Date: 7/6/2016
Following its success in 2013, Urban Group received the Grand Award again in this year’s Employees Retraining Board (ERB) Manpower Development Scheme in recognition of its continuous support to the ERB courses and services for the manpower development in Hong Kong and its strong commitment to shoulder its corporate social responsibilities.
Urban Group was among the initial supporters to the ERB Manpower Developer Scheme since its inception in 2009. The Scheme is the first accreditation system to assess the level of maturity of manpower training and development strategies and practices of organisations in Hong Kong. To be a Manpower Developer (MD), a company should be able to show its outstanding performance in Leading a Learning Culture, Resources Planning, Training and Development System, Performance Management and Corporate Social Responsibility in Manpower Development. So far, only 29 organisations have received the Grand Award, which is the highest honour in the Scheme.
Dr Edmond Cheng, Managing Director of Urban Group points out, “Urban Group has established a long term partnership with ERB by collaborating in a number of projects. The property and facility management industry is an important pillar in the Hong Kong economy, which has been correlating with the daily life of the people. With the professionalisation of the industry, all practitioners are now required to obtain professional qualifications in order to provide quality services to meet the high standards and demands of the people.”
The 6th ERB Presentation Ceremony of the Manpower Developer Award Scheme was held on 19 May 2016, which was officiated by Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, GBS, JP, Secretary for Labour and Welfare. Mr Cheung pointed out that “Hong Kong would face a dual labour challenge in the long run due to the aging community and shrinking workforce. Starting from 2018, the working population will gradually lose 200,000 people in the next 20 years, with an average of 10,000 people per year, from the current 3,650,000 workforce. Hence, we should strive to train and retrain our workforce so as to maintain our competitiveness.”
Dr Edmond Cheng continues, “We have been investing in staff training and development. Our staff number is steadily increasing every year due to business expansions. Despite the economic downturn, we still face the challenge of manpower shortage. It is encouraging to see the Government is launching new initiatives to unleash the potential labour force and generate an environment conducive to staff development.”
Over the years, Urban Group has been playing an active role in offering job opportunities, investing resources in staff training, encouraging lifelong learning and assisting the employees to develop their career paths. “Urban Group values our staff as our working partners, emphasizing mutual trust and teamwork. In future, we shall continue to support the establishment of a flexible, quality and resilient labour force for the community,” said Dr Cheng.
Urban Group maintains its leading position in the marketplace by obtaining a number of corporate achievements and recognitions in the past few years including the Distinguished Family-Friendly Employers Awards, the Partner Employer Certificates and the 10 Consecutive Years Caring Company Certificate, reflecting its endeavors as a responsible and caring employer in the territory.
Urban Group
Urban Group is one of the leading property assets and facility services companies in Hong Kong. Currently, the Group manages 363 projects territory-wide and is serving more than 1 million people in Hong Kong. Major properties under its management include large residential estates such as Mei Foo Sun Chuen and City One Shatin; high end luxury residential buildings include Clovelly Court, Queen’s Terrace, Parc Palais and One Beacon Hill; commercial premises include New World Tower and the Grand Millennium Plaza. Its facilities management portfolio includes the Hong Kong Science Park, EcoPark, senior staff quarters of The University of Hong Kong, the Victoria Shanghai Academy, 78 car parks under the Link Management and the facilities under the Government Property Agency. The Group plays an active role in shouldering its corporate social responsibilities and its efforts in caring for the community have been well recognized over the years.
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