Eligibility
1. General Admission Criteria for courses of the Employees Retraining Board (ERB):
(i) Eligible employees of Hong Kong (i.e. lawfully employable and not subject to conditions of stay, including Hong Kong permanent residents and new arrivals); and
(ii) Aged 15 or above; and
(iii) Meeting the entry requirements of courses, including industry/occupation-specific licensing or statutory requirements.
2. Students engaging in non-ERB full-time education programmes, including those who are suspending study or on school holidays, are not eligible to apply for ERB courses.
3. Employees of Training Bodies are not eligible to apply for any ERB courses offered by the concerned Training Bodies.
4. Non-engaged youths aged 15 to 17 with educational attainment at secondary level or below are advised to apply for the “Youth Training Programme” courses.
5. Applicants of placement-tied courses must be unemployed or non-engaged, and intend to engage in employment in the jobs trained for. Interviews will be conducted by Training Bodies to ascertain such intention.
6. For non-placement-tied courses targeted at the unemployed and those intending to change jobs, interviews may be necessary.
7. To be eligible for class enrolment, applicants must meet the General Admission Criteria and pass the interviews and entry tests (if applicable).
Application Procedures and Supporting Documents Required
8. Applicants are required to complete the Course Application Form and provide original of the following supporting documents. Course applications may not be accepted should applicants fail to provide the information or documents required.
(i) Proof of being eligible employee of Hong Kong Note 1
l Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card or HKSAR Passport; or
l Hong Kong Identity Card, with HKSAR Document of Identity for Visa Purposes or other travel documents.
(ii) Proof of educational attainment
l Applicants may declare their highest educational attainment in the duly signed “Course Application Form”, confirming that all information provided is correct and complete, except where proof of educational attainment is specified in the entry requirements of individual courses. ˙
l Highest educational attainment refers to the highest level of full curriculum study that applicants are attending or have attended at schools, even if they have not completed the study, or are unable to provide proof of educational attainment (Full curriculum study refers to a study which, upon completion, an applicant would obtain a specified educational qualification or award; curriculum of which may require a minimum number of subject enrolments).
l If an applicant has completed HKDSE (Form 6) level, “Secondary (Year 6)” would be considered as his/her highest educational attainment in course applications. If an applicant has enrolled in but failed to complete a Bachelor’s degree programme and above, “Diploma to sub-degree” may be considered as his/her highest educational attainment in course applications.
l Applicants with non-Hong Kong educational qualification may determine their equivalent local educational attainment based on the years of school education received. For example, if an applicant has received primary education for 6 years in the Mainland, his/her educational attainment may be considered as equivalent to Primary 6; if an applicant has received junior secondary education for 2 years and senior secondary education for 3 years in the Mainland, his/her educational attainment may be considered as equivalent to Secondary 5.
l Any subsequent changes to highest educational attainment must be supported by documentary proof and justifications (further declaration is not acceptable). ERB will normally not accept requests for downward adjustment of highest educational attainment.
(iii) Proof of work experience or professional qualification/certification ˙ Applicants should provide proof of work experience or professional qualification/certification as specified in the entry requirements of courses, e.g. reference letter from employer, employment contract, work/service agreement, staff identification card, valid industry-specific registration, licence, salary statements, MPF statements and Smart Helper Card, etc.
9. Applicants may submit course applications to the Training Body offering the courses:
(i) In person — bringing along original of the supporting documents required to the Training Body, and complete the Course Application Form; or
(ii) By post — mailing the completed Course Application Forms to the Training Body; or
(iii) Online — submitting Course Application Forms to the Training Body at the ERB website (www.erb.org).
Applicants submitting course applications by post or online are required to provide original of the supporting documents to Training Bodies before class commencement.
10. Persons with disabilities, single parents or Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients may request for priority handling of course applications by providing valid supporting documents substantiating their status. Restrictions on Application and Enrolment
11. Applicants may opt for either of the following arrangements:
(i) To apply for 2 placement-tied courses, and more than 1 evening foundation skills training (Workplace Languages, IT Applications, and Business Numeracy) course at any one time; or
(ii) To apply for more than 1 non-placement-tied course at any one time.
12. If applicants, upon submission of course applications, engage in full-time/part-time employment or self-employment (applicable to placement-tied courses), engage in non-ERB full-time education programmes or become employees of the Training Body offering the course applied, they should cancel their course applications. If trainees encounter the above status changes while enroling in ERB courses, they should notify Training Bodies as early as possible. ERB will re-consider trainees’ eligibility for course enrolment and/or disbursement of retraining allowance.
13. Restrictions on application and enrolment of placement-tied courses are as follows:
(i) Applicants can enrol in no more than 2 placement-tied courses Note 2 within 1 year (from the date of application to the course commencement date of the first placement-tied course enrolment within the past 12 months).
(ii) Applicants can apply for 2 placement-tied courses but cannot enrol in both at the same time. Once they are enrolled in one of the courses, the other course application will be cancelled.
(iii) Trainees of placement-tied courses, who have completed a placement-tied course at the same or higher level (and passed the assessment of the module of Personal Attributes and Job Search Skills) or successfully completed the “Personal Attributes” and “Job Search Skills” Generic Skills Courses at the same or higher level, within the past 4 years (from the date of application to the course end date of previous enrolment), will be exempted from retaking the module of Personal Attributes and Job Search Skills.
(iv) Applicants Note 3 can apply for placement-tied courses only after the placement follow-up period of the previous placement-tied course enrolment has lapsed.
(v) Trainees who have completed the course (attained attendance rate of at least 80%) but failed in all attempts of the final assessments can retake the same course once Note 4 . “Youth Training Programme” courses cannot be retaken. (vi) Except under the circumstances specified in paragraph 13(v), applicants are not allowed to apply for the same course, or courses at similar or lower level of competency in the same discipline as the course(s) previously enrolled Note 2 .
(vii) Trainees are only allowed to enrol in “Youth Training Programme” courses once.
14. Restrictions on application and enrolment of non-placement-tied courses are as follows:
(i) Applicants can enrol in non-placement-tied courses Note 2 for a total of no more than 150 hours within 1 year (from the course commencement date of the course applied to the course commencement date of the first non-placement-tied course enrolled within the past 12 months). Application will not be accepted if the 150-hour limit is reached at the time of application.
(ii) Trainees can enrol in more than 1 non-placement-tied course at any one time, given that there is no clash of class schedules.
(iii) Trainees can retake once Note 4 : ˙ Courses which they have completed (attained attendance rate of at least 80%) but failed in all attempts of final assessments; or ˙ Non-placement-tied courses successfully completed at least 4 years ago (from the date of application to the course commencement date of previous enrolment).
(iv) Except under the circumstances specified in paragraph 14(iii), applicants are not allowed to apply for the same course, or courses at similar or lower level of competency in the same discipline as the course(s) previously enrolled Notes 2 and 5 .
15. For applicants who are applying for the same course at different Training Bodies, once enrolled, applications for the same course at other Training Bodies will be cancelled.
16. Training bodies may arrange streaming of enrolment based on the educational attainment and qualifications of trainees, with a view to enhancing learning outcomes.
17. Course applications are valid for 2 years (from date of application). If applicants are, for any reason, not enrolled in classes during the validity period, their course applications will be cancelled on expiration.
Cancellation of Course Application/Enrolment
18. Cancellation of course applications or class enrolment should be made in person or in writing to the Training Bodies, no less than 3 working days prior to the course commencement date (e.g. if the course commencement date is 25 April 2025, the deadline for cancellation of course applications or class enrolment is 17 April 2025). Late cancellation will not be accepted. Once cancelled, applicants should submit new course applications if they re-apply for the same courses.
19. Course Applications will be cancelled if applicants reject enrolment offers for 3 times. For applicants applying for more than 1 course, the rejections of enrolment offers for all the course applications would be aggregated.
20. Applicants, who fail to cancel course applications or class enrolment duly and do not show up for the course, will not be allowed to enrol in the same course, or courses at similar or lower level of competency in the same discipline; and will not be refunded the course fees of non-placement-tied courses paid.
Award of Graduation Certificate
21. Trainees should attain a minimum of 80% attendance rate before they are allowed to sit for final assessment (including written and practical skills assessment). Trainees will be awarded graduation certificates upon fulfilment of graduation requirements (generally attainment of at least 80% attendance rate and passing of course assessments). Certificates lost or damaged will not be re-issued.
Arrangement of Re-assessment
22. Trainees who fail to attain passing marks in the final assessment (including written examination and practical skills assessment) are, in general, entitled to two attempts of re-assessments (unless otherwise stipulated) within 6 months upon completion of the final assessment.
Retraining Allowance
23. Retraining allowance will be provided for placement-tied courses with duration of at least 7 days as follows:
Type of placement-tied courses | Retraining allowance per day |
“Youth Training Programme” courses | $167 |
Other courses | $333 (on basis of 2 sessions) |
24. Trainees are eligible for retraining allowance once per year at most (from the course commencement date of current enrolment to the course commencement date of enrolment within the past year with retraining allowance disbursed).
25. In general, trainees of placement-tied courses are eligible for retraining allowance on condition that the sum of the following sessions comprises at least 80% of the total number of course sessions:
(i) Actual number of sessions attended (after deducting sessions of late arrivals, early departures and absences); and
(ii) Sessions on sick leave, which are substantiated by certificates issued by Hong Kong registered medical practitioners (not exceeding 20% of the total number of course sessions).
26. The exact amount of retraining allowance to be disbursed to a trainee is calculated on the basis of the actual number of sessions attended, and is subject to a maximum of $8,000 per month.
27. No retraining allowance will be disbursed to trainees who are approved to take make-up sessions, even if 80% or higher attendance rate is attained upon completion of the make-up sessions.
28. No retraining allowance will be disbursed for the exempted sessions of the Module of Personal Attributes and Job Search Skills.
29. Details on the criteria for disbursement of retraining allowance for “Youth Training Programme” courses and placement-tied courses for persons with disabilities and persons recovered from work injuries could be obtained from the Training Bodies concerned.
Course Fees of Non-placement-tied Courses
30. Non-placement-tied courses are fee charging. Course fees payable are stipulated at the time of course application. Trainees should pay the course fees prior to class commencement. Fees paid are not refundable.
31. Upon receipt of enrolment notification by Training Bodies, trainees may apply for course fee waiver, apply for payment of “Highly Subsidised Fee”, or pay the “Normal Subsidised Fee” according to their income levels as follows:
| Type of course fee | Income level |
Course fee waiver | Monthly income Note 6 of $14,000 or below |
“Highly Subsidised Fee” | Monthly income Note 6 between $14,001 and $22,000 |
“Normal Subsidised Fee” | Monthly income Note 6 of $22,001 or above |
32. Trainees applying for course fee waiver or payment of “Highly Subsidised Fee” should submit “Application for Course Fee Waiver/Highly Subsidised Fee” forms and pay the prescribed course fees to Training Bodies prior to class commencement.
33. Trainees who have course fee waived or pay “Highly Subsidised Fee” are subject to income surveillance. For this purpose, trainees are required to retain the income proof(s) related to the concerned course enrolment for 3 fiscal years (a fiscal year represents the period from April of a year from which trainees enrol in a course to March of the following year), including:
Trainees with income
(i) Payroll slip of the month of or any of the 2 months prior to course commencement Note 7 ; or
(ii) Certification letter issued by current employer specifying salary of the month of or any of the 2 months prior to course commencement Note 7 ; or
(iii) Bank passbook/statement showing payroll records of the month of or any of the 2 months prior to course commencement Note 7 ; or
(iv) Declaration administered by the Home Affairs Department declaring trainee’s income level of the month or any of the 2 months prior to course commencement Note 7 .
Trainees without income
(v) For trainees who are Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) Recipients, please retain “Notification of Successful Application” issued by the Social Welfare Department, indicating that trainee’s receipt of CSSA is still valid on the date of course commencement. For other trainees, please make declaration in the “Declaration by trainee” in the “Application for Course Fee Waiver/Highly Subsidised Fee” Form.
Penalty for Low Attendance in Courses
34. Penalty on trainees, who have failed to achieve attendance rate of at least 60% in individual courses, would be imposed as follows:
(i) For trainees who have low attendance for the first time Note 8: all of their course applications will not be accepted for 1 year Note 9 ;
(ii) For trainees who have low attendance twice Note 8: all of their course applications will not be accepted for 2 years Note 9 ;
(iii) For trainees who have low attendance more than twice Note 8: all of their course applications will not be accepted for 3 years Note 9 .
35. In the event that trainees fail to achieve 60% attendance rate due to illness, accident, or other special circumstances, they may submit application to ERB for waiver of the above penalty via Training Bodies, and are required to provide supporting documents (e.g. medical certificates issued by Hong Kong registered medical practitioners). ERB has the discretion for the granting of waivers.
Fraud Prevention Measures
36. ERB conducts spot checks of trainees’ declared educational attainment, study status, employment status, income level and/or employment relationship (if applicable). Trainees may be asked to provide relevant proofs in respect of course application and enrolment, including school leaving certification, certification letter from employer, salary statements, and/or “Income Proof” issued by the Inland Revenue Department (IRC2815 and IRC2816), for verification.
37. Trainees not providing the “Income Proof” and other required information in spot check of employment status or income surveillance exercise will be put on the watch list, and their course applications for non-placement-tied courses will not be accepted for 3 months Note 10 after the “Income Proof” and other required information is provided and no violation is found.
38. Trainees who are proven to have provided false information in order to enrol in ERB courses, obtain course fee subsidies, or to receive retraining allowance, may be disqualified from course enrolment, course fee subsidies and/or disbursement of retraining allowance. In addition, they are required to offset the training cost of courses, pay the course fees and/or return the retraining allowance to ERB.
39. ERB also reserves the right to report the cases to the law enforcement Government department(s) for fraud investigation and prosecution. Pursuant to Section 25 of the Employees Retraining Ordinance, any person committing the offence shall be liable on conviction to a fine of $20,000. Under the Theft Ordinance (Cap. 210 of the Laws of Hong Kong), any person dishonestly obtains for himself or another any pecuniary advantage by deception shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for 10 years.
40. For trainees who, in the absence of a legitimate defence, are proven to have provided false information in order to enrol in ERB courses or receive a higher level of retraining allowance:
(i) They are required to offset the training cost of course, and/or return the retraining allowance to ERB.
(ii) For first time violation Note 11 , all of their course applications will not be accepted for 1 year Note 12 if the concerned training cost and/or retraining allowance are returned; or for 3 years Note 12 if not.
(iii) For second time violation Note 11 , all of their course applications will not be accepted for 2 years Note 12 if the concerned training cost and/or retraining allowance are returned; or for 4 years Note 12 if not.
(iv) For violations beyond second time Note 11 , all of their course applications will not be accepted for 3 years Note 12 if the concerned training cost and/or retraining allowance are returned; or for 5 years Note 12 if not, and the cases may be reported to the Hong Kong Police Force.
41. For trainees who, in the absence of a legitimate defence, are proven in income surveillance exercise to have obtained course fee waiver/paid the “Highly Subsidised Fee” by supplying false income information:
(i) They are required to pay back the course fee concerned to ERB.
(ii) For first time violation Note 11 , all of their course applications will not be accepted for 1 year Note 12 if the concerned course fee is returned; or for 2 years Note 12 if not.
(iii) For second time violation Note 11 , all of their course applications will not be accepted for 2 years Note 12 if the concerned course fee is returned; or for 3 years Note 12 if not.
(iv) For violations beyond second time Note 11 , all of their course applications will not be accepted for 3 years Note 12 if the concerned course fee is returned; or for 4 years Note 12 if not, and the cases may be reported to the Hong Kong Police Force.
Personal Information of Applicants/Trainees
42. The personal data of applicants/trainees are collected and kept for all the purposes related to course application and enrolment, including but not limited to: handling of course applications, course enrolment and delivery, course fee waivers or subsidies, disbursement of retraining allowances, continuous assessments and final examinations, processing of Domestic Helper Competency Cards, provision of placement follow-up services and other support services/activities, conduct of income surveillance/spot check of educational attainment, study status, employment status, and/or employment relationship (if applicable), verification of placement records, opinion surveys and course accreditation, etc. The personal data so collected may be transferred to appointed Training Bodies of ERB, relevant Government departments, and research consultants/data analytics companies commissioned by ERB for the purposes stated above.
43. Provision of personal data is voluntary. However, failure to provide correct and complete personal data may result in applications being considered incomplete and thus unsuccessful.
44. Upon consent of applicants, ERB may use their personal data (including, but not limited to, name, address, email address and telephone number) for purposes including sending marketing information in relation to training courses, services, activities and facilities of ERB to applicants through emails, SMS/MMS, mails and telephone calls, etc.; their personal data so collected may be transferred to appointed Training Bodies of ERB and/or organisations commissioned by ERB for such purposes. If applicants do not wish their personal data to be used for the marketing purposes stated above, they have the right at any time to opt out by writing to ERB at 3/F to 6/F, 10 Siu Sai Wan Road, Chai Wan, Hong Kong, or by fax to 2369 8322, or by email to erbhk@erb.org to the Manager (Customer Services) of ERB, or call ERB hotline at 182 182.
45. Applicants or their authorised representatives have the right to request access to and/or obtain a copy of their personal data and/or to correct the personal data should the record be inaccurate. ERB may collect a fee from applicants requesting for a copy of their personal data.
46. Applicants/trainees may send their requests for access to and/or correction of personal data to the Manager (Customer Services) of ERB. For enquiries, please call ERB hotline at 182 182.
Enquiry
47. Training Bodies are responsible for processing of course applications, informing applicants of the results and course enrolment. Commencement dates and class schedules of courses are subject to the arrangement of Training Bodies. For details, please contact the Training Bodies concerned.
48. For other comments or complaints, please call ERB hotline at 182 182.
Note 1: Trainees may be required to provide proof of being eligible employee of Hong Kong during classes for verification of identities by staff of ERB and Training Bodies.
Note 2: Including enrolled but no show, or low attendance cases.
Note 3: Including applicants who fail to complete the placement-tied courses previously enrolled.
Note 4: Standing policy on admission requirements, restrictions on application and enrolment, and arrangements of retraining allowance at the times of retake shall apply.
Note 5: Including the “Skills Upgrading Scheme” courses.
Note 6: Income denotes wages and salary from employment (including being employed and self-employed), net business income and pension. Income from employment and self-employment includes basic pay, overtime pay, bonus, commissions, allowance(s) and payment in lieu of annual leave, etc., with the deduction of 5% contributions to MPF/ORSO. Bonus, double pay, gratuity and payment in lieu of annual leave, etc. should be taken into account in average over the relevant period of employment.
Note 7: For example, for course commences in April this year, relevant month of the document required shall be February, March or April of the year. (Attention: If the relevant calendar month of the trainee’s declared income has not yet ended when declaring income, and if the income subsequently changes, which is enough to affect the trainee’s eligibility to apply for course fee waiver / “Highly Subsidised Fee”, the trainee must update the relevant information to the Training Body and is required to pay the difference in course fee for the relevant course to the Board.)
Note 8: Including all course enrolments before April 2023 in which the trainee failed to fulfill the standing attendance requirements at that time.
Note 9: From the end date of the concerned course.
Note 10:From the date the notice of no violation is issued to the concerned trainees.
Note 11:Including confirmed cases of violation before April 2023.
Note 12:From the date the recovery notice is issued to the concerned trainees.
ERB reserves the right to revise course arrangement and the above Application Guidelines from time to time without notifying individual applicants. Please refer to ERB website (www.erb.org) for the updates
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