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Highlights of the Year 2020-21

Manpower Support - Training Programmes & Other Measures

  • Enrolled Nurse Training Programme for the Welfare Sector
    To alleviate the shortage of nurses in the welfare sector, SWD has commissioned the Hong Kong Metropolitan University (formally known as The Open University of Hong Kong) to provide a total of 920 training places in 4 consecutive years from 2017-18 under their two-year Enrolled Nurse (General)/ Enrolled Nurse (Psychiatric) Training Programmes. The fourth cohort commenced in September 2020. The training programmes are fully funded by the Government. Participants are required to sign an undertaking to work for 2 consecutive years in the welfare sector upon completion of the training programme.
  • Navigation Scheme for Young Persons in Care Services
    The Navigation Scheme for Young Persons in Care Services was launched in July 2015, providing a total of 1 000 training places in several years starting from 2015-16 to encourage young persons to join the elderly and rehabilitation care services. As at the end of March 2021, a total of 1 158 trainees were recruited under the scheme and 530 of them graduated, while 79 trainees were still receiving training.

    SWD has continued to provide a total of 1 200 additional training places within 5 years starting from 2020-21 and has rolled out enhancement measures, which include expanding the age range of trainees from the range of 18 to 25 to that of 17 to 29, reducing the weekly working hours from 44 to 40 so that trainees can further their studies more effectively, and raising their salaries and training subsidies, with a view to attracting more young people to join the care services in the social welfare care sector. As at the end of March 2021, a total of around 450 trainees were recruited under the enhanced scheme.
  • Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care
    SWD continues to implement the “Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care” to subsidise elderly and rehabilitation service units in the procurement, rental or trial use of newly developed technology products so as to improve the quality of life of service users and alleviate the burden and stress of care staff and carers.
  • Wi-Fi Service
    Funded by the Lotteries Fund, SWD continues to implement the four-year pilot project from January 2020 onwards, providing Wi-Fi service progressively at around 1 350 service units operated by subvented/subsidised organisations under SWD, so as to encourage them to make use of technology products to improve elderly and rehabilitation services. SWD also deployed resources and completed the setup of Wi-Fi services at 180 welfare facilities under its purview, including social security field units and integrated family service centres, in November 2020.

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