SINGAPORE – The Government should provide a training allowance to cover living expenses for workers pursuing long-term training, and expand course subsidies to cover second degrees or diplomas, the labour movement said on Thursday.

It also called on employers to top up employees’ wages with skills allowances if they have completed training.

These moves would encourage more workers to participate in training courses that improve their career and wage prospects, either through their employers or on their own, said the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

It made these three new recommendations after a year-long engagement with around 40,000 people ranging from students to senior workers, who were asked about their aspirations and concerns surrounding work.

The labour movement also reiterated recommendations for short-term unemployment support from the Government for displaced workers, and for employers to provide protected time off for workers who attend training courses on their own initiative.

Labour chief Ng Chee Meng unveiled the five proposals in a keynote speech at the inaugural NTUC Company Training Committee (CTC) Symposium on Thursday.

NTUC said that more than 70 per cent of 475 mid-career workers polled as part of the engagement exercise – dubbed the #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations – found training courses a meaningful use of time.

“Singaporean workers are responsible – they want to do their part to upskill themselves so that they can advance in their careers,” Mr Ng said at the symposium held at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability in Jurong East.

However, many workers also had practical reasons preventing them from pursuing training, despite knowing its benefits, he added.

The workers consulted pointed out four key barriers to attending training: lack of financial resources to fund self-initiated training, lack of understanding on the type of training needed to remain relevant, lack of time to attend training and lack of support from employers towards self-initiated training.

Addressing these barriers would help mid-career workers deepen their skills or gain new skills for promising economic areas, even if they have to take longer courses, said Mr Ng.

He cited transport operator SBS Transit as an employer with progressive training practices.

Four in 10 bus technical staff at SBS Transit are certified as technical specialists who receive a skills allowance of up to $60 in their monthly salaries. The certification also provides a foundation for further upskilling, said Mr Ng.

The labour movement also provided updates on the adoption of the CTC scheme and CTC Grant.

Under the CTC scheme, companies form committees together with unions to map out their current needs and future business prospects to train workers for.

Since the scheme was launched in 2019, 1,600 CTCs have trained over 100,000 workers across numerous sectors. NTUC’s target is for 2,500 to be set up by 2025.

Companies can apply to NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute for a grant to cover up to 70 per cent of the cost of projects to raise productivity, redesign jobs and upskill workers.

To date, 71 companies have applied for the grant, with $10.6 million committed to 88 projects, said NTUC.

One company that benefited from the grant is Setsco Services, a home-grown product testing company, which formed a CTC with the National Transport Workers’ Union in 2019.

In 2021, the firm expanded its offerings to include fatigue testing, in which structural materials such as metals are subjected to repeated stresses to test their resistance to fatigue.

To do so, the company, which employs about 700 workers, bought a fatigue testing machine with the CTC Grant. It trained 36 existing workers over two to three months to run the tests.

Setsco chief executive Chung Tying Chun told reporters that the firm saw growing demand for such services due to engineering advancements and more stringent material specifications.

He said the workers who learnt new fatigue testing skills received an average pay rise of 5 per cent.

On NTUC’s suggestions for employers, Mr Chung said the firm is considering providing protected time off for worker-initiated training, but exigencies of service remain a concern.

“It cannot be 100 per cent protected because if a customer wants to meet us, we have to meet,” he said. But he added that it is possible for workers on training to be protected from internal company meetings.

Singapore National Employers Federation executive director Sim Gim Guan said employers are supportive of workers pursuing lifelong learning and deepening their skills. But they find it challenging to cover for staff undergoing training, and sometimes cannot find practical business applications for the training.

“It is important to note that businesses are still operating under tight labour conditions and an inflationary cost environment,” said Mr Sim. “If business productivity suffers, this would inadvertently spell negative outcomes for employees, too.”

Responding to NTUC’s recommendation on unemployment support, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Manpower said it would consider them in the ongoing review of manpower policies.

The Government will provide more details on efforts to support employers and employees later this year in the final report on the Forward Singapore exercise.