Hong Kong will partner with major technology firms to launch an AI training programme for the labour force in November as part of a government drive to equip workers with new skills, the city’s finance chief has said.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also said on Sunday the separate HK$50 million (US$6.4 million) “AI for All” push announced in February would feature more than 200 activities and was expected to benefit 50,000 people within two years.

Writing in his weekly blog, Chan noted the training programme would be carried out by the Employees Retraining Board

“The Employees Retraining Board will work with major tech enterprises to roll out AI courses in November to the employed population,” he said.

The board, which coordinates and funds market-oriented training courses, will be renamed Upskill Hong Kong as part of a revamp to promote continuous learning and skill improvement across the workforce.

“The development and application of frontier technology will pose challenges to the job market. We must speed up our response, helping young people master the skills and giving them opportunities to apply them in the workplace,” he said.