Registration of Real Estate Salespersons on Basis of Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Since 2020

Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for National Development since 2020, how many real estate salespersons have been registered on the basis of the Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) assessment in lieu of having four GCE "O" Level passes, broken down by decade of age.

Mr Desmond Lee: Individuals who wish to register as real estate salespersons (RESs) are required to fulfil the registration criteria, which include having a minimum of four GCE “O” Level passes or the equivalent as determined by the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA). This is to ensure that RESs have basic literacy skills to understand the laws and procedures on property transactions and are hence able to provide accurate advice to their clients to safeguard consumer interests.

Individuals without the relevant educational qualifications can take the Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) assessment by registering with the British Council. The assessment is highly subsidised for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents and can also be paid for using SkillsFuture Credits. CEA accepts a grading of Level 5 and above for the WPLN assessment in lieu of the four GCE “O” Level passes.

In 2020 and 2021, a total of 227 applicants who successfully registered as new RESs fulfilled the educational qualifications criteria based on their WPLN assessments. The breakdown by decade of age is provided in the table below: