TRAINING COURSES TO UPGRADE TECHNOLOGICAL SKILLS

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Prime Minister what plans are in hand to provide training courses to upgrade the technological skills in the more sophisticated industries as well as to enable workers to acquire higher skills.

The Acting Minister for Social Affairs (Dr Ahmad Mattar) (for the Prime Minister): Mr Speaker, Sir, one of ITB's objectives is to provide the skilled manpower required by manufacturing industries, particularly the new and technologyintensive industries. All ITB courses are therefore structured to provide broad-based practical and theoretical grounding in each trade area so that its graduates can be more readily developed on-the-job as specialised skilled workers to the requirements of each firm.

The latter depends on the foresight and response of industry as well. The Board's Apprenticeship and Placement Division carries out an active programme of visiting firms to discuss their manpower needs. 251 firms were contacted during 1977 and a total of 61 firms currently have apprenticeship programmes with ITB. In addition 12 ad hoc courses were conducted during the year specially tailored to the requirements of firms.

In anticipation of the extending range of sophisticated skills training required, ITB has, at a total cost of $4.4 million, developed new workshops and facilities to provide higher-level training in Instrumentation and Control Mechanics, Automotive Engineering and Plant Mechanics and the Shipbuilding and Repairing trades. The requirements for additional facilities for precision metal engineering and tool and die-making are also being examined. The latter are already being provided for by the three existing Government-Industry Joint Training Centres. Agreement in principle has also been reached with the Japanese Government for another centre for sophisticated electrical and electronics skills training. All the facilities and services of ITB are available to industry at subsidised cost.

The ITB also conducts an extensive range of part-time and day release courses for upgrading workers employed in relevant trades. Currently there are 31 part-time and day release programmes with a total enrolment of 2,021. These courses will be extended as areas of skill upgrading are identified by the Board's 10 Trade Advisory Committees on which Industry is represented.

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): Mr Speaker, Sir, could the Hon. Minister describe the types of apprenticeship schemes? Moreover, since some firms are currently having apprenticeship programmes with ITB, could the Minister also indicate the number of apprentices and type of such apprenticeship that they have?

Dr Ahmad Mattar: Sir, at present ITB conducts three types of apprenticeship training schemes: the Integrated Apprenticeship Scheme, the On-the-Job Training Supplemented by Theoretical Instruction Scheme, and the Direct On-the-Job Training Scheme.

The first scheme consists of two parts. Part I of the scheme is a full-time institutional training at a vocational institute. Part 11 consists of on-the-job training.

Under the scheme, employers are encouraged to recruit apprentices well in advance in anticipation of projected manpower needs and to sponsor them through a period of full-time institutional training prior to on-the-job training. The institutional training period can either be of six months or one year duration. It is possible to tailor the training to meet the requirements of employers. After the period of institutional training, apprentices are normally put through a two-year period of on-the-job training on the shop floor. Such training on the job is to enable the apprentices to learn progressively as he works.

Under the On-the-Job Training Supplemented by Theoretical Instruction Scheme, the apprentices are placed on a two-year on-the-job training supplemented by theoretical instructions provided by employers on part-time day release courses at a vocational institute.

The Direct On-the-Job Training Scheme is for employers who are unable to provide theoretical instructions or release apprentices for part-time or day release courses. They are encouraged to launch this third scheme.

To answer the Member's second supplementary question, there are at the moment 3,537 apprentices currently undergoing training with ITB. Of the 3,537 apprentices in training, 44% are under SASAR (Singapore Association of Shipbuilders and Repairers), 26% are in the Government-industry Joint Training Centres, and 17% in SIA (Singapore Airlines).