HK Launches Re-employment Pilot Program For Middle-aged

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government launched a Re-employment Pilot Program for the middle-aged from Thursday to provide one-stop service for job-seekers aged 40 and above.

Speaking at a press briefing, Deputy Commissioner for Labor Siu Wai-lam said that the Program "will assist the middle-aged and long-term unemployed in self-upgrading through pre-employment training and personalized counseling, so that these people will become employed again."

The one-stop service, provided to the unemployed middle-aged who have registered with the Labor Department for three months or more, would cover employment counseling, job matching and induction training.

Placement officers would assess eligible job-seekers' training needs through face-to-face discussions, evaluation and feedback from employers in recent unsuccessful job interviews, Siu said.

According to Siu, the pre-employment training, to be conducted by training bodies, included a one-day Get-ready Workshop and four modular training courses each lasting for one day.

The Get-ready Workshop will, through small group activities, enable job-seekers to become more psychologically prepared for returning to the job market.

Personalized counseling would be provided in the form of pre- employment counseling and on-the-job counseling to assist targets of the Program in successfully obtaining a job and adjusting to a new working environment.

Modular training courses will focus on working attitudes, service skills communication skills and emotional intelligence.

Employers who are willing to engage the job-seekers in a full- time permanent job will be required to provide them with induction training during the first month of employment, Siu said.

Meanwhile, the Labor Department would offer full-scale support to employers, including a training kit to help employers design the training plan and technical support provided by placement officers when necessary, he said.






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