FEATURES OF THE FUNDING SCHEME

Prior to the application, applicants should submit a copy of the course descripition of the in-house tailor-made training course to the Office of the Workplace English Campaign (OWEC). The course description should set out how the course is designed specially to meet the needs of the employees of the applying company. Each training course should be designed for and taken by employees of the same company. Subject to the clarity and sufficiency of the course description provided, OWEC will issue a written notification to the applying company within 28 days. An approval code will be provided if the course is considered to be meeting the definition of a workplace English training course. Companies should apply to the Funding Scheme only with an approved course.

• Applications must be made by the company for its employee(s). Reimbursement will be made to the company but not to individual employees.
   
• Applications should be submitted before commencement of the training course concerned, which should be no later than three months from the date of application. [Remark 1]
   
• Reimbursable expenses comprise only payments made for tuition fees and examination fees.
   
• Each employee will be subsidized for no more than one in-house tailor-made training course and two examinations for the attainment of at the most one spoken benchmark and one written benchmark (please refer to Hong Kong Workplace English Benchmarks - HOW DOES AN EMPLOYEE ACHIEVE THESE BENCHMARKS?) The training course and examinations concerned must be completed within one year from the commencement date of the training course.

• Applying companies must submit all the required documents, including proof of subscribing employees' attainment of the requisite benchmark(s), to apply for reimbursement of fund within one year from the commencement date of the training course concerned. (Where necessary, applying companies may apply to OWEC for an extension of such deadline for employee(s) to re-sit the examination(s).)