Mid-career allowance for part-time courses applies to transition programme, full qualifications up to undergrad degree
S$400 million has also been allocated for the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package, comprising previously announced moves
THE Mid-Career Training Allowance for part-time courses will be available for the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme and full qualifications at institutes of higher learning, up to the undergraduate degree level.
It will also apply to micro-credentials that are stacked to these full qualifications, said Minister of State for Education Gan Siow Huang at the ministry’s Committee of Supply debate on Thursday (Mar 6).
“While some learners would hope for a broader set of courses to be eligible, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has to strike a balance between flexibility and prudent use of public funds,” said Terence Ho, deputy executive director, Institute for Adult Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences. (*see amendment note)
The programmes chosen are those with “greater assurance of quality and relevance”, he added.
Employers generally prefer staff to attend bite-size courses, which minimise disruption to business, said Ang Yuit, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (Asme).
Part of the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme, the allowance is for mid-career Singaporean workers aged 40 and above. Its expansion to part-time courses, from next year, was announced in Budget 2025.
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For part-time training, eligible workers will receive S$300 a month to support expenses such as books and transport. In contrast, the full-time monthly allowance is half the average income of the latest 12 months, capped at S$3,000.
Part-time participants still draw an income, so there is less need to partially offset lost income, said an MOE spokesperson.
Applications for the full-time allowance open on Mar 10, for eligible training from Apr 1. Each worker may tap the part-time and full-time allowances up to a shared lifetime cap of 24 months.
“(The enhancement) will give workers more flexibility to choose between part-time or full-time training depending on their specific needs and personal circumstances,” said Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing.
Asme’s Ang pointed out that employees are more attractive when they build up career experience and qualifications in parallel, as both are important.
Derrick Teo, chief executive of human resource solutions provider Elitez Group, noted that the flexibility and financial support are welcome, but uptake may be limited if workers do not “see clear pathways from training to better roles, higher salaries or career mobility”.
The real test is whether workers see credentials as valuable and recognised in hiring and promotion decisions, he said, adding that an industrywide skills validation framework may be needed to ensure that these credentials “hold real weight in the job market”.
Freelancers can receive these allowances too, said Gan, who also shared updates on the SkillsFuture movement.
In 2024, more than 24,000 employers participated in training supported by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), doubling from around 12,000 in 2018. The majority were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
In the last three years, SSG disbursed about S$440 million annually in course-fee subsidies, of which more than 40 per cent went to trainees sponsored by employers.
Funding redesigns
Separately, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said in his ministry’s debate that S$400 million has been allocated to an Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package comprising three moves from Budget 2025.
One is the SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant, which condenses schemes administered by Workforce Singapore and SSG and simplifies the application process.
Another is a higher 70 per cent funding support level for job redesign, up from 50 per cent. The government will also review and raise the S$30,000 cap, said Dr Tan.
As some companies – especially SMEs – may need more support to address disruptions such as artificial intelligence (AI), the scope of coverage for job redesign expenses will be expanded beyond consultancy services.
It will include equipping line managers and human resources with job redesign and change-management skills, and identifying workforce solutions and AI tools.
Finally, the package includes the revamp of the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit into an “online wallet” system, which improves cash flow compared with the current reimbursement approach.
Wider access to education
The debate on MOE’s budget covered other developments in adult learning. The new campus of the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) – which caters to working adults with short courses and classes after working hours – will be built at the site and vicinity of the former Rochor Centre.
This central location will make it easily accessible, said Chan. SUSS is now spread across multiple rented premises; the consolidated permanent campus is expected to be ready by the mid-2030s.
Separately, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Progression Award, or IPA, will be extended to those taking Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) diplomas.
It is currently for ITE graduates aged 30 and below, who are undertaking eligible diplomas at ITE, polytechnics and other MOE-funded institutions. They receive top-ups to their Post-Secondary Education Account upon enrolment and their Central Provident Fund account upon completion.
By end-March, about S$90 million will have been awarded under the IPA, supporting about 12,000 ITE graduates who enrolled in or completed diplomas in 2024, said Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman. “With this expansion, more than 30 diploma programmes will be eligible for the IPA, on top of the 300 eligible programmes we already have today,” he added.
About 100 ITE graduates aged 30 and below take up WSQ diplomas each year. With the extension, more ITE graduates who are eligible for the IPA might do so, said MOE.
Amendment note: An earlier version of this story used an outdated attribution for Prof Ho. The story has been amended to reflect this.
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