In his national broadcast, Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam spoke about how the Government is making a concerted effort to help our middle-aged and mature Singaporean workers. In a report by the Ministry of Manpower , it was also found that for local workers retrenched in the 1st quarter of 2020, more than 72 per cent are aged 40 and above. Given the knock-on impact of COVID-19 on jobs, it greatly increases the vulnerability of this group of workers as they face mounting pressure to support themselves as well as their young and older family members.
To support them in their employability, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Training Fund is doubling our funding commitment for union members who are 40 years old and above, to give them the needed boost for skills upgrading and re-skilling needs with the NTUC Enhanced Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP).
UTAP is a training benefit managed by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute). Currently, union members can tap on UTAP to defray 50 per cent of unfunded course fees for up to $250 per year. Under the newly enhanced UTAP funding, NTUC union members aged 40 years and above will get an increased funding support from $250 to $500. This will apply from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2022.
This will complement the national effort to help workers in their 40s and 50s. Since 2015, Singaporeans who turn 25 will receive the $500 SkillsFuture Credit (SFC). This year, the Government announced initiatives such as the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Support Package, with additional $500 SFC top-up for Singaporeans between 40 to 60 years old. This is on top of the $500 that all Singaporeans aged 25 and above will receive this year, as well as a hiring incentive whereby companies will receive salary support when they hire new local workers aged 40 and above, through eligible reskilling or training programmes.
Come 1 July 2020, NTUC union members who have not used their UTAP or their SFC, and are aged between 40 to 60 years old, will have a combined amount of $2,000 available for their training. As for those who are aged above 60 years old, they will have a combined amount of $1,500.
“The road to recovery for Singapore’s economy from the COVID-19 pandemic may be long and hard. Henceforth, it is important for us to create more training and career opportunities for mid-career Singaporeans aged 40 years and above, as this group is more vulnerable and may require additional help in skills acquisition as they support their young and older family members. We want to reach out to them now and beyond the pandemic, to raise their employability through the Enhanced UTAP funding support, so that they can jumpstart with relevant skills when the job market picks up again,” said Mr Gilbert Tan, CEO of e2i.
From the Future of Jobs report by World Economic Forum, the top 10 skills included complex problem solving, technology design and computing, leadership and social influence. Union members can utilise their SFC and UTAP at the same time, if the course is listed on both the SFC and UTAP listings. In such case, the course fee will be offset using the member’s SFC first, and he/she may claim up to 50 per cent of the remaining portion from UTAP. There are presently 5,300 courses listed to boost the employment and employability of NTUC union members.
To know more about the enhanced UTAP, visit https://e2i.com.sg/individuals/ntuc-education-and-training-fund/. To select and apply for a course, visit http://skillsupgrade.ntuc.org.sg/.
# # #
