Over 990 locals, 140 companies to benefit from Capability Transfer Programme: Tan See Leng
MORE than 140 companies and over 990 local employees across at least 20 sectors have benefited or are expected to benefit from the Capability Transfer Programme (CTP) since its introduction in October 2017, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng in Parliament on Tuesday (Apr 5).
The top 3 sectors in terms of local trainees are precision engineering, air transport and logistics, he added.
In reply to questions by Members of Parliament Abdul Samad and Saktiandi Supaat, Dr Tan said the CTP provides funding support to companies to acquire global capabilities not available in Singapore, such as through sending locals overseas for training attachments and bringing foreign specialists into the country to train locals in new capabilities.
"Due to travel restrictions arising from Covid-19, take-up of the CTP has been minimal over the past 2 years," the minister added.
Now that international travel is gradually resuming, the government expects more enquiries and applications for CTP, which has been extended to September 2024.
In his speech, he noted that companies are required to submit a training plan on new capabilities to be acquired and the number of local employees who will be trained, to ensure each CTP project leads to "genuine upskilling".
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Companies under CTP are also required to commit to training a specific number of local employees.
But the suggestion that companies reduce their foreign workforce after completing a CTP project would be "too blunt an approach", said Dr Tan.
"Such conditions would penalise companies that are transferring expertise to locals but, at the same time, need to grow their overall workforce, both locals and foreigners, to meet growing demand," he noted.
Dr Tan also noted later that Workforce Singapore, the statutory board that manages CTP, has not received any feedback from companies that the existing support rates or project funding cap of S$300,000 is restrictive, and that the government will continue to monitor the take-up of the scheme.
In addition to CTP, the government supports firms in capability transfer through Enterprise Singapore's Global Ready Talent Programme, which grows a talent pipeline through internships and overseas work opportunities, the minister said.
"MOM is also piloting the Global Rotation Scheme, which facilitates the entry of high-potential employees from abroad, on the condition that these same companies post Singaporeans abroad on the same leadership development programme," he added.
Meanwhile, the minister noted that skills transfer can also take place through other ways, including structured company training programmes, learning on the job and work assignments like overseas postings.
This is reflected in resident employment "growing strongly over the past 10 years", driven by PMET (professionals, managers, executives and technician) jobs that now make up 62.1 per cent of resident workers, compared with 52.7 per cent in 2011, said Dr Tan.
It was previously reported in February 2021 that as of the end of 2020, more than 970 Singaporeans from more than 140 companies had benefited or were expected to benefit from CTP, from 40 projects under the scheme.
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