Start with the work you want, your available hours and existing experience. ERB has several course categories; fees and confirmed admission depend on the particular course.
What to have ready
Before you start
ERB's current training page states that eligible Hong Kong employees aged 15 or above may enrol through appointed training bodies. Placement-tied courses support eligible unemployed people through full-time training and are offered without tuition charges. Skills-upgrading and generic-skills courses are non-placement-tied, fee-charging categories, with fee reduction available to eligible trainees. Read the individual entry conditions rather than applying the general description to everyone. The course directory lets you filter by industry, training-centre district, education requirements, study mode and tentative commencement. A result is a candidate course, while admission and an actual class still need confirmation.
What to do, step by step
- Shortlist two or three courses against the tasks in your target occupation. Save the course code, award title, training body and classroom address. For work requiring a licence or industry examination, ask which assessment is included and which application remains separate. Compare practical training hours and assessment language, rather than selecting a course because its title sounds closest to a job advertisement.
- Explain your education, employment status and schedule to the appointed provider and request its entry and fee-reduction evidence checklist. Apply using the official guidelines and the provider's accepted channel. Record any interview, selection or document deadline and keep the application reference. If a document is unavailable, ask what evidence is accepted before substituting an unrelated certificate or leaving the field blank.
- After notification, establish all sessions, attendance requirements, examinations and employment follow-up arrangements before changing work shifts or childcare. Separate tentative commencement from a confirmed class. Follow up if a result has not arrived near the proposed start, and ask how a waiting list operates. Keep the confirmed timetable so you can identify conflicts across classroom, practical and assessment sessions, including any sessions outside the advertised usual hours.
Costs, timing, and things to check
Request a written cost breakdown separating tuition, examination, reassessment, materials and equipment, and establish how fee reduction is assessed. Placement support does not guarantee an employment offer. If an allowance is mentioned, check its separate eligibility, attendance and claiming conditions. Budget transport and any lost earnings as well, particularly when moving from part-time employment to a daytime training schedule.
Common mistakes include relying on an old flyer, confusing similarly named courses with different codes, and treating an attendance document as the advertised qualification. Notify the provider when contact details change. Retain receipts, admission messages and completion evidence together, so a later employer enquiry or fee dispute can be answered with the actual course documents rather than a remembered advertisement.
A practical example
A retail worker considering property services searches ERB's relevant industry courses, checks the selected class's conditions and decides whether full-time attendance is realistic. Where the target vacancy requires a separate licence, they verify the examination and licensing route before comparing the total time and expense. They retain a second course option if the first proposed class does not commence.
Find the right course, then obtain confirmation of this class's eligibility, cost and commencement.
Official information and enquiries
These are the reference and service entry points for this guide. Check current fees, eligibility, and schedules with the authority. The preparation date is not each source's official update date.