More than 8,000 workers across major air transport companies will benefit from additional funding for training as part of an enhanced Training and Support Package.
The package, which is an initiative by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), Workforce Singapore (WSG), Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, together with the NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster, aims to help air transport companies impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) defray business costs and protect workers' jobs.
The Training and Support Package comes under the Stabilisation and Support Package announced at Budget 2020.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Chee Hong Tat, and Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad unveiled the package at a visit to SATS Coolport on 2 March 2020.
Some of the measures include an enhanced absentee payroll support and enhanced course fee support provided by SSG.
SSG will provide employers in the air transport companies who send their workers for sector specific training programmes with an enhance absentee payroll support of 90 per cent of the workers' salary, capped at $10 per hour. The enhanced course fee support will also be at 90 per cent of the fees.
Meanwhile, WSG will provide a new place and train programme for air transport coordinators. The Place-and-Train programme will start on 1 April 2020. Employers will receive salary support of up to six-months to reskill their rank-and-file workforce.
"Our companies must take advantage of this training support so that they can manage excess manpower and be able to save jobs. We must also take advantage of this opportunity to deepen workers' skills.
"The measures in the support package will help to bolster these efforts. Such efforts in the face of challenges brought on by Covid-19 also reflect the importance of tripartism and for all of us to rally together and position ourselves to overcome near term challenges and emerge stronger for the upturn," said NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster Chairman Ong Hwee Liang.
NTUC will also be providing an additional sum of $500,000 to help unionised companies in the air transport sector send their workers for training.
The amount is on top of the funding that air transport companies receive under the NETF Collaborative Fund, a scheme under the NTUC Education and Training Fund.
