Young Workers Training: "If You Want to Succeed, You Have to be More Persistent"

The Centre for Child Rights and Business (The Centre) Young Worker training provides young workers (aged 16-25) with a range of skills critical to making a successful transition into a new work environment, and building a foundation for their stable and long-term development. Through carefully selected topics such as "Practical steps for managing personal stress ", "How to effectively communicate with people", " and "Managing conflict with your co-workers" to name but a few, the training help young workers establish self-recognition and a positive attitude towards work and life, as well as build up practical skills to reduce work-related stress and other common problems experienced in the workplace.

We believe that measuring and evaluating the impact of these trainings is crucial in ensuring the continued quality, relevance and impact of the trainings. In 2016, we concluded a pre- and post-training survey of six young worker training sessions conducted over the past few months across China. The survey allowed us to gain some insightful data into the attitudes and challenges perceived by young workers in China, as well as the impact of the trainings, as highlighted below.

Pre-training Survey: Key Findings

Feedback on the Training:

Out of all the modules in the training, the one young workers found most useful was "needs, dreams and motivation." This feedback is consistent with the data from our study on young workers in the electronics industry, which we carried out in 2014. Among the 800+ young workers surveyed, less than 20% felt hopeful about their future.

However, based on training feedback collected this time, the reaction to the trainings was overwhelmingly positive:

• 83% believed the training could be applied to their work

• 81% thought activities and discussions helped them understand better

• 76% found the training content easy to understand

• 74% considered that the training met their expectations

Even more importantly however, is the fact the trainings had a positive impact on the workers:

The pre and post training comparison clearly shows a change in awareness among participants and will hopefully pave the way towards positive change in their attitudes towards work. For employers, this change can be reflected in lower turnover rates, smoother communication between management and line workers, reduced conflict, higher morale and increased productivity. Young workers make up a substantial part of China's workforce. Investing in their future will not only help them reach their full potential, it will benefit business as well. 

“Many of us want to quit our job because of this problem or that. However, after the training, I realised that if you want to succeed, you need to be more persistent. Quitting won't solve the problem; you will find problems again in other factories. I think the best for me is to stay with my job and be more positive and more persistent, The future will be better.” A young worker from a factory in Heyuan

For more info on our young worker trainings, contact us.