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General questions
- Is the Employees Retraining Board a government department?
- Where does the funding for the Employees Retraining Board come from?
- Can I know more about the levy imposed on foreign domestic helpers?
- Who are the Employees Retraining Board’s targeted clienteles?
- Who has the priority in applying for courses?
- Is there any tuition fee for the training courses?
- Who are entitled to the retraining allowance?
- Is the retraining allowance automatically paid to trainees upon completing a course?
- How are the four applications for the retraining allowance calculated in the three-year period?
- When will the retraining allowance be released?
- What are the criteria for waiving the part-time course fee?
- What is the application procedure for waiving or refunding the course fee?
- What if the attendance rate is less than 80% after applying for a waiver of the course fee?
- What services does the Training Resource Centre provide?
- What services does the Practical Skills Training and Assessment Centre provide?
- How can I give my opinions regarding training services?
- Where can I obtain course information?
Course-related questions
- What is placement-tied course?
- What is a standardized course?
- What are tailor-made courses? How can they benefit both employers and employees?
- Do training courses meet market needs?
Enrolment process
- Why do I need to wait to enroll in a course?
- Normally how long do I have to queue up for a course?
- Why do I need to attend an interview for entering into a placement-tied course?
- Why are some interviewees failed?
- What can applicants do if they fail the interview?
- Is there any way for the applicant to appeal if they are unhappy with the outcome of the interview?
- Why not list the starting dates of the courses for easy selection?
Employment counseling
- What is the employment counseling service?
- Why is placement service only provided to graduates of placement-tied course, but not those of half-day and evening courses?
Services for employers
- What are the advantages of recruiting workers from the Employees Retraining Board?
- Is there a fee for recruiting through the Employees Retraining Board?
- What are the advantages of taking part in tailor-made courses? What are the requirements for doing this?
- Is there a fee for launching a tailor-made course? What are the responsibilities involved?
- How do I register to employ the graduate trainees?
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General questions
- Is the Employees Retraining Board a government department?
No. It is an independent statutory body, set up under the Employees Retraining Ordinance, 1992.
- Where does the funding for the Employees Retraining Board come from?
The Employees Retraining Fund provides funding for the expenditure incurred by the Employees Retraining Board's Manpower Development Scheme. The Fund was set up in 1992 with a government grant of $300 million. Until 2001, a total of $1.6 billion was injected into the Fund to develop the Scheme. From the financial year of 2001-02 to 2007-08, the government had provided the Board with recurrent funding of about $400 million a year. Part of the Board's revenue also comes from charges levied on employers who hire workers from outside Hong Kong at the rate of $400 a month for each foreign worker, to be collected by the Immigration Department. And from October 1, 2003, the levy also extended to cover employers of foreign domestic helpers.
- Can I know more about the levy imposed on foreign domestic helpers?
Anyone who applies to the Immigration Department for the permission to hire a foreign domestic helper, or renew the contract of a foreign domestic helper, is required to pay a levy amounted to $400 a month. The levy collected will go to the Employees Retraining Fund.
The Immigration Department has published a "Guidebook for Employment of Domestic Helpers from Abroad" for the reference of potential employers. The guidebook contains information on the conditions for hiring a foreign domestic helper, the application procedure and some important points to note. Regarding information on employing foreign domestic helpers frequently asked questions and the Department's responses, please refer to the website of the Immigration Department.
- Who are the Employees Retraining Board's targeted clienteles?
The Board's service targets are those eligible employees aged 15 or above, and with education attainment of no more than sub-degree level. Being an "eligible employee" means the person has the rights to stay in Hong Kong legally and can be employed by any employer without restriction. They include permanent residents of Hong Kong and the new arrivals.
- Who has the priority in applying for courses?
Members of the following groups who are able to provide proof may receive priority in applications.
- Disabled / injured workers undergone rehabilitation / single parents;
- Recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance allowances.
- Is there any tuition fee for the training courses?
Placement-tied training courses designed for the unemployed are offered free of charge. There are two modes of study: 1. Full-day study; 2. Mixed mode of full-day and half-day.
Generic skills courses, mostly in half-day or evening modes, aim to help both the unemployed and employed enhance their competitiveness in the job market. Course fee starts from $150. Jobless people and low-income earners (whose income is less than $7,000 a month) are eligible to apply for a waiver of the course fee, but they must attain an 80% attendance rate. Besides, priority will be given to people with financial difficulties. Trainees whose monthly income level range from HK$7,001 to HK$15,000 [Reference: the income median by the HKSAR Census and Statistics Department 2007 – Income of people with tertiary education attainment (non-degree holders)] will receive substantial subsidy on the courses. For trainees with a monthly income over HK$15,000, they will have to bear the full cost of these part-time courses.
- Who are entitled to the retraining allowance?
Retraining allowance is only available for the unemployed taking a full-time placement-tied course with duration longer than a week. Mixed mode courses are considered as full-time courses in this respect. Trainees must attend no less than 80% of the classes to be eligible. The total allowance is calculated based on two factors: the actual number of training sessions the trainee has attended and the number of days in terms of full-day training.
- Is the retraining allowance automatically paid to trainees upon completing a course?
Trainees should submit their applications through the Training Body concerned. A trainee can only apply for the allowance twice within a year (based on the course commencement date). They can also apply for the allowance four times within three years.
- How are the four applications for the retraining allowance calculated in the three-year period?
The beginning of the three-year period is dated back from the commencement date of the latest course the trainee enrolled in. If a total of four allowance payments have been released to the trainee within this three-year period, he / she will no longer be entitled to apply for retraining allowance.
- When will the retraining allowance be released?
It normally takes four to six weeks after the course has ended to release the allowance, given that the trainee submits his/her application with all the necessary information on time.
- What are the criteria for waiving the part-time course fee?
Trainees must attend no less than 80% of the classes and should be:
- A trainee who is unemployed and with job motivation; or
- A low-income worker (earning less than $7,000 a month).
- What is the application procedure for waiving or refunding the course fee?
The trainee should apply through the Training Body that provides the course. Apart from filling out an application form, valid documents should be provided as requested.
- What if the attendance rate is less than 80% after applying for a waiver of the course fee?
Trainees should pay back the waived course fee if they could not reach an attendance rate of 80%. Otherwise, they will not be allowed to take part in any training courses for two years.
- What services does the Training Resource Centre provide?
The Training Resource Centre operates a membership system. Any person who is studying or queuing up for a training course may apply to be a member. The Resource Centre provides its members with various support and follow-up services, including: computer and language learning facilities, information on job-searching and market news; holding placement seminars and skills workshops, and so on. The Resource Centre also answers enquiries from the public and handles applications for training courses.
- What services does the Practical Skills Training and Assessment Centre provide?
The aim of the Practical Skills Training and Assessment Centre is to provide a comprehensive assessment service for trainees who have completed their training, allowing their skills to be well recognized. At present, the Centre mainly assesses trainees completing retraining courses in domestic helpers, personal care workers and healthcare massage. A "competency card" or certificate will be issued to trainees who pass the assessments.
- How can I give my opinions regarding training services?
The Employees Retraining Board believes that the opinions of users can help us understand more about their needs and perfect our services. Our correspondence address is: 43/F, Hopewell Centre, 183, Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Please address your mail to the "Media and External Affairs Section". We also welcome comments through telephone calls and emails. When writing an email to us, please write "Opinions" in the subject line. If you have queries on our courses or need other information, please call our enquiry hotline on 182 182.
- Where can I obtain course information?
Course information is posted on the website: http://course.erb.org. The enquiry hotline 182 182 is also manned by specialized personnel. Go Top
Course-related questions
- What is placement-tied course?
Placement-tied course is offered in response to the needs of the market. The course is designed for people who want to obtain employment but are currently out of work. The courses cover job-specific skills and soft skills needed in an industry to enhance the employability of the trainees. Upon completion of the course, the training body concerned will provide a three-month follow-up placement service for their graduates.
- What is a standardized course?
In order to gain the recognition of employers and the public on the training courses, the Employees Retraining Board has standardized the teaching materials used in the major courses. Standardized courses allow different training bodies to follow the same training programmes and standards. There is also standard assessment upon completion of the course. The current standardized courses include: domestic helper, security and property management, personal care worker, computer trainings and so on.
- What are tailor-made courses? How can they benefit both employers and employees?
Tailor-made courses take into account employers’ specific needs in recruitment. The Board will devise a training course specifically for an employer (including trade associations or a number of employers who jointly offer similar job vacancies) who provides more than 15 openings in a certain post and has pledged to hire at least 80% of the graduated trainees from the course.
To employers, the tailor-made course is a source which provides them with suitable employees. Employers can play a role in not only designing the course content and teaching the trainees, but also selecting the applicants for the course. This helps ensure the skills of the graduated trainees match the job requirements. For the trainees, they can acquire the skills needed for the post concerned, and also have a better chance of securing employment.
- Do training courses meet market needs?
Training courses are organized in accordance to market needs. About 80% of the graduated trainees from placement-tied courses successfully got a job, while 90% of the tailor-made courses graduates get placed. In order to make our courses better correspond the market needs, the Employees Retraining Board has set up a number of trade advisory groups and course advisory groups, which industry players take part in. We also regularly meet with people from various sectors, including employers, trade associations, trade unions, professional organizations, training bodies and so on to help us grasp the market intelligence and develop our courses.
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Enrolment process
- Why do I need to wait to enroll in a course?
This is because the number of people who want to enroll is greater than the training places available. However, the enrolment situation of different training centers varies. If an applicant insists on studying a course in a centre which has only a few applicants, they may also have to wait till the course has enough applicants to commence. Applicants, upon choosing the type of trainings they intend to take, are recommended to call different centres that offer such courses to check the class availability
- Normally how long do I have to queue up for a course?
The waiting time depends on various factors. Queues for placement-tied course are relatively shorter, while general skills courses under the half-day / evening study modes would be longer. Please note that the waiting periods vary from centre to centre even for courses under the same title. This is because such courses are being held in different centres by different training bodies in different districts, where the number of applicants differs. We suggest applicants to call different centres to enquire about the waiting time before enrolling.
- Why do I need to attend an interview for entering into a placement-tied course?
Placement-tied courses are offered for the unemployed and applicants must go through an interview during the enrolment process. The purpose of the interview is to allow staff members of the training centres to understand more about the applicant’s orientation and job motivations and to help the applicants choose a suitable course. Moreover, staff members can also ensure the applicant has the qualities required and is interested in the industry concerned.
- Why are some interviewees failed?
The reasons for failing an interview vary. They include a lack of genuine interest in finding a job, or a shortfall in the qualities required for the industry concerned.
- What can applicants do if they fail the interview?
If an applicant is rejected after the interview, they can find out the reason from the training body, and think about whether their selected course matches their abilities and career goals. They can then choose another course or let the training body know more about their needs.
- Is there any way for the applicant to appeal if they are unhappy with the outcome of the interview?
If an applicant fails an interview, they can find out the reason from the training body, and consider whether the chosen course matches their abilities and career goals. They can choose another course or elaborate their needs to the training body. If the applicant is still not satisfied, they can write to the Employees Retraining Board for an appeal. The address is: 43/F, Hopewell Centre, 183, Queen’s Road East. The letter can be faxed to the Board on 2314 2214.
- Why not list the starting dates of the courses for easy selection?
We encourage applicants to carefully consider their own abilities and interests when choosing a course. If an applicant hastily joins a course without thinking it through, this can end up wasting resources. Go Top
Employment counseling
- What is the employment counseling service?
The training bodies will provide a three-month placement service for graduates of placement-tied courses. The placement service consists of: consultation on choosing a career; providing information about the job market; and referral of trainees to employers with job vacancies.
- Why is placement service only provided to graduates of placement-tied course, but not those of half-day and evening courses?
This is because the placement-tied course is specially organized for the unemployed, while the half-day and evening courses are basic skills training courses for all. Go Top
Services for employers
- What are the advantages of recruiting workers from the Employees Retraining Board?
Recruiting workers through the Board allows employers to save costs on administration and advertising job vacancies. Administrative costs in selecting candidates can also be reduced. Since the training bodies observe the performance of trainees during the training period, they can effectively refer trainees who are fit for the job. In addition, the referral service is free.
- Is there a fee for recruiting through the Employees Retraining Board?
The referral service provided by the Employees Retraining Board is completely free.
- What are the advantages of taking part in tailor-made courses? What are the requirements for doing this?
Courses tailor-made for employers can better match the job seekers’ skills with the requirements of a particular job. The employers can take part in the design and teaching of the training program, as well as in the applicant selection process, to ensure the trainees will meet the job requirements after completing the course. Hence, the course helps employers substantially reduce administrative costs and expenditure.
Moreover, the trainees will become more familiar with the company and the duties involved before taking up the job, and will therefore have a sense of belonging to the company, hence a lower staff turnover. Any employer, or joint employers or a trade group with 15 or more vacancies for a particular post, are welcome to approach us to develop and launch a tailor-made course.
- Is there a fee for launching a tailor-made course? What are the responsibilities involved?
As long as the employer offers 15 or more jobs and agrees to hire at least 80% of the graduating trainees, the Board will consider organizing the tailor-made course for the employer for free. The free services range from designing the training programs, recruiting trainees, providing training, to employment counseling for the trainees.
- How do I register to employ the graduate trainees?
Employers may download from our website the “General Vacancies Registration Form”, and fax the completed form to us. The employers can also register through our enquiry hotline: 182 182, or contact the various training bodies direct to proceed with the registration.
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