In the recently announced Budget 2021, Singapore’s Minister for Finance Mr Heng Swee Keat announced plans to extend the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package into March 2022.
An additional $5.4 billion has been allocated for a second tranche of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, which was on top of the $3 billion allocated for 2020. Part of this budget would be used to extend the SGUnited Skills and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme.
For those who are still struggling to find a job, or who have just found yourself unemployed, here’s an overview of what SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP) Programme are, and how you can make use of them to regain employment, or even better, switch to another career that is in-demand.
What Are The SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP) Programme?
For the most part, SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP) Programme are similar to each other.
According to SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), they are full time, certifiable training lasting from 6 to 12 months to help mid-career professionals who are affected by the pandemic to switch to an industry that is less affected by the pandemic and, more importantly, is expected to grow after the pandemic.
Therefore, most of the training under SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP) Programme are in sectors like the Infocomm, Healthcare and Logistics.
If you’re interested to know more about these up and coming sectors, check out my other post on industries that have high job vacancies in 2021.
Sorting Out The SGUnited Programmes
As someone who keeps track of SSG’s initiatives, I admit I sometimes got confused by the different schemes and programmes rolled out, much less the 1-year-old SGUnited programmes. However, I bit the bullet and browsed the sites of SSG and WSG, to come up with a simplification of the initiatives under the SGUnited umbrella.
That being said, the differences between the initiatives are not clear cut.
Take the “Company Attachments” under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways for example. It is also referenced under the SGUnited Jobs, simply because it is also one of the ways to help Singaporeans (mid-career professionals in this case) to acquire jobs for the long term, via attachment. It is very much like the mid-career version of the SGUnited Traineeships for fresh graduates.
What Are The Differences Between SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP) Programme?
SGUS and SGUP are basically the same programmes being offered by different training providers, consisting of certifiable courses and, where applicable, industrial attachments.
The SGUS programmes are offered by Institutes of Higher Learning (i.e. Universities, Polytechnics and ITEs) and Continuing Education Training (CET) Centres, while SGUP comprise courses delivered by reputable companies.
If you scrutinise the list of SGUS and SGUP training, you would realise SGUS focuses more on niche and “future” (or “emerging” SSG’s terminology) job roles, while SGUP focuses more on existing jobs that are short on manpower.
I have listed an overview of the 2 types of programmes in the table below.
| Items | SGUnited Skills (SGUS) | SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP) |
|---|---|---|
| Target Audience | Mid-career working persons | Mid-career working persons |
| Cost | $500 – $1,000 (depending on duration of training) | $500 – $1,000 (depending on duration of training) |
| Payment | Payable with SkillsFuture Credit | Payable with SkillsFuture Credit |
| Duration of Training | 6 – 12 months | 6 – 12 months |
| Training Providers | Institutes of Higher Learning / SSG-accredited Continuing Education and Training Centres | Reputable companies |
| Focus Areas | Skills in emerging areas | Current in-demand skills |
| Training Allowance | $1,200 | $1,500 |
What Is Updated for 2021?
A quick search through the SSG and WSG websites returned some broad descriptions of the updates for the SGUnited Skills, and Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training.
SGUS and SGUP To Be Extended to March 2022
For one, the SGUS and SGUP has been extended till March 2022. Under the previous iteration, the last of the SGUS and SGUP programmes were expected to commence before end of March 2021. When SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package was first rolled out, it was generally assumed that the pandemic would taper off nearer to the end of 2020, with the economy rolling into recovery by end-2021 – in time for the last of the SGUS and SGUP graduates to return to the job market.
The extension of the SGUS and SGUP into end of financial year 2021 was also in line with the general expectation that the economy would only start to recover in 2022.
When I first published my series of posts on SGUnited Skills and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training, I received feedback that the programmes I had recommended had long waiting lists; some readers even told me they were only rejected from the training about 4 months from application. While it was heartening to know that many people believed in the benefits of SGUS and SGUP programmes, I was also concerned about how limited the reach of these programmes were.
In my earlier post looking at the numbers of SGUnited Skills and Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training programmes, I estimated that the 189 programmes available in end Sep 2020 could absorb about 3,780 jobseekers. As at 1 March 2021, there were 236 such programmes, offering close to 5,000 training seats. However, this number is still low compared to the 112,000 people unemployed, as announced by MOM at the close of 2020.
Therefore, the announcement that more SGUS and SGUP programmes will be coming in 2021 is good news for the thousands of jobseekers who were shut out of these training in the past 6 months.
Read More: What’s in store for jobseekers in 2021 under the SGUnited scheme?
The first tranche of SGUS and SGUP programmes absorbed around 5,000 jobseekers, benefitting just 5% the 112,000 number of unemployed persons as at end of 2020. An extension of the SGUnited programmes will expand the reach of the already successful programmes.
Course Duration Will Be Condensed
Another new “feature” of the SGUS and SGUP programmes to be rolled out in 2021 is that the “course duration will be condensed”.
This “government speak” may be too ambiguous for many, but it did speak plenty.
For one, after rolling out 200 over SGUS and SGUP programmes, which were the first of its kind, the training providers would have figured out ways to deliver the training better, or to schedule the different components of attachments/labs/talks in a more streamlined way.
At the same time, Singapore’s economy is in a very unique position. Yes, there were plenty of people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic. However, as I had pointed out in my other post analysing the industries that are actively recruiting through the pandemic, there are industries that are not only barely affected by the pandemic, they have faced labour shortage before and throughout the downturn. These are also the industries expected to take off when the economy recovers.
In other words, even in the thick of the downturn, there are still industries, both in the high tech and low tech sectors, that need skilled labour. A more condensed SGUS and SGUP programme will ensure that these industries can tap on these re-skilled talents in a shorter time. This, in turn, will translate into helping these companies be better prepared for when the ecoomy turns around.
Even in the thick of the downturn, there are still industries, both in the high tech and low tech sectors, that need skilled labour. A condensed SGUS and SGUP re-skill talents for these sectors in a more expeditious manner.
Who Are SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP) Programme For?
The SGUS and SGUP are for mid-career individuals who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
In case you are wondering if you qualify for SGUS or SGUP, no one will do a background check to verify if you really were retrenched due to the pandemic, or if you left the company on your own accord.
Also, one does not need to be over 40 years old in order to qualify as a mid-career person. On the other hand, you can’t be a fresh graduate; the SGUnited Traineeship was developed specially for people who just graduated from an Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) from 2019 to 2021.
As mentioned earlier, SGUS focuses more on “future” job roles, while SGUP focuses on existing in demand jobs. Therefore, the interview for the former tends to zoom in on your intent and ability to switch a career, while the latter tends to look at whether you already had some form of past learning or work experience related to the training.
For example, I have an Electrical Engineering degree, even though I had not worked in a related field for the past 12 years. Therefore, compared to someone with an English Literature background, I would have better chances of being accepted into an SGUP training for Robotic Process Automation as I completed some programming modules back in the University.
What Are The Fees For SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP)?
No matter which of the SGUS or SGUP programme you are enrolled into, the fee structure is the same.
Most SGUS/SGUP training lasts for 6 months and cost $500. A 12-month training would cost $1,00 while a programme that lasts for 9 months cost $750. Training programmes that fall out of these “nice” duration of training are few, though the last I checked, they also followed the same cost structure.
Payment Through SkillsFuture Credit
Similarly, all SGUS and SGUP training fees can be paid for using our SkillsFuture Credits.
As announced in Budget 2020, all Singaporeans above 25 years old will receive a second tranche of $500 SkillsFuture Credits on 1 October 2020. This was on top of the $500 SkillsFuture Credits that were disbursed in 2016.
Additionally, Singaporeans above 40 years old will receive another $500 in SkillsFuture Credits. This means that if you are above 40 years old, you would have received $1,500 in SkillsFuture Credits to help in your reskilling and training.
| Time of Disbursement | Singaporeans and PRs Aged 25 to 39 Years old | Singaporeans and PRs Above 40 Years old |
|---|---|---|
| First Tranche in 2016 | $500 | $500 |
| Second Tranche 2020 | $500 | $500 |
| Additional in 2020 | NA | $500 |
| Total | $1,000 | $1,500 |
With the typical SGUS and SGUP training fees between $500 – $1,000, it is possible to use your SkillsFuture Credits to offset your training fees, without forking out a single cent!
Training Allowance
Another main difference between SGUS and SGUP would be the training allowance.
Training what?
Yes, learners of SGUS and SGUP would receive training allowance, so that you can focus on your full time training and need not worry about not having enough money to feed yourself.
For SGUS, you would receive a monthly training allowance of $1,200.
For SGUP, you would receive a monthly training allowance of $1,500.
Read More: Why I Applied for SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training: Pros and Cons of Enrolling into a SGUnited Skills or SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training Programme.
What If I Find A Job Before The Training Ends?
As the SGUS and SGUP are full time training programmes, participants are not allowed to partake in full time jobs. As such, the lucky ones who find a job before completing the training will have to quit the programme.
However, there is no need to return the training allowance received thus far. Instead, the training provider will refund the unused portion of training fees to learners.
Where Do I Register For SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP) Programme?
You can search for available SGUS and SGUP programmes on SkillsFuture Singapore’s course directory. I have also written a post on how to search for these programmmes and analysed which are the best SGUS and SGUP programmes to enroll into for 2021.
You can also find out what skills are in demand for 2021 and beyond, before you embark on your search for the ideal SGUS/SGUP training.
Parting Words
While we generally expect the pandemic situation to improve in 2021, it would take more time before we return to pre-Covid normal times. Therefore, if you have lost your job due to the pandemic, you can spend some time, 6 to 9 months, on a full time training for a career in an industry that has better prospects.
SGUnited Skills (SGUS) and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways – Company Training (SGUP) Programmes do just that. You can receive training to prepare for a career in an industry which is less affected by the downturn, or is expected to see huge growth in the future. These are the skills that would help you stay on a job despite the downturns.
With affordable course fees that could be offset by SkillsFuture Credits, and a monthly training allowance of $1,200 – $1,500, this would be a great investment for your future job security.
If you find this post useful, do Like and Share it on your social media.
In fact, I hope this post can help inspire you to look at other ways to determine which SGUS programme is suitable for you. If you still feel lost, take a career interest assessment found on MySkillsFuture portal to help you find your bearings. You can also read about the ways you can make use of MySkillsFuture to manage your career in my other post, or how you can make use of Skills Passport to give your job search a boost.
Till then, stay curious and resilient!
Sources:
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