09/02/2021
540,000 Individuals And 14,000 Enterprises Benefited From SSG-Supported Programmes in 2020
SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG)-supported initiatives have widened their
reach in 2020, with about 540,000 individuals and 14,000 enterprises
benefitting from its programmes, as compared to 500,000 individuals and
14,000 enterprises in 2019.
According to survey results from the Training Quality and Outcomes
Measurement system, SSG-funded training continued to receive positive
response. About 87% of the 57,000 trainees surveyed in 2020 indicated
that they were able to perform their work better after undergoing
SSG-funded training, a slight improvement from 86% in 2019.
Despite restrictions to in-person learning and the shift towards online
training, the training participation rate for the resident labour force
aged 15 to 64 remained similar to 2019 at 49% (as reflected in the
Ministry of Manpower Labour Force Report 20201). The report
noted that 61% of employed trainees felt that “training had become more
important in view of the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market”. It
also reported that “training had better prepared them for emerging
changes”, with 80% of employed trainees indicating that “their skillsets
enabled them to thrive or cope with the changes that will emerge post
COVID-19”
SSG’s measures in response to COVID-19
SSG’s efforts over the years to build up a robust and sizable Continuing
Education and Training ecosystem have enabled us to respond rapidly to
the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and enterprises. New measures were
quickly implemented, and existing initiatives were rapidly adjusted to
support individuals and enterprises affected by the pandemic.
SSG launched the SGUnited Skills Programme and the company training
track under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme as part of the
national SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package in Jul 2020. Both programmes
aim to provide individuals with training opportunities to upskill
themselves and enhance their employability for transition to new careers
or roles that emerge in the job market. As of 31 Dec 2020, about 9,800
individuals had enrolled into these programmes, comprising 7,200 under
the SGUnited Skills Programme and 2,600 under the company training track
of the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme. In particular, sectors
in ICT and Media, Professional Services, Manufacturing and Healthcare
reported high enrolment.
Enterprises in severely affected sectors also received aid through the
Enhanced Training Support Package (ETSP), which was rolled out in Mar
2020 to provide enhanced absentee payroll support and enhanced course
fee subsidies for eight sectors2. As of Dec 2020, about
155,000 training places had been taken up, benefitting more than 72,000
employees across 1,300 enterprises. Sectors such as Air Transport and
Tourism saw strong take-ups, with more than 59,000 training places and
44,000 training places filled respectively. Some of the skills that
employees had taken up under ETSP include data analytics, digital
commerce, customer service, as well as other soft skills in
communication and adapting to change.
Continuing the long-term focus on the next bound of SkillsFuture
Even as we continue our support measures in response to the
COVID-19-related economic downturn, we remain focused on our long-term
plan of strengthening the skills ecosystem to support individuals and
enterprises. More than 188,000 Singaporeans utilised their SkillsFuture
Credit in 2020, an increase from about 156,000 Singaporeans in 2019.
The Skills and Training Advisory services were introduced in Jul 2020,
providing one-to-one customised support to individuals on their learning
and upskilling needs. Over 5,700 individuals benefitted from the
consultation services, and were referred to suitable courses that met
their training needs. Some 95% of survey respondents indicated that they
were satisfied with the services, with 91% agreeing that they were
clearer and more confident in making training decisions. This initiative
complements the one-to-many SkillsFuture Advice workshops conducted in
the heartlands to help residents chart their learning journey. The
SkillsFuture Advice workshops served about 22,000 individuals in 2020,
as compared to over 54,000 individuals in 2019.
Enterprises especially SMEs, form part of the key focus groups under the
next bound of SkillsFuture. Since the introduction of the National
Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning (NACE), about 180
enterprises have embarked annually on programmes and implemented
workplace learning processes. Additionally, about 250 enterprises
benefitted from the SkillsFuture Queen Bee partnerships in 2020, tapping
on the expertise and knowledge of anchor companies to enhance their
employee skills development and workplace learning capabilities. About
3,400 enterprises have sent their employees for training in courses
under SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit.
The SkillsFuture Work-Study programmes, which provide more educational
pathways for students from the Institute of Technical Education,
Polytechnics and Autonomous Universities, continue to see strong
participation. Despite the economic downturn, 590 companies participated
in the programmes in 2020, providing placements for about 1,700
individuals to gain valuable work and industry experience while pursuing
academic and work qualifications. About 600 companies and 2,200
individuals participated in the programme in 2019.
Individuals continue to take up training in technology-related areas
In 2020, enrolment for courses remained strong for priority and emerging
skills in areas such as data analytics, digital media, entrepreneurship
and tech-enabled services. More than 36,000 individuals took courses
under the SkillsFuture Series, from 37,000 in 2019. Popular SkillsFuture
Series courses include “Artificial Intelligence for Everyone – A
Practical Experience”, “Data Analytics Begins With Me”, “Digital
Marketer Essentials”, “NICF - Certified ScrumMaster” and “Robotic
Process Automation”. Additionally, about 37,000 individuals participated
in the SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace programme in 2020, as
compared to about 36,000 in 2019.
Combating fraud and abuse
Even as SSG rolled out new initiatives to respond to the pandemic, we
ensured that necessary measures continued to be in place against fraud
and abuse of SSG funding. We strengthened in-house systems, processes
and capabilities to combat fraud and abuse of SSG funding, leveraging
risk mitigation strategies and technologies, such as anomaly detection
and fraud analytics tools. In 2020, SSG took actions against 38 training
providers and companies who abused SSG’s funding or breached our terms
and conditions. One such case is elaborated below:
• A debarred shareholder of a suspended training provider
tried to circumvent his ineligibility for SSG funding by playing the
role of a “shadow” shareholder to two other training providers to access
SSG’s funding. Upon the conclusion of investigations, SSG terminated
its contracts with the two training providers and barred them from
funding access.
Mr Ong Tze-Ch’in, Chief Executive of SSG, said: “2020 was a challenging
year for SkillsFuture Singapore. Beyond rolling out the Next Bound of
SkillsFuture, we had to rapidly respond to the economic impact of
COVID-19 to support Singaporeans and Singapore-based employers. I am
encouraged by the fact that we continued to make steady progress in our
reach in 2020, with 540,000 individuals and 14,000 companies tapping on
SSG’s support. As we look ahead to 2021, SSG will continue to support
individuals, focusing on unemployed jobseekers, and employers,
especially those in affected sectors. We will work with our training
providers, SkillsFuture Queen Bees, industry and community partners to
increase the accessibility and relevance of training for Singaporeans
and for Singapore.”
1 Ministry of Manpower Labour Force Report 2020. Released on 28 Jan 2021
https://stats.mom.gov.sg/iMAS_PdfLibrary/mrsd_2020LabourForce_survey_findings.pdf
2 Eight sectors are Aerospace, Air Transport, Arts & Culture, Food Services, Land Transport, Marine & Offshore, Retail and Tourism
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