ENG-2008 — Page 176

128 Employment

had been held and more than 240 000 training places were provided under the scheme.

The domestic and personal services industry joined the scheme in 2008, bringing to 26 the number of industries participating in the scheme.

Youth Pre-employment Training Programme

The Youth Pre-employment Training Programme (YPTP), launched in 1999 to enhance the employability of school leavers, aged between 15 and 19, through employment-related training, workplace attachment, careers counselling and support services, continues to work well. Some 5 100 trainees took part in this year's YPTP programme which ended in October. The current (2008-09) programme is being carried out in two phases. Phase One which started in September 2008, has already attracted over 2 800 participants.

Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme

For young people, aged between 15 and 24 with no university degree, the Labour Department has a Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme (YWETS) that provides them with six to 12 months' on-the-job training. The department is in continual touch with private and public sector employers to see if they have vacancies for trainees.

The Labour Department also commissions non-governmental organisations to carry out induction courses for these young people and to help them plan their careers, identify jobs that suit them, prepare them for job interviews, and to help them adapt to their working environment after they have secured their jobs.

By the end of 2008, some 40 450 young people had received on-the-job training and 18 870 found other jobs in the market.

To enable them to receive the most from their training, trainees are allowed to move between the YPTP and YWETS at different stages of a programme year.

Employees Retraining Scheme

The Employees Retraining Board (ERB) is a statutory body set up under the Employees Retraining Ordinance in 1992. Its members include employer and employee representatives, people connected with vocational training, retraining, manpower planning, and Government officials.

The ERB is a funding and co-ordinating body. It provides training via a network of about 70 training bodies in 280 training centres located throughout Hong Kong. Its courses are market-driven and employment-oriented.

It currently offers about 300 courses conducted at Qualifications Framework Levels One to Four for 23 industries helping trainees to gain vocational skills and recognised qualifications. The ERB also places a lot of emphasis on teaching generic skills, such as Chinese, English, Putonghua, Numeracy, and IT Applications, as well as on training to enhance personal attributes and life skills.