Applications for the second phase of the Skills Enhancement Project designed for sectors hard-hit by SARS will start tomorrow. On offer will be courses in retail, hotel and travel, and a new course on interior decoration.

Vacancies for catering industry courses have been filled.

Courses on trade-specific skills enhancement start on July 7, while complementary generic training starts in August.

The Skills Upgrading Scheme Secretariat will be the training agent for the trade-specific skills enhancement component, providing integrated training courses for the retail, hotel and tourism industries, an integrated tour-guide training course, and the new integrated training course on interior decoration.

The Employees Retraining Board will offer complementary generic training. It includes modules on job search, presentation and communication skills, team building and first aid, as well as English, Putonghua and basic computer training.

All courses are free and trainees will receive special allowances during courses at $200 per day up to a maximum of $4,000 per month.

Applicants should be eligible employees in Hong Kong who were employed in the retail, hotel, tourism or building-decoration sectors who are now unemployed or on unpaid leave.

Applicants for the integrated tour guide training course must have been employed as tour guides for at least one year.

Application forms are available at the Employees Retraining Board's office, job centres of the Labour Department, district offices of the Home Affairs Department and over 40 participating training centres.

They can also be downloaded from the Employees Retraining Board website (http://www.erb.org) and the Labour Department website(www.info.gov.hk/labour). For enquiries, call the hotline on 183 3113.