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Jockey Club PROcruit C’s first graduation ceremony
23/02/2022
Fresh graduates are finding it hard to launch their careers amid the pandemic. Given this, The Hong Kong Jockey Club in 2020 through its Charities Trust created and funded PROcruit C, a talent-matching and development initiative for fresh graduates seeking jobs for the first time. The graduation ceremony for the project’s first cohort was held on 23 February. Eighty-four graduating trainees will embark on new endeavours.
The Club’s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung congratulated the graduates through an online speech. He said, “The Club places great importance on youth development. The one-year professional traineeship programme supports the transition from school to the workplace so graduates can launch their professional careers, reflecting the spirit of ‘caring is a profession’.”
The Club’s purpose is to act continuously for the betterment of our society. As with all its donations, the Club’s support for this project is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax and charity support for the community.
PROcruit C has achieved remarkable results. It received nearly 3,000 applications and attracted 22 tertiary institutes to participate in the programme. It has also cooperated with about 200 partners from different industries, providing 400 trainee positions to develop professions in four emerging areas: Creativity for Good, Technology for Good, Business for Good and Healthcare for Good.
The project has been well received by the participants since its implementation. Different from other traineeship programmes, PROcruit C guides trainees to apply for job roles that best match their VASK (values, attitudes, skills and knowledge). This approach enables employers to go beyond qualifications when offering positions to fresh graduates. The programme also provides industry-specific training, coaching, and continuous learning opportunities throughout the traineeship. In particular, the project’s boot camp not only offers soft skills training but also professional skills for the 21st-century workplace. This has been greatly appreciated by both employers and trainees, and has received high ratings (4.4 out of 5). Over 90% of the trainees agree that the project has enhanced their employability.
One beneficiary is Noel, who graduated from translation studies last year. Fortunately, she was offered an opportunity to be trained as a wellness planner trainee after she joined PROcruit C. Noel said that the two-week boot camp provided her with diverse job training programmes, including workplace etiquette. “The tutors also taught us some coping skills and techniques, including lobbying skills, to positively encourage service users to follow our physical and mental health advice.” The project helped her define her future career path in the social welfare industry and she appreciates its support.
