Hong Kong hospital offers free health care training to laid-off aviation workers following Cathay Pacific jobs cull
- Most of the 100 or so expected to take the six-week course will be hired as health care support workers under Union Hospital’s plans
- Offer applies to all aviation staff made redundant and comes a day after Cathay’s jobs cut, city’s biggest in a generation
A private Hong Kong hospital says it will offer free training to at least 100 laid-off aviation workers to help them enter the health care industry, and expects to hire about 80 per cent of those completing the course.
Union Hospital appealed on Thursday to former staff including flight attendants and ground crew to apply for its care-related support worker programme, a day after Cathay Pacific Airways announced the city’s biggest jobs cut in three decades.
Axed aviation workers will have the HK$3,800 fee for the six-week long programme waived.
“We know this pandemic has affected airlines badly and it’s been tough for flight attendants. We hope we can help those who are interested in nursing change their lives and give them a way out,” said Dr Anthony Lee Kai-yiu, chief hospital manager and medical director of the Tai Wai institution.
It will be extended to all Hong Kong aviation workers made redundant, not just former Cathay staff.
The hospital plans to hire about 80 per cent of them as health care support workers, with a starting salary of HK$15,000 per month.
