Unionists on Tuesday said the government should allocate more resources to improve Hong Kong’s vocational training system to cultivate more locally skilled talent.

The Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) surveyed 120 vocational training students between October and December last year.

Over 70 percent of respondents said they were able to land a job within three months of graduation, and more than 90 percent agreed career education in junior secondary years should be strengthened.

Agnes Tang, the general secretary of the FTU’s occupational retraining centre, said it is important to encourage young people to think about different career paths while they are still at school.

“We believe education is a crucial point. If we cannot start from adolescence, or the student’s level, we cannot [emphasise] the importance of vocational training. The education is not only for students, it is also for their parents and teachers,” Tang said.

The union suggested the government increase social recognition towards applied learning subjects in the HKDSE public examination, by raising the highest attainable level from four to five.

It said this would draw more connections between students' learning experiences and their career development, therefore encouraging more to consider a path outside of traditional academics.

The FTU also called for an improvement in the social status of skilled labour, while providing more opportunities for people to advance in their careers, as a way to solve the labour shortage problem.

“Our strategy is to enhance professional career education, and the main theme is to enhance [students'] working skill level, so that they can reach local and overseas needs. If we can cooperate with all of society, we can reach our goal,” Tang said.