CLAP@JC CONFERENCE 2024

The CLAP@JC Conference 2024 held at Hall 3B-C, the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 8-9 March 2024. We are delighted to have Dr. Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) who initiated the renowned Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) to deliver a keynote address. 

During the Conference, there will be plenary sessions to discuss other important topics including aspiration of youth and future of work, quality framework to promote good transition from school to work, how quality vocational professional education and training will provide equitable opportunities to unlock talents. In parallel, there will be set up of youth-led performance, thematic exhibitions, future work marketplace and onsite creation of your own CV360®. 

CLAP@JC Youth Outreaching Forum 2023 “Journey with Outreaching Youths” 

CLAP@JC, in collaboration with various youth service units, has implemented an effective and systematic intervention framework to help youths discover their unique internal assets.

CLAP@JC aims to establish a positive career identity, reducing the likelihood of youths falling into repeated crises. Recognizing this achievement, CLAP@JC organized the “CLAP@JC Youth Outreaching Forum 2023” on 17th January 2023. This forum serves as a platform for exchange among 19 Youth Outreaching Teams (YOT) and 18 Overnight Outreaching Services for Young Night Drifters (YND). By hosting a series of Panel Discussions, Case Study Sessions and Interactive Workshops, the forum aims to connect over 200 representatives from government departments, social welfare sectors, and academia. The goal is to share effective approaches in supporting outreach youths based on a youth-centered philosophy, inspiring youths to explore their career aspirations and develop the necessary skills to face future challenges and opportunities.

Hong Kong Benchmarks for Career and Life Development (CLD) Online Symposium: Collection of School Stories

CLAP@JC has introduced the Hong Kong Benchmarks for Career and Life Development (HKBM) to the school sector since late 2020. HKBM is a well-piloted, systematic self-improvement framework for Hong Kong schools to build quality Career and Life Development (CLD) provisions that can be benchmarked with global standards.

In this symposium, our CLAP@JC schools and participants were eager to share their own CLD stories in their HKBM adoption journeys. Participants found the important experience sharing useful and insightful in constructing a good CLD-enabling environment for our youths in the 21st century. All stories are particularly suitable for school leaders, career teachers, and those who have interests in promoting quality CLD education in Hong Kong.

Community of Practice Session for NGO Managerial Staff

Theme: “Co-creating High-quality Career and Life Development Services: NGO Impact Stories and Practice Wisdom of CLAP@JC Hong Kong Benchmarks (Community)”

The CLAP@JC Hong Kong Benchmarks (Community) is a systematic self-improvement framework for youth service agencies to build quality career and life development (CLD) services that can be benchmarked with global standards. The benchmarks have three layers of the framework: the core part, which highlights the agency’s policy, workforce and infrastructure guidelines. The youth-focused part emphasises the quality of CLD services addressing youth needs and profiles. Last but not least, the enabling environment part provides a direction and sets a standard for designing and delivering quality CLD services in a planned manner with the connection of various stakeholders. HKBM is implemented to ensure the delivery of high-quality career and life interventions to youth and particularly to non-engaged youth (NEY).

In this Community of Practice session on “Co-creating High-quality Career and Life Development Services: NGO Impact Stories and Practice Wisdom of CLAP@JC Hong Kong Benchmarks (Community)”, CLAP@JC has invited agency leaders to share the positive prospects, challenges and opportunities in adopting and implementing HKBM (Community) in their organisations and how it helps to provide a comprehensive framework for them to review existing CLD services and develop action plans. The agency leaders will also provide some impact stories to illustrate the best practices in delivering high-quality CLD services and programmes for youth.

CLAP@JC Online Symposium “Strengthening Career and Life Development (CLD) among Non-engaged Youth (NEY): Co-creating a Youth-enabling Environment”

As a major turning point in an individual’s life, the transition from school to the world of work is a challenging task for young people, especially for non-engaged youth (NEY) who face a higher risk of being out of education, employment, or training. Moreover, the rapid social and economic changes under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic bring additional difficulties and uncertainties for NEY to get through this transition. Therefore, it is critical to create an ecosystem that empowers NEY to become active navigators and change agents of their career and life development pathways. Such a creation depends upon the cooperation and joint efforts of various key stakeholders such as educational institutions, government, non-governmental organizations, businesses, NEY themselves and their parents.

In this connection, CLAP@JC lined up with local and international stakeholders to organize an online symposium on “Strengthening Career and Life Development (CLD) among Non-engaged Youth (NEY): Co-creating a Youth-enabling Environment”. There will be keynote presentations, plenary sessions, and interactive experiential workshops at the symposium. In these different sessions, guest speakers including international CLD experts, university professors, social workers and youth will share their experience and unique perspective on co-creating the youth-enabling environment and discuss how to engage and empower NEY to strengthen their career and life development and achieve meaningful lives.

Community of Practice Session:The Challenges and Advantages of Technology Application in Career Guidance – Establishing Good Practices

An intensive renewal of career guidance practices should begin with the technology skills and tools that can effectively benefit and aid young people on their path to positive growth and active career and life development. In this connection, the CLAP for Youth@JC has lined up with local and international stakeholders to organise an online public seminar on “The Challenges and Advantages of Technology Application in Career Guidance – Establishing Good Practices”

Community of Practice Session:Creating a youth-enabling environment via a systematic framework and cross-sectoral collaboration to facilitate students’ life exploration

CLAP@JC is committed to implement the Hong Kong Benchmarks for Career and Life Development (HKBM), an innovative and systematic framework, in local schools to encourage a cross-sectoral collaboration on the formulation of internationally recognised career and life development (CLD) intervention strategies. With the experience gained from the first five years of CLAP@JC and the practice wisdom derived from a pilot run in six schools in the academic year 2019-20, HKBM is co-created and localised in consultation with CLAP@JC’s global advisor Sir John Holman (author of Gatsby Benchmarks) and local educators. HKBM provides local schools with clear guidance and encourages them to collaborate with stakeholders across the spectrum to offer students with more comprehensive CLD support. Therefore, Student Engagement & Hub Facilitators and Community Connectors play a crucial role in complementing schools’ CLD services.

The Road To Entrepreneurship: Challenges And Opportunities For Non-Engaged Youth To Uncover Their Talents

Globalisation and technological advancement are changing the future landscape of labour market by making knowledge and resources more easily accessible to everyone. Being exposed to the global network, cutting-edge technologies and innovative ideas every day, more people are inspired to take on a less travelled path of becoming an entrepreneur to turn their ideas into reality and create bigger social impact.

Community of Practice Session: Good Practices in Non-Engaged Youth (NEY) services: the Cases of the European Union, South Korea, and Hong Kong

CLAP@JC believes in meaningful engagement with NEYs and mainstreaming CLD into youth services. On 22 April (Thursday), we have lined up a strong panel of local and international stakeholders to speak at community of practice session on the theme of “Good Practices in Non-Engaged Youth (NEY) services: the Cases of the European Union, South Korea, and Hong Kong”

COVID-19 Crisis and Employment Outlook 2021: Implications for Employment & Career and Life Development Services for Youth

CLAP@JC believes in hopeful future for youth and that we can weather the challenges ahead when we work together to empower youth. We have lined up a strong panel of local and international stakeholders to speak at an international webinar on the theme of “COVID-19 Crisis and Employment Outlook 2021: Implications for Employment & Career and Life Development Services for Youth” on Jan 15 2021.

CLAP CONFERENCE 2020

Join scholars, professions and youth influencers at our conference on 3 November and 4 November. This year’s Conference takes on an overarching theme to aspire youth and the society to celebrate possibilities and embrace youth’s potentials. Through keynote addresses from local and overseas scholars, panel discussions, showcase of impact stories and workshops, we aim to bring stakeholders together to network, discuss and support HK youths on their Career & Life Development journeys.