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Written Answer by Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Acting Minister for Manpower & Senior Minister of State, National Development, to Parliamentary Question on the Benefits of Subsidised Training for Cleaning Industry Workers

Mr Alex Yam Ziming: To ask the Acting Minister for Manpower (a) how much in WDA grants for training has been given out in 2012 for the cleaning industry; (b) whether WDA tracks the progress of workers' wages and job progression for those who have undergone training; (c) whether the training so far has seen general improvements to workers in the cleaning sector; and (d) what are the Ministry's initiatives for training for the cleaning industry in 2013.

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin:

  1. The Government has invested significant resources in our Continuing Education and Training (CET) system, which includes providing generous funding support when workers go for training. For example, low-wage workers who attend training under the Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme can enjoy high training subsidies of up to 95%.
  2. The Environmental Cleaning WSQ framework was introduced in July 2010 and in the past 2 1/2 years, some 15,000 workers have been trained. In 2012, the amount of training grants disbursed for the cleaning industry was more than $3.7 million. These numbers do not include non-WSQ training and other training courses such as Employability Skills WSQ which employers may have sent their cleaning employees for.
  3. To monitor the outcomes of WSQ training, WDA conducts annual surveys and the results of the 2011 survey showed that the majority of trainees benefited from the training. 69% of the survey respondents indicated that they were more motivated at work after undergoing training, and 17% enjoyed a pay rise.
  4. We should also recognize there are significant less-tangible benefits to effective training, such as better employability, greater motivation and enhanced self-confidence. Indeed, 95% of companies surveyed indicated that they would continue sending employees for WSQ training. This shows that both trainees and employers find value in training.
  5. The Government will continue to work on strengthening our CET system. Specifically for the cleaning sector, to complement the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) enhanced Clean Mark Accreditation Scheme and to raise the productivity and performance of cleaners, WDA has also committed $6.1 million in course fee funding over the next two years1 to train and upgrade 7,800 cleaners through the Environmental Cleaning WSQ.
  6. Going beyond funding, WDA has also been working with programme partners to improve the delivery of the training. For instance, delivering the training in mother-tongue languages to help trainees with low English literacy; and leveraging on technology, such as tablets, to deliver training in a more engaging and interactive way. To make it easier for cleaners to go for training, the training hours for some of the modules have also been shortened without affecting content. More hands on practice for the trainees are also provided to enhance their learning experience.
  7. To help companies in the cleaning sector move away from cheap sourcing toward best sourcing, WDA has collaborated with NEA to organise a master class in November 2012 to share good practices in drafting and managing cleaning contracts. To expand and enhance the learning opportunities for the industry, WDA also brings in reputable international cleaning industry experts to share their best practices and experiences with local service providers and buyers. These initiatives help our cleaning industry players gain valuable insights and good practices needed to further professionalise their industry.
  8. Good progress has been made, but we will continue to do more to help our cleaners achieve good job and wage progression. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate the importance of training in keeping one’s skills relevant and updated, and to encourage all Singaporeans to embrace the spirit of lifelong learning.

1 From June 2012 - May 2014.