SPUR SCHEME

SPUR SCHEME: **

(Extension to taxi operators and tour guides): **

38.

Mr Yeo Guat Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower if he will consider extending the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) scheme to taxi operators and tour guides who are self-employed.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: Most Government-funded Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes were previously only employer-based. However, over the past few years, MOM and WDA have opened up more avenues for individuals including self-employed to directly access Government-subsidised CET programmes, so workers need not be sponsored by an employer in order to go for training.

Today, an individual can walk into any of the 45 CET Centres to enrol in a wide range of Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) training courses, all of which receive up to 90% course fee subsidy. Likewise, many SPUR programmes at the CET Centres, Polytechnics and ITEs are open to individuals, including workers unable to get company sponsorship for their training, as well as the unemployed and self-employed. As of end Jun 09, there were about 49,000 individuals who had signed up for SPUR training on their own, or close to one-third of the total committed training numbers under SPUR, have done so. I encourage more Singaporeans to follow the example of these individuals.

There are already several generic SPUR courses relevant to taxi drivers and tour guides. For example, they can hone their service skills through WSQ Service Excellence training or improve their English language skills through Employment Skills Systems (ESS) training at CET Centres.

Tour guides can sign up for the WSQ Tourist Guide Course, which is a pre-requisite for their tourist guide licence. They can also attend other professional development courses, including WSQ Tourism courses at the Certificate, Advanced Certificate and Diploma levels available at the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS). All these courses are under SPUR and eligible for 90% subsidy of the course fees. To date, close to 240 tour guides have attended these courses.

WDA had been working with the Singapore Taxi Academy (STA) and the taxi companies over the past two years to train new taxi drivers who are entering the sector, through the Taxi Vocational Licence course. About 2,900 taxi drivers were trained under this programme funded by WDA. WDA is also working closely with the STA to develop customised programmes to improve the language and service skills of taxi drivers. These programmes will also receive 90% course fee subsidy under SPUR.

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