Hong Kong career scheme aims to give disadvantaged youth employment footing

A tattoo artist, 22, and a college dropout, 26, are among the beneficiaries of a career scheme for disadvantaged Hong Kong youth run by an NGO.

The artist, who goes by the name Nok, came from a broken family, dropped out of school at Form Five and was making ends meet as a bartender while learning how to create tattoos.

But he found himself running afoul of the law and ended up in prison for a year for reasons he declined to divulge. While in jail, he dived deeper into tattoo art and honed his drawing skills.

“Unlike the older generation, who associate tattoos with triads, the younger ones see tattoos as a form of artistic self-expression,” he said.

After his release from prison in 2022, Nok returned to the industry, working with a teacher at a studio and dreaming of setting up his own business, even creating tattoos overseas.

“I want to step out of my comfort zone … I hope to become a tattoo artist in different countries, broadening my horizons through tattooing,” he said.