniel had never worked in a school. At first he sometimes did not know how to handle the enquiries and requests from parents and colleagues. However, the school allowed him to learn and try on the job. With a proactive and earnest work attitude, Daniel took the initiative to communicate with and learn from his colleagues in a humble manner. Soon he was able to finish the tasks properly. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the school faced the challenges of class suspension and online teaching. Daniel made every effort to share his colleagues’ workload, such as handling the login process for online teaching for every class in the school. Apart from the daily work, Daniel also assisted in taking students to participate in the STEM-related competitions and activities, and gave his views on the coding and design. Daniel’s enthusiasm and dedication for work earned him the recognition and commendation of everyone in the school.

Given the rapid development of information technology, Daniel will continue to pursue further studies in the future so as to carry on with the work in the school and develop his career.

TAM ON TING (TAM)
Position：
Beautician (Nail Art)
Employer：
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Lady MacLehose Centre – I-Nail
Service Provider（provided case management services)：
Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Lady MacLehose Centre

Tam at first did not plan or dream about her future. Being negative and having a strong sense of self-protection, she was reluctant to communicate with strangers when she first joined the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP). Tam’s case manager then arranged for her to enrol in the Job-search and Interpersonal Skills Training Course under YETP so that she could have lessons together with trainees of similar background and age and share life experiences. Gradually, Tam was willing to communicate and develop relationships with others. While participating in the pre-employment training courses of various industries, she discovered that she was very fond of nail art. She then joined the “Career Kick-start” and tried to work as a Beautician Assistant (Nail Art).

Being a green hand, Tam was rather passive in work. She had to be pressed so as to perform the daily duties other than nail art, especially the shop cleaning work. Fortunately, the organisation arranged for a patient and experienced mentor to offer guidance on different aspects of her work and help her develop a positive work attitude. Now she could complete every task seriously and properly. Instead of avoiding communication, she became more willing to talk with the customers proactively as well. Besides, her nail art skills had gained recognition from her mentor and customers. Tam developed a greater sense of responsibility out of passion for the job. She also made good use of the off-the-job vocational course subsidy under YETP and enrolled in nail art courses to advance her knowledge in the field and establish the direction of her career.

CHEUNG KWOK FU (CHEUNG)
Position：
Apprentice
Employer：
Hitachi Elevator Engineering Company (Hong Kong) Limited
Service Provider (provided case management services and training on special employment project)：
The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions Occupational Retraining Centre

Cheung incidentally knew about the “Lift Technician Assistant Training Project”, which was a tailor-made training-cum-employment project jointly organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP), the Hitachi Elevator Engineering Company (Hong Kong) Limited and a YETP’s service provider. Cheung considered lift technician assistant a stable job and went to the job fair. He started to work in this field after completing the relevant pre-employment training course.

At the beginning, Cheung was not familiar with the work at all and lacked confidence to complete the tasks properly, so he had thought of giving up on the very first day of work. His case manager shared with him the experiences of other trainees working in the maintenance field in order to ease his worry. Cheung finally decided to give himself three months to settle in. He strived to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in the pre-employment training course to his job and communicate with his supervisor more often so as to gain a better understanding of the job requirements and improve his work competency. He also took the initiative to suggest ways to enhance work efficiency. Gradually his supervisor was more willing to accept his opinions and began to recognise his performance. Cheung started to enjoy the work even sometimes he had to stay long in the hot and stuffy lift machine room.

Cheung would try hard to equip himself for a better career path in the future.

TSOI KA LAM (Allen)
Position：
Program Tutor
Employer：
Hong Kong Adventure Based Training Company Limited
Service Provider (provided case management services)：
Hong Kong Employment Development Service Limited

Unsure about his future after completing junior secondary education, Allen joined the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP) through the introduction of his school social worker. He tried different kinds of pre-employment training courses as recommended by his case manager to get a better idea of his abilities and strengths. He also got the opportunity to undergo the Workplace Attachment Training offered by an adventure training company to enhance his work capabilities, and was later employed by the company as a Program Tutor.

At first Allen was worried that with inadequate academic qualifications and work experience, he might not be able to meet the company’s job requirements. Moreover, as he was not good at communicating with others, his colleagues had no idea about his work progress or difficulties and were thus unable to offer help proactively. After a period of adjustment and acclimatisation, Allen endeavoured to improve his interpersonal skills. He started to actively raise questions and discuss the solutions with colleagues, and had more courage to take on challenges. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, his company had to change its mode of operation from time to time and cope with a wide range of unforeseen incidents, such as cancellation of activities or change of venues at short notice. Learning and improving along the way, Allen can now tackle different problems with confidence and deal with various challenges flexibly.

Allen used to consider himself unsuitable for further studies. However, as he makes steady progress at work, he has set his mind on obtaining the Higher Diploma in Information Technology in the future so as to assist the company in addressing the ever-changing needs of its clients.

HO KA YAN (Nina)
Position：
Activity Assistant Trainee
Employer：
The Salvation Army
Service Provider (provided case management services)：
The Salvation Army

When Nina first joined the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP), the case manager found her gentle and kind, but relatively introverted, lacking in confidence and with a nervous disposition. To give Nina a clear picture of her strengths and ability, the case manager arranged for her to participate in Workplace Attachment Training under YETP so as to gradually enhance her communication skills and boost her confidence and employability. Later on, Nina secured employment in the open market and achieved satisfactory job performance. However, she lacked confidence to face the stress of work arising from changes in her job duties and working environment, and so she chose to quit the job.

Encouraged by the case manager, Nina joined “Career Kick-start” under YETP and tried her hand at working in a welfare organisation, which was also her service provider for case management services. As such, the case manager could provide more personalised support for her and constantly follow up on how she was doing both at work and personally. Moreover, there was an on-the-job training mentor who showed much patience in teaching her the work skills and shared experience with her from time to time. Nina did not take long to adapt herself and accomplish the tasks properly. Taking an interest in her job, she became more courageous in embracing stress and challenges. Her performance was appreciated by her supervisor. After completing the on-the-job training, Nina was formally employed as an Activity Assistant for the organisation. She aspired to continue developing her career in the welfare sector.

LAU MAN YEE (Rainie)
Position：
Senior Operation Assistant
Employer：
Hang Yick Properties Management Limited (A Member of Henderson Land Group)
Service Provider (provided case management services)：
Hong Kong College of Technology
Service Provider (provided training on special employment project)：
HKCT Group Limited
Working Partner：
Employees Retraining Board

Rainie took up different kinds of jobs after graduation but could not see any career prospects. Through the introduction of her friend, she decided to enrol in the “Foundation Certificate in Customer and Concierge Service in Property Management (Tailor-Made Course)” co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme, Employees Retraining Board and HKCT Group Limited in order to join the property management industry.

Property management work entails frequent contact with clients. This posed a great challenge to Rainie as she was a bit introverted. Confronted with residents’ enquiries and complaints shortly after taking up the post, she was at a loss about how to respond as she was neither good at interpersonal communication nor familiar with the estate facilities. Under the guidance of her colleagues, Rainie learnt to patiently listen and respond to residents’ requests, while gradually honing her communication skills and becoming more proficient at her job. Ad hoc incidents are a common occurrence in property management work, and Rainie happened to be on duty alone one day when all of a sudden she was informed of problems with the gas supply. She calmly instructed the security staff to help notify residents on all floors, post up notices, answer telephone enquiries and so forth. Her proper handling of the matter was highly commended by the employer.

Rainie planned to pursue further studies so as to better equip herself and give full play to her potential in career development.

LI WAI WING (David)
Position：
Apprentice – Building Services
Employer：
Shui On Construction Company Limited
Service Provider (provided training on special employment project)：
Vocational Training Council

David had worked as a Club Assistant for some time but the job did not bring him any sense of success. Despite getting promoted, he made the bold decision to resign and, on the recommendation of his family and friends, entered the construction industry. He participated in the “Project for Tradesman Trainees” co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council, and joined the trade as a Building Services Apprentice.

David’s main duty was to assist in monitoring and following up on the progress and quality of the various works on site. At first he was fully confident, but soon after taking up the job he realised that it was no easy task. The co-ordination among contractors, foremen and colleagues of different sections was highly important as the on-site processes were closely intertwined, but it took time to smooth out individual differences in personality and work attitude. Initially, David did not work well with some of them. But instead of plunging into despair, he spent much time on building rapport and mutual trust with them. On top of that, he had to keep on acquiring professional knowledge in various aspects and grasping the workflows of different tasks in order to avoid miscommunication that may affect work progress. Although site work was more hectic and complicated than David had imagined, it gave him a sense of satisfaction and a greater motivation to equip himself to meet different challenges. He is presently pursuing further studies in the hope of completing a degree course for further advancement in the construction industry.

LAU CHAK FUNG (LAU)
Position：
Gas Technician Apprentice
Employer：
The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
Service Provider (provided training on special employment project)：
Vocational Training Council

A video games addict since junior secondary school, Lau was unwilling to go to school or go out. After living this kind of life for a couple of years, Lau gradually found that it was no fun anymore. One day, he learnt from a television programme about some young people in situations similar to his. He was prompted to rethink his future and realised that he needed to go out and live a meaningful life.

Lau was always curious about the operating principles of water heaters, and so he decided to join the gas industry as a Gas Technician Apprentice by participating in the “Project for Tradesman Trainees”, which was jointly organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council. Since Lau seldom communicated with others in the past and he needed to learn new knowledge and skills, he felt a bit insecure at the beginning. Yet the guidance and care of his colleagues, coupled with his eagerness to learn new things, helped him build his confidence little by little. Lau also acquired interpersonal skills through maintaining harmonious relationships and sharing experience with his colleagues. Visiting different sites to perform field duties was not easy. However, Lau enjoyed great satisfaction every time he had solved problems for the customers and gained the recognition of his supervisors and customers. In the future he hopes to study for more qualifications and strive for a better career.

KHAN KHUTEJAH (KHAN)
Position：
Teaching Assistant
Employer：
Hong Kong Student Aid Society Primary School
Service Provider (provided case management services)：
Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service

Khan was born in Hong Kong, but her family had no tradition of women working outside the home. Unwilling to be confined to the family setting, Khan eventually succeeded in persuading her father to let her work as a Teaching Assistant in a primary school, upon completion of the “Ethnic Minority (Kindergarten/Primary School) Teaching Assistant Programme” under the Youth Employment and Training Programme (YETP).

Khan’s main duty was to assist in teaching the small number of non-Chinese speaking students admitted by the primary school. She was well aware of the difficulty of integrating into Hong Kong society with a poor command of Chinese, and so she often encouraged the students to speak and write more in Chinese and guided them in their revision and homework after school. Khan also observed the teachers’ mode of teaching and learnt the teaching skills during lessons so as to improve her teaching. Her students’ improving scores in Chinese gave her tremendous job satisfaction. Besides, Khan contributed substantially to the building of an inclusive campus by always offering to assist in various school affairs such as discussing the students’ learning situation with their parents, translating school circulars and interpreting for the students in cultural activities.

By joining YETP, Khan had found not only a job opportunity, but also her own dream. She envisages becoming a teacher to assist more students and serve as their role model.

Download a transcript of this video (in Chinese only)

LAM HO LUN (Lam)
Position：
Electrical Apprentice
Employer：
Vitasoy International Holdings Limited
Service Provider (provided training on special employment project)：
Vocational Training Council

Lam had studied electrical mechanics in the Mainland before coming to settle in Hong Kong. He therefore participated in the “Project for Tradesman Trainees” co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council, and got employed as an Electrician.

After taking up the job, Lam discovered the differences in work practices between Hong Kong and the Mainland, ranging from the names of tools to the colours of cables. His past knowledge was no longer of use. He had to learn all the basics from the on-the-job training mentors again, as well as liaise frequently with other departments in order to understand the tasks and requirements. As an introvert he hesitated about asking questions and did not know how to communicate with his colleagues. Lam also got nervous easily whenever there were problems. As a result, he found it difficult to acquire new knowledge and complete the tasks efficiently. Thanks to the mentors’ attentive teaching and encouragement, Lam strived to overcome the weaknesses in his character. He became more courageous to ask questions. He also learnt to get along with colleagues and strangers, and became more mature in his dealings. Now he would from time to time reflect on his weaknesses and make plans to improve himself. He has also set long-term career goals to keep himself moving forward.

LEUNG CHUN YIN
IP CHUN YEUNG
LAW KAI SING
CHAN KWUN HANG
KHAN NAFEES

TONG YUET YI
LEUNG KA YU
TAM YIU HIN
TSOI CHUNG LAM