“Given the economic conditions, fresh graduates are having difficulty finding employment as many companies have put their recruitment plans on hold. Consequently the unemployment rate is expected to climb in the months ahead,” HKGCC Chairman Andrew Brandler said. “The objective of the campaign is to assist these fresh graduates to find genuine one-the-job training for what we hope will be at least 12 months.”
HKGCC will encourage its approximately 4,000 members to offer fresh graduates a full-time position in their companies. No fixed pay scale has been suggested as different companies and positions will have different pay scales. However, Mr Brandler said he hopes the allowance will be sufficient to satisfy both parties.
The Chamber first mooted the idea of expanding its long-running ‘HKGCC Business School Partnership Programme’ (for secondary school students) two months ago, as Chamber members and executives put their heads together to develop initiatives to help Hong Kong cope with the financial tsunami. This campaign is modelled on the ‘One Company, One Job Campaign’ that the Chamber launched in 2002. This will be the first in a series of campaigns that it will roll out in the coming months to organize the business community to help young people and the community in Hong Kong to cope with the difficult times ahead.
Alex Fong, Chamber CEO, said that if each of the Chamber’s members can provide one trainee position, we will be able to create 4,000 jobs to help the thousands of students graduating in 2009. “Some large organizations may be able to offer ten or more graduates trainee positions; SMEs maybe able to offer one; some companies may offer a part time position, some may not be in the position to provide any,” he explained. “The point is some companies are searching for a manpower solution, the government is trying to stabilize unemployment, and graduates are trying to find work, so this really is a three-way win for all parties.”
For more information please contact Alex Fong, CEO of HKGCC, at 2823-1211
