Career carnival: The Information Expo for Secondary School Leavers is being held in Diamond Hill.

May and June saw 12,695 vacant posts suitable for secondary school leavers, up 8.9% on the same period last year, Assistant Commissioner for Labour Tsang Kin-woo says.

Launching the two-day Information Expo for Secondary School Leavers in Diamond Hill today, Mr Tsang said that with the economic recovery the overall employment situation has improved, offering more job opportunities for secondary school leavers.

Of the 12,695 jobs, half were in business services, import and export, retail and property management. Half of the positions offered were clerks, instructors, shop assistants, salesmen and business representatives.

Sufficient places

Over the past seven years the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme has prepared more than 73,000 students.

As at early July, more than 28,000 students were hired as trainees through the Youth Work Experience & Training Scheme while about 15,000 found jobs in the open market with their case managers' assistance. Both schemes are now open to applications until August 21, and there are sufficient places to accommodate all applicants. For details click here.

To provide advisory services to Secondary 5 school leavers and their parents, centres will be set up in Wan Chai, Kowloon Tong and Sheung Shui from August 7 to 12. They can also seek help through a counselling hotline 2115 8622.

Principal Assistant Secretary for Education & Manpower Charmaine Lee said there are 20 education providers offering accredited self-financing post-secondary programmes. In the coming school year, they will provide 300 courses offering 26,500 student places at degree and sub-degree levels.

More chances

From the 2005-06 academic year, the Government has increased in phases the number of publicly funded year-two and year-three places at universities, so more sub-degree graduates with outstanding academic results can continue their studies at universities.

Sub-degree graduates can also opt to study self-financing degree places offered by other institutions or pursue overseas self-financing articulation courses. There are 150 institutions in 10 countries or territories that recognise local associate degree qualifications.

More than 20 professional bodies will grant recognition or exemptions from parts of their professional examinations for some sub-degree programmes. The Government has also taken the lead in accepting associate degree qualifications for appointment to civil service posts.

To cater for students who fail to obtain satisfactory results in the Certificate of Education Examination and mature students who could not complete their secondary education, Project Yi Jin provides them with an alternative route to continuing education. More than 25,000 students have taken courses under the project in the past six years.