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SINGAPORE: Around 18,000 training places have been committed under SGUnited’s jobs and skills package, meaning that training providers have agreed to offer them, Education Minister Lawrence Wong said on Tuesday (September 22).
Mr Wong said this shows that the Government is “on track” to meet its goal of having 30,000 training places available under the program this year. The program is part of Singapore’s strategy to address the weakness of the labor market.
Almost 15,000 people have signed up for these courses so far, Wong said. He added that most of the interest “not surprising” has been in areas such as information and communications technology.
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“My message to everyone in the middle of their careers (job seekers) is to stay positive. The government will provide the maximum support to all those looking for work, ”he said.
“And as long as our mid-career students have the right mindset to want to continue improving and improving their skills, we will do our part to provide the support that is necessary to get the relevant training and be in a good position to land a job when economy recovers, “he added.
Mr. Wong spoke at the launch of a new emerging technologies training program for mid-career professionals.
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The six-month full-time program, titled “i.am-vitalize,” is run by tech giant IBM under its IBM Skills Academy, and allows participants to select between an artificial intelligence or cybersecurity track.
There are 800 spots available from now until March next year, though IBM said they won’t turn anyone away if the quota is exceeded, and more than 400 people have signed up so far since the apps opened a month and a half ago.
After government subsidies, the course costs S $ 500, which can be offset with credits from SkillsFuture. Participants receive a monthly training grant of S $ 1,500.
Students go through a set of introductory modules for the first two and a half months, before specializing in artificial intelligence or cybersecurity, according to a press release from IBM and SkillsFuture Singapore.
The classes, which began on Monday and have been held practically until now, are a mixture of lectures, laboratory sessions and group work.
IBM is working with other companies like Tribe Accelerator and Standard Chartered to provide jobs to participants after completing the program.
Charlotte Thng, Standard Chartered’s director of human resources for Singapore, Australia, Asia and South Asia, said the program’s curriculum provides students with the kinds of skills the bank has been looking for. She added that the bank plans to hire about 20 of the program’s graduates, and possibly more “if that works out well.”
IBM has also not ruled out hiring some of the graduates, said Martin Chee, managing director of IBM Singapore.
“I think these students will have something special to add, not just technology, but they will have experience that they will bring with them to support them and help them become much more employable,” he said, referring to how the students come from backgrounds like marketing. and business.
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One of them is Genevieve Gay, who was previously a Marketing Executive at OCBC Bank before leaving to take a hiatus in 2018. She said she joined the program to ensure she is prepared for a future where many jobs will require digital expertise.
And it was a good time to sign up given the difficulty of looking for work now, he added.
“(Taking this course) is really advancing my career to the next step,” he said.
“And I was (thinking), ‘Okay, so how can I prepare for the long-term future?’ Because I already know digital marketing, so what other digital skills can I learn to enrich myself? ”.
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