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A survey conducted by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups found that candidates waiting for their academic results of the HKCEE, to be released on 9 August, had a strong desire to continue their studies and to pursue a higher level of educational attainment. The was a general lack of confidence in seeking employment at this stage, while nearly 40 per cent were of the view that opportunities for Form Five students to pursue further studies were not sufficient.
An overwhelming majority of respondents (90 per cent) said
that they expected to continue their studies after obtaining their HKCEE
results. A total of 72.4 per cent
of respondents wanted to complete a university degree or take up post-graduate
studies. A considerable number of
respondents revealed that they would consider taking short-term courses, or
Associate Degree courses provided by local institutes.
With respect to seeking employment, as many as 70 per cent of respondents were not confident in obtaining a job at this stage. A further 65 per cent expressed an interest to participate in the Youth Pre-employment Training Programme. These findings suggest that respondents were not satisfied with the level of Form Five education, as it was not perceived to be helpful in securing jobs in a competitive market.
40 per cent of respondents were of the view that opportunities for Form Five students to pursue further studies were not sufficient, while 60 per cent thought otherwise. When asked what alternative they would consider if they did not qualify for the Sixth Form, a significant portion (78.8 per cent) said that they would opt for courses offered by the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education. Other popular alternatives were courses provided by the Vocational Training Council (55 per cent) or repeating Form Five courses full time (51 per cent).
One interesting finding in the survey was respondents' expectations towards salaries, especially when compared to last year. More than 40 per cent of the HKCEE candidates interviewed last year would accept jobs offering less than $6,000 per month. The percentage of respondents this year with the same opinion dropped drastically to 27 per cent, suggesting that an increasing number of HKCEE candidates had higher expectations regarding their salary. The most popular fields for future employment included medicine, law, accounting, engineering, architecture and information technology.
One important finding was that although the Project Springboard Programmes met the interest of respondents, they were not that familiar with the Programme. The survey noted that Information Technology, English and courses on vocational training, were the top three subjects that appealed most. These subjects were also all covered in the Project Springboard Programme. However, more than half of the respondents said that they had not heard of the new Programme.
This telephone survey was conducted from 18 to 20 July and 24 to 25 July
2000. A total of 504 current HKCEE
candidates were successfully interviewed.
Meanwhile, the Youth Line of the Federation received 787 calls seeking study advice from February to July 2000, against 434 calls last year. In July this year, a total of 492 calls were received related to the same issue, compared to 157 calls last July. Miss Lam of the Youth Line said that candidates were worried about their future prospects, and they considered Sixth Form as the only alternative.
Miss Lam said that many parents or students were not familiar with the Project Springboard Programme or courses offered by the community colleges.
Parents or students who want to seek advice on the issue may call the hotline of the Youth Line at 27778899 for information.
End –
Youth Opinion Polls No.
80
