16/02/2026
In response to the 2025 Policy Address in strengthening local skills training and reforming the Employees Retraining Board (ERB), ERB submitted its implementation plan for medium- to long-term reform measures to the Government in December 2025, and the plan was accepted by the Government. ERB will advance reform initiatives in an orderly manner from 2026, including establishing a “skills-based” training framework, strengthening research capability, optimising course development process and training mode, as well as enhancing support services, with a view to assisting the workforce in enhancing their skills and competitiveness.
ERB sets to build a flexible, sustainable and forward-looking training ecosystem under the plan, with some measures to be implemented after legislative amendments of the Employees Retraining Ordinance. Please refer to the annex for the implementation plan, with key initiatives as follows:
- Establishing a “Skills-based” Training Framework: ERB will formulate a “skills-based” training framework that emphasises practical, targeted and transferable skills by conducting comprehensive review and identifying gaps in skills and course offerings, and developing skills learning pathways to enable individuals of different backgrounds to understand their skill development trajectories. Starting from 2026-27, ERB will prioritise the “Eight Centres” and “Nine Significant Sectors” as development areas. By aligning critical skills with training courses, ERB will introduce new courses that address emerging skills needs arising from industry transformation. In light of the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) as a cross-sector foundational generic skill, ERB will further integrate AI knowledge and application into its curriculum to equip trainees with essential emerging skills. ERB will also explore to restructure courses into“stackable” micro-credential courses to provide trainees with greater learning flexibility.
- Strengthening Research Capability: ERB will strengthen its research capabilities and establish a professional research team to apprehend industry trends and policy developments, and identify emerging skills needs and guide curriculum planning. ERB will also strengthen and optimise Industry Consultative Networks (ICNs) to enhance engagement with industry stakeholders, ensuring that course design and training modes are closely aligned with market needs.
- Optimising Course Development Process and Training Model: ERB will proactively engage institutions with strong professional backgrounds and experience as training partners to develop more advanced training courses that fill the skill gaps. In line with skills requirements, ERB will strengthen collaboration with suitable training partners to develop new courses and explore the feasibility of absorbing quality courses offered by training providers in the market. To support course development and quality assurance, ERB also plans to implement an internal course review mechanism and establish “skill levels” for different courses, thereby assisting trainees in selecting courses that match their lifelong learning needs.
- Enhancing Support Service: ERB plans to set up an integrated training service centre in Kowloon Bay, providing one-stop training, assessment and support services through the service hub, with expected service operations in phases in 2027. In 2026-27, ERB will enhance training and support services, including expanding training consultancy services with extended follow-up support, providing a résumé writing toolkit, and progressively enhancing online course search and matching functions to promote courses on new skills, and providing online teaching resources to enhance training for trainers.
Since early 2025, ERB has implemented a series of short-term reform measures, including lifting the restriction on educational attainment of trainees and launching more new skills and higher-level training courses. In the first three quarters of 2025-26, there were approximately 140 000 enrolments, representing an increase of 4% compared with the same period in 2024-25; of which around 17 000 possessed educational attainment above sub-degree level, representing 12% of the overall enrolment, reflecting strong demands in skills upgrading across diverse backgrounds. In recent years, ERB has also actively expanded its portfolio of emerging skills courses, covering areas such as AI knowledge and applications, data analytics, cloud computing, blockchain, and environmental, social and governance (ESG), aiming to equip trainees of diverse backgrounds with new skills and enhance their competitiveness in the workplace.
