WDA allocates another $28 million to help local PMETs reskill

To help more professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) in Singapore reskill for career switches and new job roles, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) has set aside an additional $28 million.

Aiming to bring the total number of PMETs assisted to above 10,000 by 2018, the WDA announced in a press release that this additional funding will help expand the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) from 10 to 20 sectors spanning social to economic, domestic to export-oriented, high-tech to high-touch.

On 14 June 2016, the WDA launched four new PCPs in the retail, food services, MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) and event sectors bringing the number of PCPs to 31 PCPs in 14 sectors.

Over the next few months, the WDA plans to offer more PCPs in sectors such as logistics, wholesale international trading, public transport, aerospace, and assembly and test.

Ng Cher Pong, chief executive of WDA, said: “Amid softer economic conditions and as the economy restructures, the overall employment situation will become more challenging this year. Under the recently announced Adapt and Grow initiative, WDA is intensifying its employment facilitation efforts to help displaced individuals, especially PMETs, reskill and upgrade to take on quality jobs created.”

“Between January and May, we have helped place 8,000 job seekers. This is more than the number of job seekers we placed in the same period last year. We will continue to work closely with employers who are still actively recruiting to mount Professional Conversion Programmes to build up their talent pipeline.”

More about the PCPs

Implemented by the WDA under the Adapt and Grow initiative to help Singaporeans adapt to changing job demands and grow their skills, the PCPs aim to reskill PMETs for career switches and new job roles.

“This year, WDA has intensified efforts in employment facilitation, in view of the projected increase in demand for such services among job-seekers,” the press release stated.

In line with that, more career fairs and career preparatory workshops will be organised in the coming months, with particular emphasis on activities targeted at PMETs.

“WDA is working closely with community partners and trade associations to increase the number of community job fairs, career preparatory workshops, industry-focused career fairs and career learning journeys to hiring companies. On average, there will be at least one career event every day for Singaporeans to tap on to reskill, switch careers or to take on new jobs,” the press release added.

From 8 to 28 June 2016, WDA will organise the first of a quarterly set of Adapt and Grow Career Series consisting of thirty events lined up over the three weeks.

“Through these activities, job seekers can explore 3,000 job vacancies, ranging from operational, technical, executive to management levels in sectors such as early childhood, food services, hotel, infocomm, logistics, manufacturing, MICE and events, public transport and security.  Forty per cent of the jobs offered are targeted at PMETs,” the press release stated.

Source: HumanResources