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The Commission on Poverty said at its 10th meeting this afternoon (September 27) that there should be better co-ordination and integration in the delivery of retraining and employment services.
The meeting, chaired by the Financial Secretary, Mr Henry Tang, was briefed on the Government's efforts to promote training, retraining and continuing education.
The commission said that in terms of agency support, there should be better organisation and integration among the Employees Retraining Board (ERB), the Labour Department (LD) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD), in order to assist low-skilled, little educated and middle-aged unemployed more effectively.
It also supported an integrated model in promoting the Local Domestic Helpers (LDH) market, focusing on retraining, job development and employment assistance.
"To assist the able-bodied unemployed to alleviate poverty, our strategy should be proactive - to enhance their capacities through effective training, retraining and continuing education, and to provide them with appropriate employment assistance and incentives to encourage work," Mr Tang said.
"The Administration will give careful consideration to members' recommendations, including better agency support in delivering retraining and employment assistance," he added.
Members also took note of the deliberations of the Ad Hoc Group of the Elderly in Poverty at its meeting on September 19, including the recommendation to explore adjusting the current Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) assets limit for the elderly poor to take into account their special circumstances and needs.
The commission also supported efforts to promote continued learning for women and the elderly, including the Capacity Building Mileage Programme under the Women's Commission, and the plan to establish new Retraining Resource Centres in the New Territories.
The agenda and papers of the meeting are available at the commission's website: www.cop.gov.hk.
Ends/Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:27
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