FEMALE WORKERS (Plans to upgrade skills)

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Trade and Industry what plans are being implemented to upgrade the skills of female workers.

Mr Dhanabalan: Mr Speaker, Sir, to remain competitive, Singaporean workers must continually learn new skills and upgrade themselves. Female workers form 40% of our workforce, and are no exception. A wide range of courses such as BEST (Basic Education for Skills Training), WISE (Work Improvement through Secondary Education) and MOST (Modular Skills Training) are available to train workers at the Institute of Technical Education, the National Productivity Board as well as in many private sector schools.

These courses meet the training needs of our female workers. A recent survey by the National Productivity Board shows that the participation rate of female workers in training programmes is higher than that for male workers. In 1991, 44% of our female workers participated in on-the-job training, and 32% undertook off-the-job training, as compared to 40% and 30% respectively for males.

We will continue to provide more training opportunities and in greater varieties for all workers. This is because workers face different demands on their time, such as commitment to their families and also work schedules.

We have introduced the Fast Forward Programme, a video-based training programme by NPB, which provides the flexibility for workers to learn at home.