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$100 Million Set Aside to Provide Graduates with Traineeship Opportunities Amid a Pandemic-Hit Job Market

Skills, training and development
  1. From 1 June 2020 onwards, recent and new graduates of the Institute of Technical Education, Polytechnics, universities and other educational institutions can look forward to more traineeship opportunities to develop industry-relevant skills and build professional networks amidst weaker hiring sentiments in the COVID-19 outbreak.

  2. Jointly introduced by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Workforce Singapore (WSG), the SGUnited Traineeships Programme was announced during the Resilience Budget to support our graduates and boost their employability by the time hiring demand picks up. To date, over 280 organisations across the private sector, the Government and the Institutes of Higher Learning have come forward to offer more than 4,000 traineeship opportunities under the programme. They include Singtel, DBS Bank, Surbana Jurong Pte Ltd, the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University.

  3. Companies that have the capacity to provide such traineeship opportunities are strongly encouraged to participate and be part of the SGUnited movement. Besides providing our local graduates with the opportunity to hone their skills professionally, host companies benefit by gaining access to a qualified pool of fresh talent and can consider hiring well-performing trainees as permanent employees after the traineeship period, when business conditions stabilise.

  4. Traineeships under the programme will last up to 12 months, with trainees receiving a training allowance. The monthly training allowance will vary depending on the scope and skills requirements of the traineeship. The Government will fund 80% of the training allowance while the host company funds the remaining 20%.

  5. With support from sector agencies such as Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the National Research Foundation (NRF), as well as the Trade Associations and Chambers, the SGUnited Traineeships Programme aims to provide up to 8,000 traineeship opportunities this year across various fields, including life sciences, engineering and the arts. WSG has appointed the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) as the Programme Manager for the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, which will work with host companies to review and approve the scope and development plans of their proposed traineeships. The Government will set aside $100 million for the programme.

  6. For the convenience of host companies and potential trainees, SGUnited Traineeships opportunities will be made available on MyCareersFuture.sg. Companies approved to host traineeships can post their positions with the #SGUnitedTraineeships hashtag, receive applications, and communicate with applicants through MyCareersFuture.sg. For eligible graduates who are interested in the programme, this will be a one-stop avenue for them to explore and apply for these traineeship opportunities. More details about the programme can be found in the annex.

  7. Mr Tan Choon Shian, WSG’s Chief Executive said, “We are heartened that despite difficult business conditions during the COVID-19 outbreak, many firms, large and small, have stepped forward to join the SGUnited Traineeships Programme. With these firms participating as hosting companies, our fresh graduates will be able to use this traineeship period to prepare themselves for the eventual recovery, and we can be better assured that our Singapore workforce will remain resilient, robust and ready to rebound. We would like to urge more companies to come on board and play a role in developing fresh graduate talents in preparation for the upturn.”