Hong Kong, 15 January 2021 —In line with the relief measures for labours under the 2020-21 budget, the Construction Industry Council (CIC) launched the ‘Construction Industry Council Relief Fund’, a multi-skills training scheme for registered workers’ through Hong Kong Institute of Construction (HKIC) with the provision of HKD70 million to support registered construction workers who are underemployed or temporarily unemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers are encouraged to acquire new skills and enhance their competitiveness to prepare for further development in the industry.
The Multi-skills Training Scheme consists of 21 full-time short courses, three of which also offer classes in English to cater for non-Cantonese speaking workers. The courses under this scheme will commence from 18 January 2021 to 17 January 2022 with a quota of 2,000.
Admission interviews will be arranged for eligible applicants. Those admitted students who meet the attendance requirement and pass the course assessment may receive a special monthly allowance of HKD3,000 in addition to a monthly basic allowance of HKD7,650 and a one-off graduation allowance. Upon completion of the course, the training allowance could be up to HKD13,200 per month.
“The construction industry is now facing unprecedented challenges. The CIC has always been committed to providing timely monetary and caring support to construction workers through various measures. Through this Multi-skills Training Scheme offered by HKIC, the CIC aims to assist construction workers in acquiring new skills to enhance their competency while they are in between jobs, thereby it would be easier for them to switch to other trades with manpower shortage or for better job prospects,” said Ir Albert Cheng, Executive Director of the CIC.
In addition to fulfilling the admission requirements, the applicant should be a registered construction worker (including general workers, as well as intermediate and senior tradesmen) for at least three years before 18 January 2021, and must possess a valid construction worker registration card as at the course commencement date.
For course information and application details, please visit www.hkic.edu.hk. — Construction+ Online
