The Standing Committee on Language Education & Research - or SCOLAR - will promote local employers' adoption of the Hong Kong Workplace English Benchmarks in staff recruitment, promotion and training.

SCOLAR Chairman Michael Tien said that the decision was made after a recent campaign review.

"Over the past four years, we have succeeded in raising the awareness of the importance of better English in the workplace among the general public," he said.

Another important achievement was the development of a set of Hong Kong Workplace English Benchmarks for six job types, he said.

These included low-proficiency job types, front-line services personnel, clerks, receptionist/telephone operators, secretaries and executive/associate professionals.

Benchmarks set out English writing, speaking standards

The Hong Kong Workplace English Benchmarks spell out the standards of English writing and speaking that employees of each job type should attain. 

They provide a useful reference for working adults to assess their own needs for English training and for employers to develop their English-language requirements for recruitment and promotion.

However, Mr Tien said, public understanding about the benchmarks and their value for local employers and employees still needs to be heightened. 

Committee to step up benchmarks' promotion

That is why the Committee decided to step up its efforts in promoting the benchmarks to the general public in the coming years, he said.

"Our target in 2004 is to get more local employers to adopt the benchmarks as a reference in setting their own English-language requirements for recruitment and promotion."

Mr Tien believed that such action on the part of employers will encourage more working adults to pursue English training and reach the benchmarks relevant to their job types.

Funding scheme pays out $25m in training grants

The Funding Scheme for Workplace English Training, set up with $50 million from the Language Fund, was also part of SCOLAR's recent review. 

The scheme provides subsidies for employees to attend English training courses and attain the benchmarks for their job types through taking specified international business English tests. 

At the end of December, more than 15,500 applicants had already attained the relevant benchmarks and received their training grants, worth about $25.7 million, from the scheme. 

Another $12.32 million has been earmarked for about 5,400 applications.

"Besides our funding scheme, the $5 billion Continuing Education Fund launched by the Government in June 2002 is also providing subsidies for English training, among other work-related skills, for adults aged 18 to 60."

More people apply to fund for grants for English training

As the fund becomes better known among the general public and the number of its reimbursable courses increases, more and more people are applying to the Fund for grants to undertake English training to meet their personal and professional needs, Mr Tien said.

In view of this, SCOLAR has decided to channel resources to supporting in-house English training commissioned by employers for their staff. 

Participants in such training are currently not eligible to apply to the Continuing Education Fund for subsidies.

One-year deadline for Workplace English funding

The Funding Scheme for Workplace English Training will stop receiving applications made by individual employees or by companies on behalf of their employees for grants to attend English training courses offered in the market from January 1, 2005 or until all the remaining funds have been earmarked for applications, whichever is earlier.

The year-long notice period serves to allow course providers and the public ample time to prepare for the change.

Mr Tien stressed that changes to the Funding Scheme for Workplace English Training would not deprive working adults of their chance to obtain subsidies for English training as they will continue to have access to a maximum subsidy of $10,000 from the Continuing Education Fund.

Providers can adjust courses for list inclusion

For course providers, he said, they could make necessary adjustments to their courses which could then be included in the reimbursable course list.