YETP Most Improved Trainees 2024

Ian had studied abroad in his early years. After returning to Hong Kong, his job search did not go well due to the differences between the two places in terms of modes of living and working. Given the mismatch between work and expectation, he therefore considered a job change. Having learnt about the Youth Employment and Training Programme on the internet, Ian decided to enrol in the tailor-made course “Foundation Certificate in Concierge and Customer Service in Property Management” co-organised by the programme, the Employees Retraining Board and the HKCT Group Limited. He was then employed as a Concierge and Guest Service Ambassador of a shopping mall.

Ian, who was introverted, inexperienced in and knew nothing about property management, encountered many difficulties at the beginning, such as handling special requests and complaints from individual customers, following up with technicians on various repair works in the shopping mall, learning the professional jargons in various maintenance works, preparing reports and quotations in English, etc. Faced with these challenges, Ian experienced some degree of pressure and even thought of giving up. Thanks to the encouragement and guidance from the case manager and the mentor, Ian tried to look for solutions and gradually got the hang of his job, which helped him become more positive and enthusiastic. His supervisor also appreciated his thoughts on work arrangements and his proactive suggestions having regard to the consideration of achieving maximum effectiveness at work. Ian adores his current job so much. Joining the programme has helped him find the direction in life again and empowered him to keep moving towards his desired goal.

Thomas was not interested in the traditional way of learning as a kid and did not do well in school, but he was receptive to challenges and different learning methods with an open mind. As Thomas was interested in engineering and repairing works, he joined the “Project for Tradesman Trainees” co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council and became a Technician Trainee.

Thomas was slow to warm to people and a bit passive in the new environment when he first joined the company. After getting along with his supervisors and colleagues for some time, he began to open up himself under their encouragement. Not only did he raise questions and report his work progress to the instructor voluntarily, he also sought advice and solutions from senior staff members whenever he was in doubt in an effort to enhance his knowledge and skills in this field. Thomas has gradually become familiarised with the work procedures and accumulated considerable experience in plant maintenance. He has also learned how to assemble and repair different electrical appliances and equipment. As Thomas would check the tools carefully and take adequate safety measures before work commenced, work efficiency was improved with reduced errors. In addition, Thomas realised that completion of a project does not only rely on skills and knowledge, but more importantly requires the addressing of work safety and other requirements on legislations and environmental protection. Therefore, he voluntarily enrolled in various courses on safety awareness, with a view to understanding his job better and sharpening his professional skills through continuous learning and practice, which have also made him more certain about his career aspirations. Thomas believes that although he has not followed the traditional academic pathway, the one he took was just right for him as it allowed him to broaden his horizons and demonstrate his strengths to the full. He is currently studying for a Diploma in Vocational Education (Mechanical Engineering) and planning to continue his studies after graduation, aspiring to become a professional engineer.

Rinna is a small animal lover. She had once enrolled in a Pet Groomer Course purely out of interest. Without a very clear sense of future direction, Rinna earned a living by working as a warehouse worker after completing the course. Later, she found that it was a stable job without development prospects. She finally decided to quit in the hope of finding the direction of long-term development.

Having found out that Rinna was a small animal lover, the case manager of the Youth Employment and Training Programme encouraged her to further develop her interests and helped her enrol in the “Foundation Certificate in Pet Care Worker” programme offered by the Employees Retraining Board so that she could learn more about pet care, first aid and pet training. After completing the programme, Rinna felt deeply that having a pet was not just a matter of looking after it; it was about respect for life. It also made her feel the wonders of life and inspired her to engage in work relating to pets’ lives. Subsequently, Rinna looked up information about pet hospice services and became interested in the industry. She found it very meaningful to help bring the life journey of pets to a full conclusion and treat them with respect and dignity. She started to find jobs in the industry and was eventually employed as a Customer Service Officer by a pet hospice service company. Responsible for coordinating the entire process of funeral ceremony, Rinna found her direction and goals again in the job of consoling customers who had lost their pets. Having learnt the ropes of planning workflows, Rinna has gradually built confidence. She has also developed empathy towards others when communicating with owners whose pets had passed away and become more mature in dealing with things and persons.

Jacky had studied different courses after graduating from secondary school. He then enrolled in the “Project for Tradesman Trainees” co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council and became a Building Services Technician.

As a newbie in the working world, Jacky initially met with a myriad of difficulties and challenges in a new working environment involving complicated electrical and mechanical workflows. His hot-headedness also made him prone to overlooking the details of the work procedures, and sometimes taking on work beyond his capacity as well as proceeding to work without thoroughly understanding the details, which affected his work efficiency and performance. Thanks to the meticulous guidance of his mentor, Jacky has gradually learned to act maturely and listen attentively. He will now come to an appropriate decision only after gaining a thorough understanding of the situation, carefully handle each work procedure and establish effective work schedules. Jacky is deeply aware of the importance of taking his profession seriously, and is able to identify his career aspirations and goals. His employer was very satisfied with his efforts and work performance and promoted him to Assistant Engineer II (E&M). Jacky is now studying the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Building Services Engineering, with plans to further pursue a Master’s degree upon graduation to lay a solid foundation for his future career development.

After graduating from secondary school, Michael did not plan to further study or work. He had once spent long hours playing video games at home and become increasingly introverted and unsociable, feeling helpless and hopeless about his future. Desperate for a way out and a breakthrough, he then enrolled in the Youth Employment and Training Programme upon referral by social worker. Under the assistance of the case manager of the programme, he joined the “Career Kick-start” project and managed to secure his first job as a Catering Assistant Associate at a social service centre.

At the outset of the programme, Michael struggled to communicate and share his thoughts with others. Thanks to the advice and encouragement from his case manager, he gradually got over the fear of communicating with others and tried to be more expressive. Though Michael did not have previous working experience, he has managed to work independently in the kitchen and finish the tasks in a timely manner with a proactive and conscientious work attitude. His supervisor was particularly impressed by his committed efforts and concentration at work. For instance, Michael has managed to prepare the right ingredients for various double-boiled soups, and is very aware of every cooking step and the time required. As a result, his supervisor has confidence to entrust the work to him and subsequently promoted him to Kitchen Assistant. Managed to get fulfilment from his job, Michael has become more outgoing and motivated. He is engaged in social life again and his life is totally different now.

Shair had previously worked in insurance, but found the job not to his taste. As he preferred to engage in physical labour work, he then joined the “Project for Tradesman Trainees” co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council before becoming an Apprentice (Foremen) and beginning to live a fruitful life.

Shair did not have any prior experience in construction work. He was also shy and slow to warm up, and seldom took the initiative to talk to others, which affected his work performance. Aware of his inadequacies, Shair would take notes conscientiously whenever he learned something new, and go through the work procedures repeatedly before commencing the work to ensure accurate and flawless completion of the task. Besides, Shair also understood the importance of taking the initiative. He would proactively obtain from sub-contractors information about the work and visit the work site and discuss matters with them, which greatly improved his communication skills and helped him feel more confident to speak up. With tireless and diligent efforts, he gradually familiarised himself with the work. He was able to grasp clearly his job duties and became increasingly devoted to and confident about his work. When problems arose, Shair would take the initiative to analyse the problems with his supervisor and put forward suggestions to help his supervisor address the various challenges, and his performance was highly commended. Shair found his career direction after joining the programme. He is now pursuing Higher Diploma in Building Studies, aspiring to further study in green engineering and seeking to develop a career in this field in future.

Yvonne settled in Hong Kong after completing her education in the Mainland China. She started out working in the catering-related industry, but then she found that there were limited opportunities for development in the job. She began pursuing further studies to seek breakthroughs. During her studies, she enrolled in the Youth Employment and Training Programme after finding more about it. After learning that Yvonne aspired to work in the IT field with stable working hours, the case manager recommended her to join the “e-Learning Support Scheme” organised by the programme. Yvonne eventually secured a position as an e-Learning Support Officer at a primary school.

As Yvonne was not IT major, she was a bit slow at work at the beginning. Nevertheless, she navigated through various challenges with untiring enthusiasm in learning, meticulousness, courage to try and diligent working attitude and was even assigned as a team leader to assist her supervisor in tracking the work progress of the team. Her supervisor also appreciated her good performance in managerial and administrative tasks. Yvonne has planned to enroll in the Higher Diploma in Accounting programme in future, aspiring to contribute more to the school administration and further enhance her vocational skills.

Donald, under the influence of his electrician father and grandfather, already had some basic electrical and mechanical knowledge from a young age. He had participated in the “Project for Tradesman Trainees” co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council before becoming an Engineering Technician (Building Services).

At the beginning of his career, Donald had made mistakes at work from time to time due to a lack of relevant experience. Highly motivated and diligent, Donald was so keen to learn and strived to make improvement. Under the meticulous guidance from the mentor, Donald is now able to handle engineering tasks independently and deliver quality work on time. In addition to his commendable work attitude and adaptability, Donald has also demonstrated remarkable leadership potential and team spirit. His willingness to share knowledge and experience with his fellow colleagues is conducive to achieving mutual goals. Donald’s employer was very satisfied with his outstanding performance and promoted him to Assistant Engineer. Currently, Donald works during daytime and studies in the evening, aspiring to obtain a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Building Services Engineering and preparing for future career development.

Ng has been longing to find a job with a steady income to improve her family’s livelihood. When she learned that paid on-the-job training was provided to trainees of the “Project for Tradesman Trainees”, which was co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council, she signed up immediately and was eventually employed as an Apprentice – Quantity Surveying.

With limited understanding of the construction industry and weak interpersonal and communication skills, Ng had been through quite a lot of setbacks at the beginning of her employment. Thanks to the patient guidance and encouragement of her colleagues and supervisors, as well as the sharing of their past working experiences, Ng realised that as long as she could be brave enough to ask questions and actively communicate with her colleagues , she would not only learn more but be able to gain a lot from others’ thoughts and experiences, which in turn would facilitate the smooth completion of the work. With hands-on working experiences, now that Ng has enriched her knowledge of and skills in construction and accumulated more valuable experiences. She is also more willing to communicate and collaborate with colleagues in various departments voluntarily and is able to complete the tasks, gaining a higher sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from the work. Ng is currently studying for the Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Surveying, striving towards the goal of becoming a Registered Surveyor in future.