HR Corner Open platform facilitates career growth by Christy Liu Labour Department joins hands with big business to nurture tomorrow's leaders Due to the rapidly changing nature of the logistics industry, young people may lack sufficient information about job requirements and find starting a career hard going. As such, DHL has forged a partnership with the Labour Department in support of the newly established "Youth Employment Start" (Y.E.S.) programme, which provides one-stop advisory and employment support services to youths aged between 15 and 29. This programme is one of DHL's signature corporate sustainability initiatives, demonstrating its continuous dedication to nurturing future leaders in Hong Kong. As a responsible company, DHL has embarked on several comprehensive sustainability initiatives throughout its extensive global network. In Hong Kong alone, DHL received the Caring Company logo from The Hong Kong Council for Social Service (HKCSS) for the fifth consecutive year in 2008, in recognition of its generous contribution to the local community. Edward Hui, managing director, Hong Kong, Macau and South China, DHL Global Forwarding says, "DHL spares no effort in applying its core competencies to serve the community. We hope that our contribution to the Y.E.S. programme can help talented youths in Hong Kong unleash their potential and plan their lives and careers with full confidence." According to Christina Wong, manager, Y.E.S., a full range of services and facilities feature in three major areas, including career planning and personal development, support services for youth entrepreneurs and skills and knowledge upgrades for sustainable development. Ms Wong explains, "For instance, young people are encouraged to complete our career potential assessment which helps them understand their career interests and capabilities in order to choose suitable jobs. Our career consultants will then provide a career consultation service to the young people based on the assessment results. We also conduct mock interviews in realistic settings with video-recording facilities to encourage thorough preparation prior to attending job interviews." Executive stage In addition to offering job-search services and facilities, Y.E.S. also serves as a platform for employers and partners of social services to help nurture young people. According to Ms Wong, the objective of Y.E.S. is to help young people develop a sustainable career. "One of our missions is to encourage young people to better understand themselves prior to entering the labour market. We also aim to cultivate positive work attitudes and educate them about employers' requirements. Therefore, we liaise with private enterprises to deliver a comprehensive advisory and support programme on employment and self-employment to today's youth," she adds. The mission of Y.E.S. is strongly supported by DHL. In addition to offering job opportunities to Y.E.S. members, DHL executives and employees volunteer to provide support by sharing their experiences with young recruits. "Commitment to good corporate citizenship is fundamental to achieving sustained value creation" Connie Tang, general manager, DHL Express Hong Kong says, "We are happy to report the positive response from our employees, who have generously devoted their time and effort in supporting the Y.E.S. programme. DHL will continue to offer more opportunities for our employees to maximise their social commitment in the future. This helps cultivate a stronger sharing and learning culture, foster bonds between employees, and make DHL an ideal workplace." DHL also provides young people with a wide variety of activities such as dialogues with the CEO, employee success stories, training programmes and mentorship initiatives. The overarching objective is to equip participants with a better understanding of the industry. Sagacious leaders Regarding soft skills, the company organises training workshops to enhance young people's communication skills. As an extra perk, DHL even awards scholarships to outstanding Y.E.S. participants. "We believe that we can leverage DHL's platform to help youngsters develop both personally and professionally," Ms Wong reveals, noting that Y.E.S. attaches great importance to the mentorship programme, as young people can directly and interactively learn from experienced adults. "Through our mentorship programme young people can obtain insights from mentors, who possess practical professional knowledge and rich life experience, helping them face challenges during the entire employment process. Institutionally, the company prides itself on this valuable CSR initiative as it demonstrates the company's dedication to nurturing future leaders," explains Ms Wong. Mr Hui points out that CSR makes good business sense as it benefits the company, employees and the community. "Commitment to good corporate citizenship is fundamental to achieving sustained value creation for both society and DHL in the long run," he says. Ms Wong adds that Y.E.S. targets to serve 72,000 young people every year. "We not only aim to help young people find jobs, but also want to accompany them during their career development process as our role is to help our young generations develop sustainable careers," she concludes. Salient points * One-stop youth employment support * Scholarships awarded to high achievers * Experienced staff share expertise with youngsters * Employment programme targets 72,000 youths annually Taken from Career Times 27 June 2008, p. A20 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]