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8 March saw the opening of the CLAP@JC Conference, a two-day forum at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre bringing together eminent speakers from Hong Kong and overseas to discuss the career and life development needs of young people.

Guests at the opening ceremony today included HKSAR Government Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak, the Club's Executive Director of Charities and Community Dr Gabriel Leung, and Convenor of the Advisory Committee of CLAP@JC Diana Cesar.

Dr Gabriel Leung said that CLAP@JC is a long-standing initiative of the Club’s Charities Trust, funded by an approved donation of almost HK$ 1 billion. He highlighted that society has now begun to embrace a diversity of choices when it comes to defining a fulfilling and fulfilled life. CLAP@JC aims to encourage all of us to celebrate the different forms of success.

Delivering keynote address was Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Speaking on the theme “What is the future of education to support students navigating in the unknown future?” he shared results from the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), highlighting findings related to the well-being and career development of Hong Kong students. Notably, he suggested that schools should take a more proactive role in preparing students for the future, helping to build their positivity and self-esteem and providing them with a better understanding of the multiple pathways to success.

Discussions at the conference will focus on such topics as: the aspirations of young people and the future of work from the perspective of the business sector and emerging industries; inspiring young people to explore their career development; frameworks to promote effective transitions from education to work; and how quality vocational professional education and training can provide equitable opportunities and unlock talent.

In addition, there will be 40 youth-led exhibitions, over 50 youth-led performances, and a series of interactive workshops and networking sessions. Visitors can also create their own CV360®, a holistic resume that profiles their values, attitudes, skills and knowledge. For more event details, please visit https://clap.hk/clapjc-conference-2024 .

Created and funded by the Club’s Charities Trust, CLAP@JC is helping to drive a paradigm shift in career and life development practice across education, community youth services and the workplace. The overall objective is to help Hong Kong’s young people make a smooth and effective transition from education to employment. To date CLAP@JC has provided career and life-development (CLD) support to 100,000 students, actively engaged over 30,000 young people via community support services, and delivered training to over 6,000 teachers and 7,000 social workers. A systematised CLD framework, “Hong Kong Benchmarks for Career & Life Development” (HKBM©) has been developed and benchmarked against global best-practice and is now being implemented in one-third of Hong Kong secondary schools and over 115 non-profit youth centres. In collaboration with the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, a Special Funding Scheme will be launched in the school year of 2025 to help mainstream the globally recognised artefacts such as HKBM©, CV360® and Youth Career Development Competency© Scale developed by CLAP@JC.