New World Development has always been devoted to Hong Kong’s youth development, with a particular focus on cultivating the new generation and enabling them to plan for a fruitful career at an early stage. As an extension of its efforts, the Group's large-scale crowd donation platform, Share for Good has recently launched the “Future Step-Up” programme, which is fully supported by the Chevalier Group and 16 innovative companies to offer targeted support to over 100 youths from Small Group Homes. It introduces the concept of unlimited work trial and a series of innovative career planning workshops, with the aim of inspiring young people and broadening their horizons.

Social Welfare Department welcomes collaboration among corporates in addressing social needs, the Chevalier Group hopes to inject new energy in nurturing local talents

The “Future Step-Up” programme was inaugurated on 23 September. In her speech at the ceremony, the Director of the Social Welfare, Miss Charmaine Lee said, "With suitable guidance and encouragement, all young people can create a better future for themselves and contribute to society. I extend my best wishes for the programme which will benefit young people by broadening their horizons, expanding their outlook, and facilitating them to plan for their future." Miss Lee expressed her special gratitude to Share for Good of the New World Development Company Limited and the Chevalier Group for their continuous concern and support for the disadvantaged, which is truly heartwarming to those in need.

Strategic partner, Mr. H S Kuok, Chairman and Managing Director of the Chevalier Group said, "‘Share for Good’ is an innovative donation matching platform spearheaded by New World Development aiming at connecting various organizations to provide timely support to the underprivileged during the pandemic. The platform now extends to the launch of the ‘Future Step-up’ programme and it coincides with the Chevalier Group’s longstanding commitment to youth affairs. We are honoured to be a Strategic Partner of the ‘Future Step-up’ which sees the business community, welfare sector and the Government join hands to form a tripartite collaboration to offer diverse workplace experience to 100 young individuals from Small Group Homes. We hope the Programme will expand their horizons and help them embark on a promising career path."

Introducing unlimited work trial model to enable youngsters to experience over 16 innovative industries

In order to expand into the youth service programme, Share for Good has established a “Youth and Ethnic Minority Committee” composed of both experts and young individuals. The committee aims to explore and implement social innovation projects, including the “Future Step-Up” programme, specifically tailored for young people and ethnic minority groups.

At the ceremony, Committee Chairperson Mrs. Jennifer Yu Cheng thanked the Government, Chevalier Group, and participating companies for their valuable support of the programme. “’Future Step-Up harnesses the collective power of the corporate community to provide diverse training and work experiences for young people that help them discover their potential early on and overcome any financial constraints,” she said. “We firmly believe that every young person has the potential to lead and that one’s potential must not be restricted by limited resources. Through our series of pre-employment planning and internship opportunities, we are actively assisting young people in setting their goals and planning their careers at an early stage.”

“Future Step-Up” has received support from various parties, including 16 large and innovative companies, as well as 5 NGOs, including Yan Chai Hospital, Po Leung Kuk, The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong, S.K.H. St Christopher’s Home and Precious Blood Children's Village (see appendix table for details).

The programme is closely aligned with market and youth trends. With the support and coordination of its participating corporates, “Future Step-Up” is introducing the pioneering model of “unlimited work trial”. With positions that cover a wide range of emerging and popular industries, such as cloud farming, low-carbon tourism, and social media platform promotion, it encourages participants to explore various industries during the programme period.

Among the participating corporates is the agricultural technology company Farmacy HK, which allows young participants to experience the operation of smart farms, including data collection and assisting in the implementation of cloud farming systems. Another corporate is V'air Sustainability Education, founded by two post-90s entrepreneurs, which provides internship opportunities for participants to initiate sustainable tourism education programmes, learning about Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) concepts and start-up management in the process. OneDegree Hong Kong leads young people to understand the latest operations in virtual insurance and explore the new opportunities brought by the pet market to the insurance industry. Through these valuable internship opportunities and job explorations, participants can gain insights into new workplace trends, experience the daily operations and corporate culture of different industries, and help them set aspirations and plan diverse careers.

Comprehensive workplace training and one-stop job preparation

In addition to providing unlimited internships, “Future Step-Up” also offers job guidance that is in line with the latest trends. This includes collaborations with the professional networking

platform LinkedIn to share big data on workplace, as well as the utilisation of generative artificial intelligence (Generative AI) with youngsters. LinkedIn will also offer free Premium accounts to participants, allowing them to learn more than 20,000 professional courses online and obtain resume certifications.

Furthermore, the Youth Employment Division of the Labour Department is introducing its comprehensive and personalised employment services to participants, enabling youths to better understand themselves and their work aptitudes. The Human Resources Department of New World Development and the Chevalier Group will separately provide various practical skills, including workplace etiquette, resume crafting, and mock interviews, while HSBC Hong Kong will share personal wealth management knowledge to prepare young individuals comprehensively for their future careers.

In the future, Share for Good will continue to collaborate with different enterprises to explore innovative and diverse social solutions. By harnessing the power of the business sector, it aims to cultivate the next generation of talents and create win-win outcomes for both the business sector and society.
 

“Future Step-Up” Program Details

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