Sustainability Report 2019/20

Modern Apprenticeship Programme Since 2003, SHKP has partnered with Breakthrough, an established youth-engagement service group, in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme that seeks to provide alternative career training and coaching to underprivileged local secondary school graduates with unfavourable exam results. Young apprentices of the programme are given the opportunity to gain practical work-related knowledge, explore their career and personal development aspirations, and put what they have learnt into practice through on-the-job training under the guidance of staff mentors of the Group. During the reporting period, a total of 17 youngsters from six local secondary schools took part in internships at SHKP and its subsidiaries across a variety of positions, including construction, property management, shopping mall promotion, hospitality and clubhouse services. Apart from this, new elements have been added to the programme this year, including the chance to work as interns in different non-governmental organizations and visit social enterprises to diversify their knowledge and broaden their horizons. We have also expanded the target group to students as young as 16 years old to help them obtain work experience and identify their aspirations earlier for better life planning. Providing Support from SHKP-Kwoks’ Foundation Since its establishment in 2002, the SHKP-Kwoks’ Foundation has engaged in extensive education support for underprivileged students in the mainland. The Foundation, joining hands with the Ministry of Education (MOE), offers scholarships at primary schools, secondary schools and universities, organizes overseas exchange programmes, and holds a series of talent-training courses to help outstanding underprivileged students turn a new page in life. In recognition of the Foundation’s past contribution, the MOE awarded it with ‘The Partnership of Excellence for 2019’. In line with Central Government policies, the Foundation has extended its efforts into poverty alleviation projects in designated regions of the country. In 2019, the Foundation sponsored a project to pipe in safe and clean drinking water for local farmers in a village in Weiyuan, benefitting 154 underprivileged families. Since 2015, the Foundation has helped to bring safe and clean drinking water to over 1,100 underprivileged families in more than 10 farming villages in Lintao and Weiyuan counties, in Dingxi. Furthermore, the Foundation has aligned its commitment with the country’s strategy of eradicating poverty through competency-based education. A donation is made to the Hong Kong Poverty Alleviation Association in support of its Rural Doctors Training Programme, providing advanced training to about 500 rural doctors in Nanjing County. To date, the Foundation has initiated and sponsored more than 70 projects relating to education and training, research, culture, poverty alleviation, health care and social service, benefitting over 60,000 people from over 25 provinces and cities across the country. The Foundation has donated more than RMB700 million and about 10,000 beneficiaries have since completed their undergraduate studies with the Group’s support. Supporting Youth Development via Startup Platform The Group supports the pursuit of technological innovation and entrepreneurship, especially among young entrepreneurs. Free fitted office premises for two startup co-working space programmes were offered by the Group, namely INDEX, run by the Hong Kong Startup Council of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, and the headquarters office for the Hong Kong X-Tech Startup Platform. The programmes enable and encourage young entrepreneurs to pursue their dreams in technological innovation and entrepreneurship. During the reporting year, over 70 activities, including seminars, social networking events and training, with around 2,000 participants, were recorded at the two premises. • The graduation ceremony for the 2019 Modern Apprenticeship Programme themed ‘Exploration and Practice in the Workplace’, was held to mark the growth of school graduates over a six-month period Value Created for Community Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited • Sustainability Report 2019/20 42