About $3.3 million has been set aside to subsidise two training courses to improve the skills of more than 6,700 in-service workers in elderly care and road passenger transport.

The two courses under the Skills Upgrading Scheme will be launched in mid-April and enrolment has begun.

Like the scheme's other training courses, 70% of the training cost will be subsidised by the Government. Trainees who earn less than $6,333 a month and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients can apply for reimbursement of the training fee after completing the course.

Some 138 classes offering 14 different courses will be held for workers, covering basic training on nursing care for the elderly, psychological care for seniors, handling of common accidents as well as quality service and management at homes for the elderly.

For the road passenger transport sector, there will be 137 classes offering nine courses which cover training in driving safety, rules and regulations, crisis management, vehicle repair principles and service management.

Course details and application forms can be downloaded from the scheme's website, or call 2836 1234 for enquiries.

Scheme benefited 74,000 workers so far

Launched by the Education & Manpower Bureau in September 2001, the scheme provides focused skills training for in-service workers with secondary or lower education levels to maintain their competitiveness in the labour market.

So far, more than 3,500 classes have been conducted for more than 74,000 workers.

With the recent addition of the films, TV and entertainment and the recreation and sports sectors to the scheme, it now covers 19 industries.

The other sectors are printing, Chinese catering, retail, import and export trade, transportation, wearing apparel and textile, hotel, tourism, hairdressing, property management, insurance, electrical and mechanical engineering, real estate agents, building maintenance and decoration, beauty care, road passenger transport and elderly care.