Home > Press Releases > 2021 > ERB is launching the “Love Upgrading Special Scheme” Phase 4 on 1 July 2021 - Training options increased to around 500 courses and in hybrid mode

The Employees Retraining Board (ERB) is entrusted by the Government to launch the Phase 4 of “Love Upgrading Special Scheme” (“Special Scheme 4”) on 1 July 2021 to enhance the support for job seekers and employees affected by economic downturn for skills enhancement.  The Special Scheme 4 will last for six months, expecting to support 20,000 persons in need.  Training courses offered will be further increased to around 500, nearly 60% of which (around 300) can be conducted online, thereby increasing the flexibility of trainees in receiving training under the pandemic and working in tandem with the new normal of online learning.

ERB has launched three phases of the Special Scheme since October 2019.  Enrolment for the Phase 3 will end on 30 June 2021. By end of May 2021, over 190,000 applications were received for Phase 1 to Phase 3, indicating the immense training need of the general public under economic downturn and unemployment spiral.  ERB will launch the Phase 4 in July 2021, offering around 500 training courses straddling 28 industries, including around 430 vocational skills courses, 25 innovation and technology courses, and around 60 generic skills courses, while dedicated courses for young people, ethnic minorities, new arrivals, persons with disabilities and persons recovered from work injuries will be increased to 121 in number.

ERB continues to offer an array of special arrangements for the Special Scheme 4, including no restriction on industry or educational attainment of trainees, courses are offered free of charge, disbursement of special allowance at a ceiling of $5,800 per month, provision of “Enterprise-based Training”, as well as the time-limited flexible measure of lowering the attendance rate requirement for disbursing the special allowance from 80% to 60%, with a view to facilitating trainees to seek employment when attending training.  Such temporary special arrangement is also applicable to ERB regular courses with classes commencing within the Special Scheme 4 period (i.e. 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022).  To uphold training quality, trainees are still required to meet the standard attendance rate requirement of respective courses (80% in general) before they are eligible for the course-end assessment and graduation certificates upon passing of the assessments.  Trainees who have completed full time vocational skills courses or placement-tied courses with an attainment of 80% attendance rate will be provided with placement follow-up service. 

Applicants of the Special Scheme 4 have to be unemployed, underemployed or required by employers to take no pay leave on or after 1 June 2019 and should meet the entry requirements of individual courses.  Eligible persons may submit applications in person, by post or online from 1 July to 31 December 2021 and attend classes on or before 31 March 2022.  Each applicant may apply up to a total of 4 training courses under the four phases of the Special Scheme with no more than two full-time vocational skills courses.  For applicants who have enrolled but yet to attend classes in Phase 3, their applications will be automatically extended to Phase 4 and need not re-apply.  Applicants may also change their original course choices to meet their training needs. 

For more details of the Special Scheme 4, course lists and application guidelines, please visit the dedicated website (www.erb.org/scheme) or call the ERB hotline 182 182 for any enquiries.