CEF Reimbursable Course | Assessment

HKCAAVQ, commissioned by Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB), is responsible for (a) advising LWB on the registration of courses to be included in the list of reimbursable courses under the Continuing Education Fund (CEF), and (b) monitoring the quality of courses after CEF registration, as and when required by LWB.

In June 2002, the Government set up the CEF to encourage adults to pursue further education by providing them with subsidies for continuing education and training, with a view to facilitating Hong Kong’s transition to a knowledge-based economy and adaptation to an increasingly globalised world.

In order to enhance the operation of CEF, a series of enhancement measures applicable to all CEF courses from 1 April 2019 are implemented.

Enhancement Measures

Arrangements before 1 April 2019	Enhancement measures on or after 1 April 2019
*(a) Scope of CEF courses*
Within the eight specified domains of CEF Specification of Competency Standards-based (SCS-based) courses under the Qualifications Register (QR)	All registered courses under the QR, including SCS-based courses, Specification of Generic (Foundation) Competencies-based (SGC-based) courses, and non SCS/SGC-based courses which are divided into 14 classified Areas of Study and Training
*(b) Quality assurance of courses and safeguards to better protect CEF applicants*
QR registration of CEF courses No such requirement before May 2008 Since May 2008, all new CEF courses must be registered under the QR	QR registration of CEF courses CEF courses registered before May 2008 are required to be registered under the QR within a transitional period of four years All new CEF courses must be registered under the QR
Validity period of CEF course registration For courses which have a validity period of QR registration, the validity period of the CEF registration will expire on the end date of their QR validity period For other CEF courses, no expiry date of the CEF registration	Validity period of CEF course registration Every CEF course will have a validity period of four years, or until the expiry of their respective QR registration, whichever is the shorter A more robust documentation checking system is instilled for the renewal procedures
Deterrence of non-compliance with CEF terms and conditions Issuance of warning letters upon infringement of terms and conditions For severe non-compliance, cancellation of course registration or referral to law enforcement agencies for formal investigation	Deterrence of non-compliance with CEF terms and conditions In addition to the existing sanctions, set up a probation list which records course providers that have repeated or serious contraventions of terms and conditions, and publicise the list on CEF’s website

CEF Course Amendment

Course providers are required to seek prior written approval from the Secretary for Labour and Welfare for any change(s) made to the registered course by using the Application Form for Amendment.

Unauthorised change(s) made to the registered course will be considered as non-compliance with the CEF Terms and Conditions, and may lead to de-registration of the course or other regulatory actions. If the course is accredited by HKCAAVQ and the proposed amendment constitutes substantial change to the accreditation status, please seek prior approval from HKCAAVQ before submitting the application for amendment.

Completed application forms and supporting documents should be submitted to HKCAAVQ via the e-Portal. The processing time will normally take 30 calendar days.

Application Form for Amendment

HKCAAVQ e-Portal

CEF Course Registration and Renewal of Registration

Course providers are advised to read the following guides as applicable before submitting their applications to HKCAAVQ for assessment:

Guides	Documents
Guide to Registration, Post-registration and Renewal of Reimbursable Courses under the Continuing Education Fund (operated by Local Self-accrediting Course Providers) (Sep 2023)	PDF
Guide to Registration, Post-registration and Renewal of Reimbursable Courses under the Continuing Education Fund (operated by Non-self-accrediting Course Providers) (Sep 2023)	PDF

Completed application forms and supporting documents should be submitted to HKCAAVQ via the e-Portal. The processing time will normally take between 7 to 30 calendar days.

HKCAAVQ e-Portal

Enquiries

For enquiries about the HKCAAVQ’s assessment service for CEF reimbursable courses, please contact us on 3658 0241 or email to cef@hkcaavq.edu.hk.

ASSESSMENT