Nanyang Polytechnic appointed Jobs-Skills Integrator for precision engineering

THE first Jobs-Skills Integrator to be appointed is Nanyang Polytechnic’s (NYP) School of Engineering, said Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang on Tuesday (Feb 28), as she gave further details of the scheme that was announced in Budget 2023.  

NYP will be the integrator for precision engineering, which is one of three pilot sectors. Partners for the other two – retail and wholesale trade – will be announced later.

As an integrator, “NYP will engage companies to understand their manpower and skills needs, and review existing training programmes to meet the needs of the industry”, said Gan during the Ministry of Education’s Committee of Supply debate.

NYP will also work with employment agencies and training providers to enhance placement support for jobseekers.

Gan outlined how NYP can help companies and workers in precision engineering. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can turn to NYP for advice and to find workers; workers can get advisory and training; and jobseekers can be connected with employment agencies and potential employers.

Separately, a new Workplace Skills Recognition Programme aims to help SMEs build workplace learning capabilities. This is being piloted by the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning, in partnership with the National Trades Union Congress.

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The programme includes a Workplace Learning:READY mark, to certify companies with basic capabilities in workplace learning. When SMEs attain this mark, their workers can get Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) certification without having to attend external WSQ courses, once they are assessed to have acquired the necessary skills on the job.

Noting that workers and companies in progressive wage model sectors can “benefit significantly” from this initiative, Gan said that it will be piloted in two such sectors: retail and food services. By getting relevant WSQ certifications, workers under the PWM framework can qualify for future promotion.