YETP Most Improved Trainees 2025

Joe was employed as Apprentice (Building Services) under the "Project for Tradesman Trainees" co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council. Being in an entirely new environment, Joe, an introvert person, appeared rather passive at the beginning of his employment, which made him miss a lot of opportunities to learn and progress and lose confidence in his work ability at one point.

Nevertheless, with on-the-job training provided under the Project, Joe has not only steadily mastered the knowledge and skills in the electrical, mechanical and building services, but also successfully obtained relevant certificates, laying a solid foundation for his future development. With the encouragement from his mentor and colleagues, Joe has also learnt the importance of taking a proactive approach to learn and solve problems, which has turned him into a more committed and confident person. On one occasion, construction work could not proceed due to incorrect information of the plan. Although Joe was just a novice apprentice at that time, he took the initiative to review the design drawing. He identified the problems and then proactively communicated with his mentor and the engineers. He put forward some amendments and eventually managed to help resolve the issue successfully, avoiding work delays and additional cost, and earning him the trust and praise of the team. Joe has demonstrated a high degree of responsibility and professionalism by completing every task proactively. He has also put forward innovative ideas from time to time to help the team improve work efficiency. As a result of his outstanding performance, the company promoted him to Assistant Building Services Coordinator responsible for project coordination and management. Joe is now pursuing Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Building Services Engineering in preparation for his future career.

Huang completed the Diploma in Construction (Bar Bending & Fixing) at the Hong Kong Institute of Construction. He was then employed as a bar bending and fixing worker under the "Approved Technical Talents Training Programmes" co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Construction Industry Council.

Unafraid of hardship, Huang chose to join bar-bending industry at young age mainly because it is a challenging job. At the beginning, Huang made mistakes on several occasions as he had not yet gained a thorough understanding of the professional knowledge and skills required for bar bending and fixing and lacked hands-on experience. Thanks to his industriousness, perseverance, conscientiousness as well as serious and responsible work attitude, coupled with the one-on-one professional technical guidance from the site trainer, Huang quickly mastered the core skills on concrete structures in as short as three months. Besides, Huang demonstrated exceptional interpersonal and communication skills at work. His cheerfulness, sincerity and amiableness very soon helped foster a harmonious team atmosphere and build good collaborative relationships between him and his supervisors and colleagues. With a proactive learning attitude and the honing of professional skills, Huang felt more certain about his career aspirations and goals. He even participated in the WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition 2025, in which he was awarded winner in the Concrete Construction Work category. He will undergo further training in preparation for the 48th WorldSkills Competition to be held in Shanghai in 2026.

Xie was employed as a Trainee Technician under the "Project for Tradesman Trainees" co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council. With no prior experience in electrical work and a somewhat introverted personality, Xie was not good at communicating with strangers. He often felt frustrated and confused for not knowing how to seek assistance from veterans and colleagues when confronting tasks or technical principles that he did not understand. As he had just come on board, he inevitably found it daunting and was not confident enough in practical work.

Thanks to the patient guidance of his mentor, Xie gradually acquired the skills to get along and communicate with colleagues. His work attitude changed from being passive and hesitant at the beginning to becoming more proactive and self-driven. In addition to setting daily learning goals and marking down the new skills acquired, Xie regularly discussed his progress with his mentor. Moreover, he began to demonstrate leadership potential. In a short video competition organised by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, he successfully resolved differences of opinions among team members, contributing to the winning of silver award. Xie, currently responsible for emergency repair work, demonstrates a dedicated spirit and stands ready at all times, striving to restore power supply to clients as quickly as possible. He aspires to become a professional electrical technician through continuous accumulation of experience, and has planned to pursue a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering to prepare for a future career as an electrical engineer.

April became an Engineering Technician (Quantity Surveying) under the "Project for Tradesman Trainees" co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council.

April encountered many difficulties and challenges common to newbies at workplace when she came on board, particularly the requirement of achieving high-standard precision in quantity surveying work. However, as she did not have a thorough understanding and full knowledge of the overall workflow, construction processes, industry terminologies, plan interpretation and professional standards, etc. and she was too afraid to seek help from colleagues when facing difficulties, her work performance was affected as a result. April never felt discouraged even in the face of many challenges. Instead, she remained humble in learning all the times and was receptive to her mentor's guidance and suggestions for improvement, striving to become better. With continuous accumulation of hands-on experience, she gradually developed a proactive and inquisitive attitude at work. She was no longer afraid but took the initiative to ask questions when problems arose, ensuring every task was completed with precision. April has made significant progress in terms of work performance and professional knowledge. She can now independently complete the tasks assigned to her, including following through the workflow for subcontract work in a holistic manner, calculating quantities and assisting in the scrutiny of contract details, etc. She even actively expressed her views and put forward suggestions in team meetings, exchanging and collaborating with her colleagues. April is doing her job with zeal and commitment, planning to pursue a top-up degree in future to further strengthen her theoretical knowledge and enhance her competitiveness and professionalism with the long-term goal of becoming a quantity surveying professional with both theoretical and practical skills.

After graduating from secondary school, Joey was unable to pursue university education because her academic results were less than satisfactory. She once considered other pathways to further her studies, but eventually decided to find a job given her financial situation. She subsequently got to know about the Youth Employment and Training Programme online and the support available to help young people to explore their career pathways and find jobs. She then signed up for the programme.

Joey was quite introverted and passive with little self-confidence, rarely taking the initiative to communicate with others. After getting along with each other for some time, Joey gradually developed trust with the programme's career advisor and began to open up to share her anxiety and feeling of uncertainty about the future. The career advisor then encouraged her to follow her interests and attend the Foundation Certificate in Pet Grooming Assistant Training. It marked her first step towards exploring her career pathway. After completing the course, Joey was employed by a pet shop to engage in work relating to pet grooming. Having received training through work more than a year, Joey gradually managed to open herself up, overcome challenges of different kinds, and become more persevering and willing to communicate with others. As Joey would like to continue to explore her career aspirations, she decided to try to land a clerical job with more stable working hours after discussing with her career advisor. Joey managed to enhance her computer operational knowledge, word processing skills and interpersonal communication skills through two 6-month on-the-job training placements. Besides, Joey also equipped herself by attending the clerical-related training courses, actively seizing on-the-job training opportunities to strive to pursue breakthroughs. She has now managed to find her career pathway compared with what she used to be when she first joined the programme. She has even set goals and aspires to get a higher-level clerical job by continuously improving her English and computer skills.

Henry used to work in security as well as transport and logistics. As he felt that the job was non-professional and had limited scope for career development, he just quitted it. Henry subsequently enrolled in the "Project for Tradesman Trainees" co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council and got employed as Technician Trainee.

Without relevant work experience in mechanical engineering, Henry inevitably felt lost and uncertain at the beginning of his employment. Fortunately, the Project offered core courses on interpersonal skills in job search, helping Henry improve his communication skills and develop a good work attitude so as to make it easier for him to better understand and adapt to the pace of work. From the first day of employment, Henry has consistently maintained a conscientious and proactive attitude at work, seizing opportunities to learn diverse skills and knowledge. When faced with challenge, Henry will firstly find ways to address it and then proactively communicate and coordinate with veterans, collaborating seamlessly and exploring solutions together. Henry also always maintains a strong safety awareness. He will meticulously check the on-site work environment and conduct risk assessment, and ensure all safety measures are in place before commencing work. Henry is very clear about his aspiration to pursue a career in mechanical engineering through the complementary efforts of training and practical experience. He is currently studying for a Certificate of Vocational Education (Mechanical Engineering) while planning to obtain work-related professional licences in electrical work and welding, etc., with an aim to be a professional engineer.

After graduating from secondary school, Chloe attended a diploma course in hotel and tourism hospitality. However, it was not easy to find a job at that time due to the pandemic and changes in the economic environment. Therefore, she enrolled in the "Project for Tradesman Trainees" co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council to work as Trainee (Building).

As a newbie in the construction industry, Chloe indeed faced numerous difficulties and challenges in a new and fast-paced work environment. Without frontline experience, it is inevitable that Chloe felt less confident in front of other engineers with rich work experience and was even doubtful about her own abilities, which affected her performance. In view of this, the company made special arrangement to familiarise her with the structures of various sections and encouraged her to proactively communicate with colleagues. She learned from it that maintaining good interpersonal relationship is important for working in construction site. With growing experience, Chloe not only got the hang of various work procedures and arrangement of site documents and minutes, but also learned to remain composed and provide prompt response in a fast-paced and high-pressure working environment. Chloe's outstanding performance contributed to her promotion to Assistant Foreman II and she was empowered to take on greater responsibilities in work allocation and team co-ordination. Chloe couldn't be more pleased with her present role, saying that the programme has not only enhanced her employability, but has also helped her to feel more certain about her career aspirations and goals, which has enabled her to unleash her full potential for career in the construction industry. Chloe is currently pursuing Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Construction Management for her future career.

As a young mother, Theresa's path from school to work has been far from smooth. With limited academic qualifications and the need to look after two children, it was not easy for her to get a job that enabled her to attend to both family and work. Theresa had worked in various industries, with her family helping her look after the children. Subsequently, Theresa was employed as a Part Time Program Worker and began a 6-month on-the-job training under the Youth Employment and Training Programme, gradually adapting to the pace of workplace and exploring her potential.

As Theresa had limited work experience and had to bring her son along to work with her when she came on board, she worried that she might become a burden to her colleagues and even doubted her own abilities. Fortunately, she was optimistic, easy-going and friendly. When she noted the inclusiveness of the workplace where colleagues would assist in handling emergencies during work time, coupled with her colleagues' encouragement, she felt relieved from anxiety and unease. She further focused on her job and dared to try different types of work. For instance, she took the initiative to plan and design the contents of the social media posts of the centre, engaged in video production, and assisted in organising various types of workshops, bazaars and outreach activities, etc. Theresa even took on the role of instructor in these activities, teaching participants to make crystal balls, engraved leather and hand-woven products, and showing her expertise in face painting for children. She found a deep passion for event design and craft teaching in these activities, gradually becoming more confident as she gained more hands-on experience. She gained recognition from her team for her proactive and dedicated attitude and the trust of fellow young mother trainees. Thanks to the Youth Employment and Training Programme, Theresa was not only given a job opportunity that helped her overcome the double pressure of childcare and work, build up her confidence, sense of responsibility and creativity, but was clearer about her direction and ready to re-enter the workforce. She has been actively equipping herself in an effort to develop a part-time handicraft business. Her experience proves that even young mothers can shine brightly when given the right platform.

John had been engaging in catering-related work after graduation from secondary school. Later, he felt that the opportunity for career development was limited, hence he decided to better equip himself, and enrolled in the "Project for Tradesman Trainees" co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council to work as Technician Apprentice.

As a newbie in the construction industry, John was very unfamiliar with the working environment and culture at construction site, especially when he had to enquire the veterans about the technical issues. His limited working knowledge and weak communication skills often led to misunderstanding and even criticism by the veterans. However, it did not deter John. On the contrary, he took painstaking efforts to learn from mistakes and meticulously consolidated his experience, and even took the initiative to build rapport with the veterans with the aim of improving his questioning techniques by carefully observing the ways they communicate with each other. Besides, John often brought along a notebook. Whenever he came across jargons or symbols he did not understand, he would immediately write them down and then looked them up online or consulted friends in the industry so as to better understand the work and improve work efficiency. He has proactively equipped himself, gradually deepening his construction knowledge and enhance his professional skills through self-learning of plan and graphic design software via online platforms in his spare time. As John's current job requires communication and collaboration with engineering consultants and subcontractors, he will proactively seek to understand the work approaches and perspectives of different subcontractors to facilitate smoother completion of the works, and he can also learn a lot from their experiences. John now works closely with different units at construction sites, and the veterans are willing to offer him guidance. His work performance is highly recognised by the company. Although John may be a late starter compared to his peers, he believes that he can ultimately find his direction if he dares to take the first step, maintains an open attitude towards new things and never stops learning.

Ng had no idea about his career development after graduating from secondary school given his less satisfactory academic results. He got a preliminary understanding of the construction industry through the introduction of his friend. He then joined the "Project for Tradesman Trainees" co-organised by the Youth Employment and Training Programme and the Vocational Training Council, and was employed as an Engineering Technician (Construction).

Modest and amiable, Ng demonstrated a proactive work attitude when he came on board. However, given his limited experience, he inevitably felt pressure from the need to handle multiple tasks and different works processes simultaneously and liaise with contractors, engineers and foremen in the face of the fast-paced and extensive works and processes, which affected his performance. Nevertheless, occasional setbacks did not weigh him down, but motivated him to make continuous progress. Whenever faced with new technical issues, Ng would take the initiative to seek advice from his mentor and colleagues, making thorough preparation and coordination before works commenced to ensure precise delivery of each process. Enthusiastic about the construction industry and with unwavering perseverance, Ng has transformed from a supporting member on site into a professional capable of independently handling complex construction activities and coordination tasks. Noting the innovative technological trends in the construction industry, Ng took the initiative to study and obtain a Certificate in Small Unmanned Aircraft Advanced Rated Training with the aims to apply the skills he learned in his workplace and provide new momentum to enhance site safety and works efficiency through conducting comprehensive real-time safety inspections and environmental monitoring on site. He also took an active role in organising team-building activities for the apprentice of the company, demonstrating his leadership potential and excellent organisational skills. Ng aspires to become a dedicated and enthusiastic foreman, giving his best towards becoming a professional. He is currently studying for a Higher Diploma in Civil Engineering, and has planned to continue to pursue a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and enrol in Building Information Modelling courses after graduation. He aspires to realise his full potential in the construction industry, seeking to contribute to its development.