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Mr Speaker
This Budget is a pro-worker budget. By revising national enterprise schemes to focus on worker outcomes places workers’ interests at the core of government policies.
I will like to discuss further on two particular themes touched on in the budget: helping youths succeed and prioritising lifelong learning for all workers.
Helping Younger Workers succeed in a Mature Economy
Our younger Singaporean workers, unlike generations before theirs, face more disruptions in their work lives. In fact, they are almost certain to need multiple career and skill trampolines.
How can we assist fresh grads from Private Educational Institutes (PEI)?
Job facilitation for fresh graduates, many of whom are 26 years and below, is crucial as it sets their direction in life early. This is especially so for the students of Private Education Institutes or PEIs.
The latest PEI Graduate Employment Survey found that only 47.4% of private school fresh graduates secured full-time jobs six months after graduation. This was a decline from 60.1% for the previous batch. They also earned less, drawing a median gross monthly salary of S$2,650 compared to graduates from the local autonomous universities who earn S$3,400.
We must continually review the PEIs to either enhance the skills and job value of these qualifications or to increase the students’ awareness of alternative options. NTUC is prepared to assist with career navigation via its Youth Career Network platforms.
How do we get our fresh graduates to tap on new opportunities outside Singapore?
ASEAN’s growth will turn it into one of the top economic regions in the world. There are significant entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for our Singaporean workers. ASEAN can be the important second wing of growth for our economy. How do we make it easier for build contacts and linkages? How do we make it easier for people to explore the world and open more gateways for themselves and fellow Singaporeans?
Our young people must seek regional working experience. Many major companies already require their senior executives to understand overseas markets. Without that, they cannot progress to become head of the companies.
Our programmes like the NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) and the Global Ready Talent Programme (GRTP) allow for meaningful internships, we need our youths to pursue full-time job overseas. I hope that we can harness the strength of our overseas trade offices and larger Singaporean companies with regional presence to build employment networks. The latter can jumpstart growing our ASEAN ready talent.
Lifelong Learning for Workers
This Budget is also about addressing the needs and challenges of businesses and workers in the face of growing structural changes. To achieve this, we must prioritise and master lifelong learning.
Minister Heng aptly mentioned that Singaporeans need to “reconceptualise” what learning is about, adding that they need to be prepared to learn from “anywhere from anyone at any time”. While this applies to all workers, we need to pay special attention to those who started off with lower academic qualifications. How do we extend more comprehensive learning support beyond SkillsFuture credit for workers who want to return to school or to upgrade themselves?
Our workers and unionists are well aware of the need to continually retrain. It is vital to their livelihoods. It is made more urgent now with disruption. Most workers would not have a single linear career trajectory. They would need to be nimble and switch careers or job functions as seamlessly as possible. In fact, the majority would need to obtain additional skills or qualifications to progress within their specific industry or to switch to another industry.
Yet, this process is not easy as my fellow Labour MP Mr Melvin Yong has shared. Many workers have significant financial and family commitments. Retraining incurs costs and loss of income. Therefore, many workers choose to put off picking up another skill or qualification for as long as they can. The Professional Conversion Programs and Career Support Programs have helped to provide these bridges. The combination of course subsidies and training allowances have lowered the barriers to career conversion. Yet, the limited number of PCP and ELP places meant many workers would have to pay full unsubsidized fees. And some workers might not qualify for the PCPs and might need longer time for them to qualify or succeed.
Recently, a 33-year-old resident staying in Tampines sought assistance from me. He has been working since graduating with a diploma in Business in 2007. In his own words, he wrote to me. He said, “I had no idea what I wanted to do after my O levels. Thus, I embarked on something very corporate. So I did a diploma in Business.” He has been working in a corporate function and his last job was in a polyclinic where he was inspired to become a nurse. After trying for two years, he finally obtained a place in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Yet, he is unable to secure a tuition grant because he has already obtained a previous diploma in 2007. His yearly school fees will amount to $21,000 per year which he cannot pay. He said, “I do have some savings but it is not enough for three years.” Yet, he still has a burning desire to serve the community. He also said, “it took me a long time to finally get the placement at Ngee Ann Poly to study nursing but unfortunately, I don’t come from a well-to-do family. My Father is semi-retired and my mother is a homemaker. I don’t behold high hopes in life. I will be gratified enough to be a nurse but the cost of $60,000, I believe it is too difficult for me to manage. At the end, I do have some savings to tap myself through, but it is not enough for three years. However, I ain’t giving up. Thus, I am seeking all forms of assistance which I can possibly concur. This is probably my last chance and I am thoroughly sincere in becoming a qualified nurse.”
While this is one appeal, there might be many other people in similar circumstances in different fields. We hope that more can be done for them. This might entail expanding the number of PCP places by helping our Singaporean workers especially younger ones to obtain a second NITEC, a diploma, a degree. It will help them to better adjust the structural economic changes. It will also allow workers to discover new careers choices instead of those pre-determined in their earlier years. Returning to school for career switch can be socialized as a mainstream norm.
Workers need more support when they leave their jobs to expand their options on reskilling. Similar training allowances such as those for PCPs can be provided to them while they pick up their second qualifications. Perhaps, along the line of Workfare Incentive Schemes, we can think about it as a Reskilling Incentive Scheme.
Our polytechnics are also introducing more Common Entry Programmes in Business, and Information & Digital Technologies (IDT) clusters. This streamlining of courses allows for over-specificity early in life. Perhaps we can also offer this to workers looking for career resilience and changes in modular fashion.
Creating a culture of lifelong learning is not just a government’s duty but the duty of unions, employers and government. Learning agility is the key to building a modern workforce capable of navigating and leveraging opportunities arising from disruptions.
Every worker matters in Singapore and the Labour Movement will continue to do its part to make it real for workers.
Mr Speaker, I support the budget.
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