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Applications for the second phase of the Skills Enhancement Project designed for sectors hard-hit by SARS will be accepted from tomorrow (June 18) until June 24 at 5pm.
A Government spokesman said a new training course on building decoration would be introduced. He said places in the retail, hotel and travel industry courses were available, but all vacancies for the catering industry had been filled.
Courses on trade-specific skills enhancement start on July 7, while the complementary generic training starts in August, he said.
The project caters for unemployed workers in the catering, retail, hotel, tourism and building decoration sectors or workers in these sectors who are temporarily suspended from employment without pay. As one of the Government's relief measures in response to the outbreak of SARS, it aims to enable employees in the affected sectors to make the best use of their time by providing skills improvement and upgrading courses, better equipping them to re-enter their industry when the economy revives. The project is conducted in two phases, with about 5,000 training places in each phase.
The project, which is co-ordinated by the Employees Retraining Board, comprises trade-specific skills enhancement training and complementary generic training. Each part lasts for four weeks (20 days/120 hours).
The Skills Upgrading Scheme Secretariat will be the training agent for the trade-specific skills enhancement component, providing integrated training courses for the retail, hotel and tourism industries, an integrated tour guide training course, and the new integrated training course on building decoration.
Complementary generic training will be offered by the retraining board. It includes modules on soft skills (such as job search, presentation and communication skills, team building and first aid), English training (basic and higher level), Putonghua and basic computer training. The modules will be offered subject to the relevancy to the specific industry.
All courses are free and trainees will receive special allowances during courses. Payment will be made in two instalments after each four weeks of training completed, subject to at least a 90% attendance rate for each component. The allowance will be payable according to the actual attendance of participants at $200 per day for up to $4,000 per month.
Applicants should be eligible employees in Hong Kong (including Hong Kong permanent residents and new arrivals), be employed in the retail, hotel, tourism or building decoration sectors before being unemployed or be on unpaid leave in the respective industries. Applicants for the Integrated Tour Guide Training Course must have been employed as tour guides for at least one year.
"To ensure that the skills enhancement training will be provided to those who need it most, workers who have received the same industry training under the Skills Upgrading Scheme will not be eligible for trade-specific skills enhancement training," the spokesman said. "However, they will be considered for admission to the generic skills training if vacancies arise."
Application forms and brochures are available at the Employees Retraining Board office, job centres of the Labour Department, district offices of the Home Affairs Department and over 40 participating training centres. They can also be downloaded from the retraining board's website (http://sep.erb.org) and the Labour Department's website (www.info.gov.hk/labour). For enquiries call the hotline 183 3113.
End/Tuesday, June 17, 2003
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