Continuing Education Fund course suspended

     The Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) announced that one reimbursable course offered by the Council of Health and Beauty Limited (CHB) has been suspended from registration as reimbursable courses under the Continuing Education Fund (CEF) with immediate effect today (December 9).

     The above decision was made on the grounds that the person who acts as the Responsible Person and Course Director of the CEF course has earlier been charged with conspiracy to solicit an employment with a beauty industry organisation. The CEF course suspended is the Professional Certificate in Cosmetic Light Therapy offered by the CHB. Details are at the Annex.

     A spokesman for the LWB said, "The CHB has responsibility to promptly inform all affected CEF course participants that the course has been supsended. If the course commences on or after the date of suspension, the course provider must refund in full all course fees and related payments, within one month after the date of suspension, to the CEF course participants who have enrolled in the course. If the course has commenced prior to the date of suspension, the course provider shall continue to run the CEF course until completion. Moreover, on or after the date of suspension, the course provider must not accept new enrolment applications for the course purportedly as a CEF reimbursable course and must not promote it as a CEF reimbursable course. No subsidy will be paid out of the CEF to the participants of the course enrolling on or after the date of suspension."

     The spokesman stressed that the Office of the Continuing Education Fund (OCEF) will continue to monitor CEF courses provided by course providers closely. Apart from authenticating attendance records of learners, assessment results and their claims for reimbursement, it also conducts surprise visits to course providers to ensure that the conditions of approval are fully complied with.

     For enquiries, please contact the OCEF via its hotline (3142 2277), by email (cef_sfo@wfsfaa.gov.hk) or by post (address: Units 07-11, 25/F, CDW Building, 388 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan).