Hong Kong companies urged to take on more apprentices to encourage vocational training
Vocational Training Council chairman says city should follow Swiss model, where about two-thirds of those aged 16 choose a vocational path
The government needs to do more to upgrade vocational facilities and encourage companies to take on students on apprenticeships, the head of Hong Kong’s largest vocational education provider has said.
Speaking to the Post on the sidelines of an international conference on vocational and professional education, Vocational Training Council chairman Dr Clement Chen Cheng-jen noted that most Hong Kong companies, unlike their Swiss and German counterparts, were not so keen on hiring inexperienced young people.
He said only big companies or listed ones were willing to take on council students for industrial attachments or internships.
Chen said there was little incentive for small or medium-sized companies to do so. They make up 98 per cent of firms in Hong Kong.
“From their standpoint, why should I spend time and resources on a young person when after the training or attachment, this person will go and work for someone else, such as bigger companies offering better packages,” he said.