World Vision Foundation of Thailand partners with HSBC Thailand to host the “Work-Ready Youth” event, as part of the Youth Livelihood and Employment Opportunity Development Project against COVID-19 (HSBC-Youth LED) that caters to at least 112 vulnerable youth aged 15-24 years from Chiang Mai, Chaiyaphum, and Nakhon Si Thammarat. The event aims to give an avenue for vulnerable youth from three provinces to present their business plans and understand more about vocational skills they need for their future livelihoods from business experts.

Mrs. Rosalin Kowae, Programme and Support Services Director, World Vision Foundation of Thailand, shares that the HSBC- Youth LED project recognises the lack of opportunities among adolescents. Some are not financially equipped to pursue higher levels of education after completing compulsory education. Some drop out of school without obtaining any diploma. Others are in non-formal education. Many are unemployed or have unstable jobs while others face the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. World Vision Foundation of Thailand’s partnership with HSBC and the different vocational institutes and organisations that support livelihood skills and promote employability by providing youth with life skills and vocational skills training and setting up pilot enterprises to ensure youth work readiness is a crucial step to supporting the youth.

“World Vision Foundation of Thailand carries out this project from end to end. We start by looking for the most vulnerable youth who are interested in developing their life skills and relevant capacities that will empower them to implement their livelihood plan. After that, they will be selected to attend the necessary training. Youth have options to choose to be trained in the vocational field of their interest from the partner institutes that had signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with World Vision Foundation of Thailand. We also provide an avenue for youth to brainstorm to develop and present their business plans, with advice and inputs from marketing experts and HSBC executives, to win cash prizes that they can use to start their businesses and become new entrepreneurs,” says Mrs. Kowae.

Utumporn Viranuvatti, Head of HSBC Securities Services, HSBC Thailand, says that from the point of view of a financial institute and the project supporter, opportunities and careers are changing fast nowadays. The new generation of youth needs to be adaptive and keep their life skills and vocational skills up to date and aligned with the needs of the labour market. The ‘Youth Ready for Work for Life’ project model of World Vision gives youth preparedness for employability or entrepreneurship in the field of their interest. This matches the objective of the Youth Livelihood and Employment Opportunity Development Project against COVID-19 (HSBC-Youth LED), which aims to equip vulnerable youth with developmental assets, especially life skills and vocational skills. The “Work-Ready Youth” event allows youth to have practical learning and experiences from professionals before entering the workforce.

“When I was young, I wanted to have a birthday cake but it was expensive. So, I thought that it would be nice if I could bake a cake myself. It would even be better if I could sell cake and generate income because there was no bakery shop in this area at all. This project allows me to follow my dream. I gain knowledge and preparedness from this project in many aspects, such as baking pastry, developing a business plan, and establishing a financial plan. I got to practice writing my desired business plan. And now I have my own business that is Ban Hao Bakery, which I’m doing while schooling. I’m glad and would like to thank all supporters. I wish that this project keeps going,” says Thanabodee, 19, a youth representative from Chaiyaphum, whose business plan got a commendation from both HSBC and World Vision.

The event ended with three youths from the three provinces, including Thanabodee, receiving THB 30,000 each as startup fund for the business plans they presented, while three runners-up received THB 20,000 each. The plan with the most vote also got THB 10,000 and 19 business plan presenters had THB 7,000 each.

For more information, please call 0-2022-9200 to 2, email Info@worldvision.or.th, or contact us via LINE: @worldvision-thai. Learn more about our activities at http://www.worldvision.or.th

For press information, please contact Wipawee Riwsuwan, World Vision Foundation of Thailand, tel. 08-1494-5498.