The Continuing Education Fund
Who is it for?
This scheme is for you if you are an individual who wants
to study on CPBE’s government approved public courses.
Click here to find
out more.
The Workplace English Campaign Funding Scheme
Who is it for?
This scheme is for you if you are a company which wants to
commission in-house, tailor-made English training courses
for your employees.
Click here to find out more. [link to below]
What is the Continuing Education Fund (CEF)?
The CEF is a fund of money set aside by the Hong Kong government
to support working people who take training courses which
will help them do their jobs more effectively.
Courses in business and workplace English offered by certain
institutions are included in the lists of courses for which
the Office of the Continuing Education Fund (OCEF) will reimburse
fees.
Who is it for?
Individuals who enrol
in CPBE’s public courses can apply for reimbursement of
fees through the CEF(Continuing Education Fund) scheme.
What courses can I claim for?
- You can claim fees for tuition for
approved language courses and recognised benchmark examinations. (Almost
all CPBE courses are government approved for CEF reimbursement
of course fees.)
- You can apply for approval for reimbursement
of fees ONLY
ONCE.
- You can make a maximum of two claims
for reimbursement within two years from the date that
your application was approved. You can include more
than one reimbursable course in each claim.
- You can claim for reimbursement if
you are NOT receiving other public financial assistance
for your course.
When do I receive reimbursement of my course fees?
You claim reimbursement of your course and examination fees
after your English course or courses.
You need to show that you have attained the relevant benchmark
for your type of job. To do this you need to take a recognised
benchmark examination.
Where can I take a benchmark examination?
CPBE organises examinations for two recognised benchmark
examinations:
- the BULATS Test
- BEC (Business English Certificate)
Both exams are administered
by Cambridge ESOL (English for Speakers of other Languages)
Job Type |
Speaking
BULATS Speaking / Computer / Standard Test |
Writing
BULATS Writing Test |
Low Proficiency Job Type |
Level 1= |
Level 1- |
Frontline Service Personnel |
Level 1+ |
Level 1= |
Clerks |
Level 1+ |
Level 2- |
Receptionists / Telephone
Operators |
Level 2- |
Level 1= |
Secretaries |
Level 2+ |
Level 2+ |
Executives / Administrators
/ Associate Professionals |
Level 3- |
Level 3- |
Table 1: Minimum BULATS Test Scores needed to qualify for
reimbursement.
Examination |
Overall
Result |
Business English Certificate
Preliminary |
Pass |
Business English Certificate
Vantage |
Pass |
Business English Certificate
Higher |
Pass |
Table 2: Minimum BEC results needed to qualify for reimbursement.
When the OCEF accepts your application, the office sets
aside an amount of HKD10,000 which is available to you for
reimbursement of course fees.
You can claim 80% of the fees you have paid for courses
up to a maximum of HKD10,000.
Things to remember:
- You need to enrol in your course and pay the
tuition fee before the course starts.
- Your courses must be recognised by the CEF. Check the
CEF website (http://www.sfaa.gov.hk/cef/course.htm )
or call the CEF Hotline on 3142
2277.
- You must finish your (i) courses and (ii) benchmark exam
within two years of first applying to the OCEF (Office
of the Continuing Education Fund) to join the scheme.
What is the application procedure?
You:
- come to CPBE for a course placement test, and decide
which course or courses you would like to enroll in.
A CPBE teacher will talk with you and give advice.
- enrol in your course and pay the course fees.
- fill in the CEF application form (SFAA 192) and send
it to the OCEF with the receipt for your course fee.
You must do this BEFORE your first
course begins.
- CPBE administration will give you
an application form when you pay for your course.
The OCEF
notifies
you that your application has been approved ‘in principle’
within 12 working days after your application is received.
You attend your course.
Things to remember:
You must attend AT LEAST 80% of your
course.
If you decide to take more courses
(within two years), you do not have to make a second
application.
At the end of each course, CPBE
will:
give
you a Certificate of Attendance for the courses you complete
with 80% attendance.
When you have finished
studying all of your English courses, you need to:
- take a benchmark examination. (CPBE organises the
BULATS and BEC benchmark exams regularly.)
- send your Certificates of Attendance and your examination
results to the OCEF with your application form (SFAA
195) for reimbursement of your fees
The OCEF will reimburse your fees if you have achieved
the relevant benchmark in the BULATS or BEC test.
Contact details
Office of the Continuing Education Fund
Room 916, 9/F
Kwai Hing Government Offices
166-174 Hing Fong Road, Kwai Chung, N. T.
Website: (http://www.sfaa.gov.hk/cef/course.htm )
CEF Hotline: 3142 2277.
Click here for
more information on the CEF Funding Scheme
Who is it for?
This scheme is for you if you are a company which wants to
commission in-house, tailor-made English training courses
for your employees.
How do my employees qualify for reimbursement?
After the training, your employees need to show that they
have attained the relevant benchmark for their job type
by achieving the BULATS Test scores listed below.
Job Type |
Speaking
BULATS Speaking / Computer / Standard Test |
Writing
BULATS Writing Test |
Low Proficiency Job Type |
Level 1= |
Level 1- |
Frontline Service Personnel |
Level 1+ |
Level 1= |
Clerks |
Level 1+ |
Level 2- |
Receptionists / Telephone
Operators |
Level 2- |
Level 1= |
Secretaries |
Level 2+ |
Level 2+ |
Executives / Administrators
/ Associate Professionals |
Level 3- |
Level 3- |
Table 1: Minimum BULATS Test Scores needed to qualify for
reimbursement.
Who can arrange the BULATS Test for me?
CPBE can arrange this test for you at the end of the training
courses. Go to www.bulats.org to read more about the BULATS Test.
Are there any limits to the amount of reimbursement
I can get?
The Government will meet 50% of your training costs and examination
fees. The maximum reimbursement per employee is HK$3,000.
What is the application procedure?
The Government will approve the earmarking of funds before
the courses start. They will release that funding to you
after your employees have attained the minimum benchmark(s)
described in Table 1 above.
You should allow four weeks for the pre- approval process
before the course commences
Here is the procedure in detail:
You:
- agree course outline and schedule
with CPBE
- download the application form from
the government website.
- draw up a name list of students
on each course together with their HKID
- allocate a job
type to each employee from the table above
- complete the
application form
- write a supporting explanation of
how the course will help your staff.
- send these documents to the Government
department (SCOLAR).
Education and Manpower Bureau (SCOLAR):
- earmarks
funds for you
- notifies you how much money has been
earmarked.
CPBE:
- conducts a BULATS examination for the participants
- sends the results of the BULATS examination to you.
You:
- apply to SCOLAR for reimbursement
of the funds which were earmarked for you, including
the BULATS results.
Education and Manpower Bureau (SCOLAR):
- reimburses you on a pro-rata basis for those employees
who have achieved the relevant benchmark
Visit http://www.english.gov.hk/eng/html/wec_scheme.htm for
more information on the WEC Funding Scheme and to down
load the application form