Job Seekers: Application Guides

Eligibility

1. Job seekers should hold a Hong Kong permanent identity card (or other identity documents to prove that they are lawfully employable in Hong Kong), be aged 40 or above and have an unemployment period of not less than 1 month within 1 year prior to the commencement date of employment.

2. The placed job seeker commences employment after the vacancy has been registered by the employer at the Labour Department (LD) and there is no kinship or prior employment relationship between the placed job seeker and the employer.

Registration

3. No prior registration under the Employment Programme for the Elderly and Middle-aged (EPEM) is required. After job seekers have secured full-time or part-time (i.e. working 18 hours to less than 30 hours per week) employment from long-term job vacancies registered at LD, job seekers can submit the completed "Preliminary Application Form for On-the-Job Training" through the employers to LD within the first month of employment and complete other application procedures at any job centre.

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On-the-job Training

4. Under EPEM, employer has to provide on-the-job training (OJT) to the placed job seeker during the approved period, and assign an experienced staff as mentor. The provision of OJT is to enable newly hired employee to adapt to new work environment and acquire essential job-specific skills. OJT can be formulated by employer based on the company's business nature, job seeker's qualifications and requirements of the job, etc.

5. In general, OJT lasts for 3 months for employees aged 40 to 59 and 6 months for employees aged 60 or above. Subject to the approval of LD, the OJT period may be extended to a maximum of 6 months and 12 months respectively for deserving cases in which employers have to provide information for vetting.

6. After verification on preliminary application, LD will notify employers and employees by issuing a "Letter of Approval-in-Principle". Employers shall then commence the approved OJT according to the date specified in the "Letter of Approval-in-Principle". LD will provide copies of the "Preliminary Application Form for On-the-Job Training" and relevant training forms (if applicable) submitted by the employer to the employee concerned.

7. Upon completion of OJT by eligible employees under EPEM, the employers may apply for training allowance from LD. For application procedures, please refer to the section of "Employers: Application Guides for On-the-job Training Allowance".

Points to note

8. LD has the right to conduct on-site inspections to the workplace and require the employer or employee to produce relevant documents, such as Business Registration Certificate, employment contracts, wage and attendance records, MPF records, training records, employer's return of remuneration and pensions and other information for examination.

9. The employer and the employee shall provide true and accurate information. Provision of false or erroneous information for obtaining or intending to obtain any allowances under this programme is liable to an offence, and the case may be referred to other divisions of LD, other government departments and/or statutory bodies for follow-up.

10. LD reserves the final right to approve application for OJT and to determine the length of OJT period. In case of disputes over the application or interpretation of terms and clauses of EPEM, the authority of final decision rests with LD. The employer and the employee shall undertake to submit to the decision of LD.

11. For submission by post, please make a copy of the filled application forms for record and ensure sufficient mailing time and postage to make delivery in order. Underpaid mail will be rejected. For submission by fax, please keep the fax-generated logsheet that shows the successful transmission record.

12. The Application Guidelines will be updated at times and the terms should be subject to the latest version. For enquiries, please contact the EPEM Hotline at 2150 6398 (address: 10/F., Kowloon East Government Offices, 12 Lei Yue Mun Road, Kwun Tong), or visit the EPEM dedicated webpage on the Interactive Employment Service website at www.jobs.gov.hk.

For enquiries, please contact EPEM Hotline : 2150 6398