Hong Kong’s nine year universal basic education system, which was introduced in 1978, has provided a learning platform for young people to obtain essential work-related skills and knowledge for industries in which they intend to work. There has been a decrease in the number of people aged between 15-19 years entering the workforce caused by the fact that more young people have decided to attain higher levels of education. Furthermore, the number of employees who have received tertiary education rose from 15 percent in 2000 to 28 percent in 2005.