If you’ve been following the stories on LabourBeat and U Portal lately, you would have read about things like Industry Transformation Maps and how they herald new opportunities for jobseekers as the industries transform themselves for the better.
Along the way, you would also have read that many industries, such as food and beverage, are in need of staff. Workers, meanwhile, may be attracted to jobs in these high growth industries.
While moving into new job presents fresh opportunities for jobseekers to embark on new careers, the transition can be daunting, especially when there are skills gaps, and uncertainty of the unknown. They could consider training before applying for the role, but they may also worry if it would actually translate into securing a new job.
Well, there’s a series of programmes offered through NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) that just might be the thing companies and jobseekers need: Place-and-Train. Read on to find out how they can benefit your management partners and members.
What is Place-and-Train all about?
Jobseekers get hired for the job first before undergoing training for the necessary skills that are required for the role.
This way, Place-and-Train helps ease anxieties about the job and gives the jobseeker peace of mind that they have secured employment before investing in training.
How can Employers Benefit?
Besides helping jobseekers ease into their new roles, the programme is also useful for employers facing a manpower crunch.
For a start, they get funding support, which makes the prospect of employing workers of different backgrounds more attractive.
How much Funding are we Talking About?
It’s quite substantial actually.
For training courses, employers get support for up to 90 per cent of the fees. They also receive salary support for the employed Place-and-Train candidate to the tune of 70 per cent of the worker’s salary, capped at $2,000 per month for the duration of the programme (which may vary from role to role). To put it simply, your management partner could have access to more and better trained manpower for a fraction of the cost – who can say “no” to such an offer?
To sweeten the deal for employers to consider hiring and reskilling long-term unemployed jobseekers, the programme has just been updated to support employers with up to 90 per cent of the worker’s salary, capped at $3,000 a month. So, union leaders, you know what to do right? Good things must share.
What are the Available Industries?
Since it first started in 2008, e2i has worked with industry partners to create over 50 different Place-and-Train programmes, many of them customised to help companies meet their employment needs.
Many of these programmes can be found in industries such as food and beverage, furniture and furnishing, and marine and sea transport.
Who’s Eligible?
Jobseekers: The programme is only open to Singaporean citizens or Singapore Permanent Residents who are above 21 years of age. Where applicable, they also have to fulfill the various employer or course-specific entry criteria.
As this is a targeted job placement, e2i career coaches will facilitate the process.
To find out more, click here.
Employers: Businesses will have to be incorporated or registered in Singapore and be able to commit to the training requirements for the selected individuals. Naturally, the employment offered has to be directly related to the job under the programme, with fair remuneration.
To find out more, click here.
What does Success Look Like?
For Mohammad Shah Rizan Abdul Rani, being a part of a Place-and-Train programme has allowed him to successfully switch careers from one in Singapore’s bustling nightlife scene to carve out a rewarding career in the maritime industry.
Upon completing a Maritime Apprenticeship Scheme that was launched by the Maritime and Port Authority, e2i, Singapore Association of Seamen and Workforce Singapore, Sha is now on a 15-month Place-and-Train programme to become a tug master. Eventually, he aspires to be like his grandfather, who was a vessel captain.
Read the full story here.
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