The Employees Retraining Scheme, to be relaxed from December 1 to cover young people aged 15 to 29 and people with an education level at sub-degree or below, will offer training programmes that are more diversified and geared towards market needs, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung says.

Speaking at the Institute of Human Resource Management's annual conference today, Mr Cheung said the Government will continue to invest in Hong Kong's human capital.

He encouraged the business sector and professional organisations to join with the Government to foster the workforce's continuous development and upgrading, to maintain Hong Kong's economic vibrancy and face up to the challenges and opportunities brought by globalisation.

The Government has been upgrading the quality of the local workforce in the past decade through education and the provision of training and retraining opportunities.

"Through our ongoing education reforms, we seek to nurture a self-directed, adaptable and creative workforce with a global perspective and the capacity to absorb and apply new knowledge," Mr Cheung said.

A Qualifications Framework is expected to be launched within next year's second quarter. Learners will have a better sense of direction in furthering their education and training, and employers will have a better understanding of the actual level of competency of their existing and prospective employees.