Some 4,114 middle-aged residents have participated in career training courses in Macao, a region with a population of 500,000, local media reported Friday.

The Macao Post Daily quoted Shuen Ka Hung, director of the Labor Affairs Bureau, as saying that the trainees showed great interest in enhancing their knowledge and skills when participating in the 147 courses launched by the bureau in 2006.

The bureau is to start three more certificate courses in May, covering knowledge of basic English, the training of taxi drivers and a special course for "assistant enterprise trainers," the official was cited by the newspaper.

The region has a labor force of around 230,000.

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2007)