Nearly 10,000 enrolled in SGUnited programmes since July

Janice Heng

Published Tue, Feb 9, 2021 · 04:20 PM

AS at Dec 31, close to 10,000 people have enrolled in SGUnited programmes: 7,200 under the SGUnited Skills Programme, and 2,600 under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme, according to a SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) statement on Tuesday.

Both programmes are part of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, launched in July in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. High enrolment was reported in particular by sectors such as ICT (information and communications technologies) and media, professional services, manufacturing and healthcare, said SSG.

When first launched, the SGUnited Skills Programme was expected to provide up to 30,000 training opportunities, and the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme was to provide 14,500 traineeships and training opportunities for mid-career jobseekers.

In 2020, SSG-supported initiatives helped some 540,000 individuals, up from 500,000 in 2019. The number of enterprises benefiting stayed steady, at 14,000.

More than 188,000 Singaporeans used their SkillsFuture Credit in 2020, up from about 156,000 in 2019.

But SkillsFuture Work-Study programmes saw a decrease in participation, with 590 companies providing 1,700 placements, down from 600 companies and 2,200 individuals in 2019.

A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU

Friday, 8.30 am

SGSME

Get updates on Singapore's SME community, along with profiles, news and tips.

Amid the pandemic, SSG rolled out the Enhanced Training Support Package (ETSP) in March for enterprises in eight severely affected sectors, providing enhanced absentee payroll support and enhanced course fee subsidies.

As at December, about 155,000 training places had been taken up, benefiting more than 72,000 employees across 1,300 enterprises.

In particular, the air transport sector took up 59,000 training places, while the tourism sector took up 44,000 training places. Skills learnt with ETSP support included data analytics, digital commerce, customer service, as well as soft skills in communication and adapting to change.