NWS Career Navigator for Youth
NWS Holdings Limited
A social impact assessment has been conducted to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the current model. This will enable the programme to be adapted and extended over time and bring the greatest possible benefits to as many people as possible, catering to the specific needs of students and teachers in different communities.
INTRODUCTION
NWS Career Navigator for Youth, launched in September 2016, aims to empower young people from disadvantaged parts of Hong Kong by equipping them with highly useful knowledge and skills to develop aspirational career goals. Despite funding and support from different organisations, schools often struggle to implement effective life-planning education. Teachers are often constrained by their own lack of real-life information about the workplace beyond their own sector. Addressing local youth unemployment and skills mismatch, NWS Holdings, by leveraging its resources and extensive network, provides teenagers and their teachers with first-hand industry information and practical training from a range of industries through customised career planning activities, offering them exposure to a variety of career options and inspiring them with real world experience. In collaboration with other non-profit organisations and schools, the Group intends to create a cross-sectoral platform and share the experience and expertise it generates in the business and non-profit communities so as to explore innovative solutions to social issues.
FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY
In its first phase of four years, about 400 ‘Secondary 4’ students (aged about 16) from 10 participating secondary schools in Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing District have been recruited as lead programme participants. Participants join a series of training and activities over three years, gradually improving their knowledge and building their skills and confidence. These activities, which include corporate visits, career talks, mock interviews, meetings with CEOs, buddy programme and job shadowing, are linked and synergistic, providing full support to participating students. The programme also supports teachers with responsibility for careers guidance by providing them with workshops and workplace visits, which help them, in turn, provide more practical training and advice to their students. The content of all activities is closely related to the Group’s business, such as public transport, construction, facilities management, and healthcare services. They involve staff from a range of levels, from front-line retail staff to the highest levels of management. The effectiveness of the programme and the social benefits it creates will be assessed in a social impact assessment study which tracks changes in participating students, teachers, schools, collaborating NGOs and the Group.ACHIEVEMENT AND IMPACT
This multi-beneficiary community project has already brought great benefits to different groups in local society. The Group takes the lead to connect different stakeholders in the programme and establish a cross-sectoral platform for schools, NGOs and the business sector. Through this platform, the Group works with different partners to organise customised activities for participating students and teachers. Over 90 activities, spanning more than 20 industries, have been organised by far and over 3,400 participants are recorded. In addition to providing career planning support to students, participating schools and teachers have also gained access to more relevant information and knowledge to help their students in life planning. Through a wide range of activities, NGOs, in collaboration with corporates, can explore more effective and innovative ways for young people to plan for their future career. At the same time, corporates can make good use of their resources to nurture young talent and seize the opportunity to encourage them to consider careers in sectors they may not have been aware of or thought accessible to them.FUTURE DIRECTION
The programme has successfully connected the business sector, schools and the social welfare sector. This collaboration platform cares for the development of youngsters and makes good use of the resources from all parties to comprehensively support young people. It is a platform that has been designed to be expanded over time, bringing together a growing of committed organisations from a range of industries to help potentially disadvantaged young people.A social impact assessment has been conducted to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the current model. This will enable the programme to be adapted and extended over time and bring the greatest possible benefits to as many people as possible, catering to the specific needs of students and teachers in different communities.
Listed in Hong Kong in 2003, NWS Holdings Limited (‘NWS Holdings’ or ‘the Group’) is a conglomerate with diverse businesses and investments predominantly in Hong Kong and Mainland China, comprising toll roads, environmental management, port and logistics facilities, rail container terminals, commercial aircraft leasing, facilities management, healthcare services, construction and public transport.
