Fortitude Budget: 4,000 traineeships for unemployed mid-career individuals

UNEMPLOYED mid-career individuals in Singapore will be able to learn new skills and embark on new careers by taking on traineeships.

Government agencies will work with interested companies to provide 4,000 such places for these job seekers under a new SGUnited Mid-Career Traineeships scheme, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced on Tuesday in Parliament.

"We understand that many are worried about their job prospects," he added.

Trainees can gain industry-relevant experience, and may be placed in jobs with their host companies at the end of their traineeships.

Workforce Singapore will scale up its Attach-and-Train programmes to provide meaningful traineeship opportunities targeted at mid-career individuals, Mr Heng said.

As for first-time job seekers, the government will more than double the provision under the previously announced SGUnited Traineeships programme. It now aims to create 21,000 traineeship positions this year.

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Under the SGUnited Traineeships programme, Workforce Singapore funds 12 months' worth of training allowances for local first-time job applicants.

There has been strong interest in this programme from more than a thousand host companies, and the public sector is also keen to offer new traineeship opportunities, Mr Heng said on Tuesday.

"To support our technology and innovation drive, these traineeships will include tech-related areas that are in high demand or emerging rapidly," he added.

For instance, DSTA will offer diploma holders the opportunity to build skills in IT and engineering.

Agencies in the research and development sector - including universities, A*Star research institutes, AI Singapore and SGInnovate - will also work with local deep-tech companies and startups so that trainees can work with industry partners on real-world science and technology projects. These will include software learning and artificial intelligence.

Places under the SGUnited Traineeships programme will be progressively offered from June 1, 2020, as announced earlier by the Ministry of Manpower.

In total, the government is targeting to create about 25,000 traineeship positions this year, comprising the 21,000 for first-time job seekers and 4,000 places for mid-career individuals.

Traineeships are one component of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package that Mr Heng unveiled in Parliament as part of the fourth round of support measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package will create close to 100,000 opportunities - comprising some 40,000 jobs, 25,000 traineeships and 30,000 in skills training.