Seize opportunity to promote upward mobility
29 April 2018
Hong Kong has a strong demand for manpower, particularly in certain industries where there is shortage of professional and technical staff. Meanwhile, some young people who are less well prepared for the job market are feeling lost and worried about their career prospects. Against this backdrop, the Human Resources Planning Commission and the Youth Development Commission, both chaired by me, have been set up to discuss the issues. The commissions held their respective first meetings in the past two weeks to preliminarily examine the education and vocational avenues for our younger generation.
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Our city is exemplary of an Asian metropolis where various trades and industries grow and thrive. In particular, we have a robust aviation market and aviation jobs are always attractive to young people. While some people might have only pilots and flight attendants in mind when coming to think of the aviation industry, the fact is that the industry boasts a wide range of positions and jobs. Technical expertise is required in many of them, such as aircraft maintenance, ground handling, aviation security, airport services, facility management and air logistics. Added to that are the much-sought-after catering, retail, hospitality, and convention and exhibition services at the airport. The manpower demand is acute indeed.
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The Hong Kong International Airport, as one of the most efficient aviation hubs in the world, has been on the list of the busiest airports across the globe. It received 72.87 million passengers in 2017, up by 3.3% year-on-year. Total cargo and airmail throughput rose by 9.4% from the previous year to exceed the mark of 5 million tonnes for the first time and topped the world league. Air traffic grew by 2.2% with over 420 000 aircraft movements. The airport has established itself as a global and regional aviation centre, playing a crucial role in maintaining Hong Kong’s status as Asia’s world city.
To meet the huge air traffic demand in the long term and maintain Hong Kong’s status as a major aviation hub for the country as well as the region, the Airport Authority is pushing ahead with the Three-Runway System (3RS) project. Construction work was kicked off in August 2016, for completion by 2024.
Young people’s upward mobility is always close to my heart. The 3RS will create plenty of job opportunities while powering the growth of the economy. The Airport Authority projected that following the commencement of the 3RS, the aviation industry as a whole can provide about 120 000 direct jobs and nearly 160 000 indirect or induced jobs (including aviation-related and unrelated jobs) by the year 2030. Compared with the respective figures of about 90 000 and 120 000 under the present Two-Runway System, the enhanced system will bring about an impressive increase of over 70 000 jobs in total.
We must nurture sufficient local and regional aviation management talent to support the future development of the airport. The Hong Kong International Aviation Academy, founded by the Airport Authority in 2016, is dedicated to vocational education in this regard. The first batch of courses were rolled out in April 2017. As at December 2017, more than 170 courses were offered and over 5 500 students received professional training at the academy in airport management, security, air traffic control, etc.
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The Certificate in Airport Services and Operations programme introduced in September 2017, focusing on basic knowledge and skills essential to entry to the aviation industry, is one of the academy’s content-rich and wide-ranging courses. Eighty-five graduates of the programme have participated in a 12-month internship since last October, with prospects of employment at the placement organisations afterwards. More programmes featuring classroom and placement based learning will be introduced by the academy. Act now if you are interested in joining the aviation industry. Take a look at the programmes and apply for one that best suits your interests and aspirations.
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The Vocational Training Council is also providing training for young people interested in joining the aviation industry. Over 700 training places at different levels are offered every year, nearly half of which are related to aircraft maintenance engineering. Besides teaching professional knowledge and skills in aircraft maintenance, internship opportunities are also provided to help trainees meet the qualification requirements for the aircraft maintenance licence recognised by the Civil Aviation Department.
More cutting-edge learning facilities are also essential for training up more professionals in aircraft maintenance engineering. The Government has announced its support for the Vocational Training Council to construct the Aviation and Marine Engineering Centre on the site of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi). The new compound is expected to feature a light aircraft hangar, training rooms with aircraft systems and components, flight simulators, body parts of aircraft, a flight experience centre and other facilities related to navigation education, providing a near-real training environment for course participants.
Targeted manpower training is crucial to ensure the needs of the employment market are met. To help parents appreciate the merits of multiple pathways and the prospects of technical professions, we still have a lot to do in terms of vocational and professional education. Also, we must promote life planning and help young people get prepared for a successful career path giving full play to their talents.
