In Hong Kong, while more students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) are reaching the milestone of university education, a silent "glass ceiling" often awaits them at graduation. Statistics indicate that the unemployment and underemployment rates for degree-holding SEN individuals remain significantly higher than their peers, frequently due to a lack of specialised workplace transitions.
Koo Foundation recognises that these barriers do not reflect a lack of talent, but a lack of support. To address this disparity, we have partnered with Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) to establish the Empowerment and Career Preparation Programme within their new on-site career support centre -- Starhub, a support system where students don't just find jobs, but create them.
StarHub stands as HKBU's first dedicated centre for career support and entrepreneurship. The vibrant launchpad was designed to ignite creativity, providing students with the physical and intellectual resources to transform their boldest ideas into reality. By fostering a culture of innovation on campus, HKBU ensures that these bright minds are fully prepared to navigate the complexities of life after graduation.
With the support of Koo Foundation, StarHub has pioneered the Empowerment and Career Preparation Programme for HKBU Students with SEN. This initiative moves beyond traditional career services for students, and offers a pioneering approach that treats every student's professional journey as a unique mission, whether as valued employees or visionary founders.
The program's impact is rooted in two specialised areas of support:
- Tailored Counselling & Skills Empowerment: Deep assessments of students' passions and strengths are conducted to develop individualised career plans. Additional resources for this group includes:
- Job Matching Resources: The current HKBU job portal, BU Hub, will be enhanced to include advanced features that are accessible to SEN students for their job search and applications
- Direct Work Experiences: Part-time, freelance and remote opportunities will be proactively provided to SEN students and recent graduates, as well as collaboration with SEN Startups.
- On-the-Job Coaching & Employer Training: To ensure long-term success, we provide 6 months of hands-on coaching during the onboarding process for both graduates and employers, fostering an inclusive workplace culture for all.
With HKBU, we recognise that talent is universal, but opportunities are not always accessible. By fostering a direct pipeline within the university's career department, we are challenging the status quo and dismantling the barriers that hinder the SEN community's potential. Through building a world where a graduate SEN's status is seen as a source of unique strength, defined not by barriers, but by the industries they transform and the legacies they create.
In the long run, this pioneering program will also serve as a catalyst for change, leveraging the BU Hub portal to benefit SEN students across all local institutions. By proving that neurodiversity is a competitive advantage, we aren't just filling jobs — but fuelling a more innovative, resilient, and inclusive economy for all of Hong Kong.