More diverse courses to be offered by labor bureau

A wider choice of training courses and up to 10,000 more places will be added to the subsidized training program in its upcoming phase, Cheung Wai, head of the Vocational Training Department of the Labor Affairs Bureau, disclosed yesterday.
The next phase of the subsidized training program, initiated by the government in response to the beleaguered employment market, will cater to those who are currently employed.
Further updates will be made to the program, following demands from the market. For the time being, the bureau intends to run language and hospitality courses, among other programs.
The update was deemed necessary as the bureau has experienced demand from employees who also have time for additional training. The current phase is focused on upskilling those who are currently unemployed.
Cheung disclosed that in the first three phases of the subsidized training program, there have been 96 courses, 88 of which have already commenced, taking in more than 1,600 students.
As of the end of last month, nearly 1,000 students have concluded their training, 400 of whom have successfully gained a new job.
The second Macau Integrated Tourism and Leisure Occupational Skills Competition will return on July 29 after being delayed for several months due to the pandemic. The competition will take place at JW Marriott Hotel Macau, as announced yesterday by the organizer, the Macao Federation of Trade Unions.
The skills competition will focus on gaming and entertainment, hotel services, and culinary skills, as these are elements that are already in demand in the SAR.
This year, the organizer has also added exhibitions to the event for showcasing companies’ features to the public.
The Federation noted that this year’s competition, as in the previous year, is supported by the city’s six gaming concessionaires: Sands China, Wynn Macau, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited, Galaxy Entertainment Group, MGM China and Sociedade de Jogos de Macau. AL