ENG-2014 — Page 150

6

Employment

between 15 and 29 to improve their chances of employment, and to help them secure sustainable employment or self-employment. In 2014, the two centres provided services to 74,288 young people.

Working Holiday Scheme (WHS)

Since 2001, Hong Kong has established bilateral WHS arrangements with nine economies: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (UK). These WHSs seek to provide opportunities for youths aged 18 to 30 to gain living and working experience in a different economy and broaden their horizons, and for youths of the other partner economies to learn more about Hong Kong.

Save for the UK which allows Hong Kong youths to stay for up to 24 months, the WHS partners issue working holiday visas to Hong Kong youths to stay in their economies for up to 12 months for holidaying, taking up short-term employment to subsidise their stay, and/or studying short-term courses (except Ireland).

As at end-2014, more than 50,000 Hong Kong youths had participated in WHS, while over 4,600 youths had come to Hong Kong from WHS partner economies.

Employees Retraining Board (ERB)

The ERB is a statutory body set up under the Employees Retraining Ordinance. Its members include employer and employee representatives, people connected with vocational training and retraining or manpower planning, and public officers. The ERB provides, under its Manpower Development Scheme, market-driven training and employment support services through about 110 appointed training bodies, operating around 410 training centres across Hong Kong. People aged 15 or above with education attainment up to sub-degree level may enrol on its full-time placement-tied courses and half-day or evening generic skills training courses or courses under the 'Skills Upgrading Scheme Plus! As at December 2014, there were around 800 courses covering 28 industries.

Dedicated Training for Special Service Targets

The ERB provides training and employment support to young people, new arrivals, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, people who have recovered from work injuries, and rehabilitated ex-drug abusers and ex-offenders. The ERB organises dedicated training programmes targeting young people of different backgrounds and aspirations to increase their employment opportunities. In 2014, the ERB offered the Youth Training Programme, the Specialised Security Services Training Programme and the Youth Management Trainee Programme to equip young people with vocational skills and render placement follow-up services.

Employment Support Services of ERB

The ERB's 'Smart Living Scheme' and 'Smart Baby Care Scheme' provide referral services for its graduates in domestic help, elderly and patient care, healthcare massage, post-natal care as well as infant and child care.

110

Page 150Page 151

6