The Legislative Council Finance Committee has endorsed the Government's proposal to set up a $50 million fund to experiment with pilot schemes and promote opportunities for training, placing and employing young people, especially jobless youths.

Principal Assistant Secretary for Education & Manpower Byron Lam said the Task Force on Continuing Development & Employment-related Training for Youth has indentified areas where there may be chances to develop pilot projects and services for jobless youths.

The areas cover:

* programmes that aim to motivate jobless youths to seek self-improvement and work;

* modern apprenticeship schemes;

* training for sports-related careers;

* training for creative and cultural industries; and

* training and employment programmes in the Mainland.

Experts', youths' views sought

Mr Lam said the fund will initially focus on pilot projects and services in these five strategic areas, and focus groups have been formed under the task force to take the initiatives forward.

The task force has invited experts and service agencies to give ideas on suitable and useful projects while young people have also joined the focus groups to provide their perspectives.

Service agencies partaking in the discussion with the focus groups have been invited to submit detailed proposals for the task force's consideration.

A vetting committee comprising four to six task force members will be set up to conduct initial assessment of individual project proposals from the service agencies and draw up funding recommendations for the task force's final endorsement.

He expected projects will be piloted in the first nine months of the fund's establishment, and a review will be conducted one year after they are launched.

Funding covers research, youth workers' training

Apart from funding pilot projects and services which directly target jobless youth, the fund will also be used to support research projects on problems related to jobless youths and assessment of existing youth training and employment programmes.

Mr Lam said the outcome of such projects and assessment will be useful in formulating long-term policies and initiatives to address the unemployment problem.

Part of the fund will also be used to subsidise training programmes to enhance youth workers' skills in motivating their charges to seek employment or pursue education, he added.

The task force will seek advice from relevant stakeholders to further deliberate on how suitable training programmes for youth workers and research projects can be identified.

$3m funding ceiling set for each project

To accommodate more pilot projects and to benefit more young people, Mr Lam pointed out that a funding ceiling of $3 million per project will be set. Organisations or institutions that apply for the fund have to bear at least 30% of the project's  total expense to show their commitment. The projects will be for a period of not more than one year.

Organisations receiving financial assistance from the fund will have to introduce suitable internal mechanisms to monitor project progress and submit to the task force a final evaluation report on project effectiveness and a financial report with supporting records for auditing.

Visits will also be arranged to keep an eye on the progress of sponsored projects, Mr Lam noted, adding that a comprehensive review will be conducted late next year.