Sixteen thousand secondary school leavers will be paid $1,000 each to attend a six-month training programme under an initiative to start in September.
Forty-four organisations - including training bodies, voluntary agencies, government departments and the disciplined services - have agreed to take part in the Youth Pre-employment Programme.
Financial Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, the chairman of the Taskforce on Employment, said he had 'been very encouraged by the response to the programme'.
'For example, the Federation for Continuing Education in Tertiary Institutions, which includes the extramural departments of six universities, have offered to provide some 3,000 training places in computer application at a special concessionary rate under the programme.' The training places will be provided for job-seekers between the ages of 15 and 19, with the Jockey Club pledging to help fund the programme with $40 million. .
It is 4,000 places more than the initial offer of 12,000 last month when the plan for the programme was first outlined.
It will provide the youngsters with a wide range of employment-related training in four different areas - leadership, self-discipline and team building; job skills and interpersonal skills; computer application and specific skills.
