​Our second CRF project (Ref. No. C7075-23W) builds on the team's first CRF project. This new project extends the previous project to post-COVID workplaces. Graduates are a vulnerable demographic group in the post-pandemic workforce , they are facing worsened mental health, changed workplace practices, and different employment opportunities. The project also examines new career opportunities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). It will investigate how graduates could be best supported in different career choices across the GBA. This mixed-methods project will draw on interview and survey data from graduates, employers and university staff about the impacts of COVID-19 and its aftermath on graduates' experiences. This data will help us yo develop effective strategies to support graduates’ transitions. The project will combine insights from sociolinguistics, psychology, and other relevant disciplines. The project will also engage participants at every stage of the project, from design to implementation and dissemination.

​

The project involves local and global collaborations, with co-investigators from Hong Kong NGOs and business organizations, as well as researchers from universities in the United Kingdom. The project will utilize a mixed-methods approach to interview and survey students, graduates, employers, and university staff. We are also interested in identifying the skills and competencies that students are expected to have as they transition into the workforce during such a difficult time, and also post-pandemic. 

Ultimately, we hope to use the findings from the project to develop evidence-based support strategies and resources to assist graduates with successful workplace transitions. These resources will support the development of core competencies required in the post-COVID-19 workplaces, including digital, linguistic, interpersonal competencies and mental health resilience.

​

Our research has been approved by the HKU Human Research Ethics Committee [HKU Ethics ID: EA230432].

​

To learn more about our CRF project, please visit https://www.graduatemindmap.com/.

​