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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said today (August 30) that improvement measures would be introduced in phases to enhance the operation of the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) from September 1.
¡§The new measures are worked out following a review on the scope and operation of the CEF to ensure that our workforce is adequately prepared and well equipped to cope with the changing manpower needs in an increasingly globalised and knowledge-based economy,¡¨ he said.
With effect from September 1, the upper age limit of eligible applicants of the CEF will be lifted from 60 to 65 to enable more learners to enjoy the financial subsidy of the CEF. Eligible applicants can apply for up to a ceiling of $10,000 to pursue continuing education. Courses on Spanish and Korean will also be eligible for registration under the language domain of the CEF.
With effect from the end of 2007, the validity period for making reimbursement claims for the CEF will be extended from two to four years. A maximum of four claims will also be allowed within the four-year validity period. The extension arrangement will apply to all applicants, including former applicants whose validity period had already expired.
¡§Since the establishment of the CEF in June, 2002, more than 350,000 applications have been approved and about 6,200 courses are currently registered as recognised courses under the fund.
¡§Survey results showed that the CEF has been effective in promoting and supporting lifelong learning. It has also helped learners to enhance their knowledge and skills which can be usefully applied in the workplace,¡¨ Mr Cheung said.
Meanwhile, the Government has introduced a series of measures to strengthen the quality assurance mechanism for courses registered under the CEF and to safeguard the interests of course participants. These include adopting a risk-based monitoring mechanism for courses; tightening controls on course providers to avoid possible abuse; and publishing updated records on CEF courses on the website.
Upon the implementation of the accreditation mechanism under the Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications Ordinance in early 2008, all new courses will be required to undergo a formal accreditation exercise before registration under the CEF. To tie in with and support the development of the Qualifications Framework, courses designed in accordance with the Specifications of Competency Standards developed by the Industry Training Advisory Committees may also be registered under the CEF then.
¡§With the implementation of the above improvement measures, we hope to see more learners to benefit from the CEF. Learners who wish to upgrade themselves through continuing education and training are strongly encouraged to apply for and make the best use of the CEF if they have not yet done so,¡¨ Mr Cheung said.
Details about the implementation of the improvement measures are now available on the website of the CEF (http://www.sfaa.gov.hk/cef/). For enquiries, people may call the Office of the Continuing Education Fund at 3142 2277 or write via email, post or by fax.
Ends/Thursday, August 30, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:40
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