Efforts to improve upskilling support for workers to foster career growth
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has urged the government to enhance support for workers’ upskilling, including training allowances for those pursuing “deep skilling” and expanding subsidies for second-degree or diploma courses. During its inaugural Company Training Committee Symposium, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng emphasized the importance of supporting workers’ career development, particularly mid-career workers who face challenges such as limited financial resources and insufficient time to attend training.
NTUC’s findings from its #EveryWorkerMatters exercise, which engaged over 40,000 workers, highlighted a decline in training participation with age, and four key barriers faced by mid-career workers: financial constraints, unclear course relevance, lack of time, and insufficient employer support.
To address these challenges, NTUC recommended that the government offer training allowances to workers taking longer, more intensive courses to acquire new skills. This support would alleviate the financial burden of training and facilitate career transitions. Furthermore, NTUC proposed expanding the SkillsFuture training ecosystem to include subsidies for second degrees or diplomas, helping workers adapt to emerging sectors or transition careers.
For employers, NTUC encouraged the implementation of skills allowances and the provision of protected time off for workers to attend training. This would ensure that workers, particularly those in operational roles with fewer leave days, can participate in courses without affecting their pay or leave entitlements.
Despite these recommendations, Sim Gim Guan, Executive Director of the Singapore National Employers Federation, noted that businesses are already operating under challenging conditions and emphasized the need for training programs that directly contribute to productivity.
The Ministry of Manpower has acknowledged NTUC’s recommendations and will review them as part of the ongoing evaluation of manpower policies. The final report of the Forward Singapore exercise is expected to include more details later this year.
