Employees Retraining Board

Establishment

The Employees Retraining Board (ERB) is an independent statutory body established in 1992 under the Employees Retraining Ordinance. The main function of the ERB is to co-ordinate, fund and monitor appointed training bodies to offer training courses and services designed to meet the growing needs and rapid changes in the market. The ERB currently appoints about 80 training bodies with more than 350 training centres providing services throughout the territory.

Organisational Structure

The ERB consists of a governing body comprising representatives of employers, employees, human resources professionals and government officials. The Board, currently chaired by Dr NG Tat-lun, B.B.S., J.P., is responsible for the formulation of policies for ERB’s training and services. ERB's policies are implemented by an executive office which is headed by an Executive Director. The present Executive Director is Ms. Rebecca Pun, J.P.

Service targets

Following a decision made by the Government in October 2007, the ERB took effect on 1 December 2007 to extend the eligibility criteria for our courses and services to include people aged 15 or above with an education attainment of sub-degree or below. The ERB repositioned itself in mid-2008, with an endeavour to promote the ERB “Manpower Development Scheme” which emphasizes on “sustainability of development” in our training portfolio, to assist trainees to obtain recognized professional qualifications, and help them map out progression ladders.

Training courses

The ERB “Manpower Development Scheme” now offers some 500 courses covering, say, 30 industries with market potential. The ERB also provides personal attribute and generic skills training, such as vocational languages, commercial numeracy and IT applications for both the unemployed and those on the job, to foster the sustainable employment of our trainees and enhance their competitiveness. Besides, the ERB offers appropriate training and placement services to disadvantaged social groups such as non-engaged youths, new arrivals, the disabled, victims of industrial accidents, ethnic minorities, and those offenders undergoing rehabilitation, aiming to assist them to become self-reliance and integrate into the community.

Vision

Under the wave of globalization, the ERB's new vision is to provide a flexible, high quality and resilient labour force for the knowledge-based economy of Hong Kong.