SKILLS PROGRAMME FOR UPGRADING AND RESILIENCE (SPUR)

SKILLS PROGRAMME FOR UPGRADING AND RESILIENCE (SPUR):

(Update): 1.

Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the progress on the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR); and (b) whether the Ministry has plans to increase the subsidy for SPUR.

The Minister of State for Manpower (Mr Lee Yi Shyan) (for the:

Minister for Manpower): Sir, the response to SPUR has been very encouraging. As at end of February 2009, over 43,000 workers have been committed for SPUR training. These include about 700 companies who have committed 27,000 workers for training under SPUR. This is an increase from the total number of 20,500 workers just a month ago. Take, for example, Gain City, a well-established consumer electronics and home appliances company with a workforce of about 500 employees. Recently, Gain City sent 21 staff for a sales course at the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS). They found the course very useful as it provided them with relevant tools and approaches for conducting sales and serving their customers. Furthermore, the company was able to claim for Absentee Payroll (AP) which helped to defray the costs during the period when the staff underwent training.

Besides employer-sponsored trainees, about 17,000 individuals have enrolled directly for SPUR training at the Career Centres, CET Centres, ITE and the five local polytechnics. An example is Mdm Mualidayanti, aged 36. She was a production worker until she was retrenched last year. She was referred by the South West CDC for Certified Service Professional

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(CSP) training in February 2009, which gave her the skills and confidence needed to switch to a job in the service industry. She has completed the training and found a job as a Retail Assistant at Popular Pte Ltd. I am pleased to note that she is adjusting well and enjoys her current job.

To achieve the right outcomes for employers and trainees, we have been very selective in expanding the number of courses under SPUR. We select and design SPUR courses to ensure quality and relevance of training so that trainees employability are maximised. SPUR courses, including those for PMETs, are also heavily subsidised at 90%. The principle of co-funding is important as it ensures that individuals and employers are committed to the training and take ownership of outcomes. However, to ease cashflow, course fee payment can be made on a per-module basis. CET Centres also provide deferred payment arrangements. Individuals who still face financial difficulties can approach our Career Centres at the Community Development Councils, or e2i, for assistance on a case-by-case basis. They can also seek assistance from the Self Help Groups (SHGs) which may provide training loans and additional training subsidies for job seekers from low-income families.

Er Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio): Sir, I have one supplementary question. How many of these programmes are suitable for PMETs and how many of these programmes are suitable for those who are retrenched from the construction industry?

Mr Lee Yi Shyan: Sir, the SPUR programmes have been increased from 200 to 800 this year. Out of the 800 courses, there are about 30 courses that are meant for skills-conversion for PMETs. We intend to increase this number to 50 by the end of the year. There are another 220 courses that are suitable for PMETs to upgrade their skills within their existing

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industries. So, the industry-coverage is very wide, from manufacturing to healthcare to logistics and even construction. The Member may be interested to know that for the construction industry, we still need professionals and engineers who have special training in Work and Safety so as to become validation and safety engineers on-site.