SkillsFuture to extend mid-career support to about 140 more courses
The expansion takes effect on Dec 1 and includes technology training linked to job placements, alongside maritime and financial services courses.
Singapore will add about 140 courses to its SkillsFuture mid-career funding programme from Dec 1, Acting Manpower Minister Jasmin Lau announced on Oct 28. The additions will expand a list that already exceeds 7,000 courses.
Around 60 of the additions are sector-specific options selected with industry partners. They cover technology, maritime and offshore activities, and financial services. A further 80 or so courses across different sectors offer Workforce Skills Qualification.
Technology courses will include the Infocomm Media Development Authority's Tech Immersion and Placement Programme, which pairs intensive training with placement in technology roles. According to IMDA, it prepares participants for work including web and mobile application development, user experience design and data analysis.
Funding will also extend to selected certifiable courses under the Maritime and Port Authority and selected courses within the Institute of Banking and Finance's Standards Training Scheme.
Launched in 2024, the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme offers eligible Singaporeans aged 40 and above S$4,000 in course-fee credit, as well as a training allowance. By Jun 30, about 80,000 mid-career workers had used the credit, while more than 11,000 had received the allowance.
The Skills and Workforce Development Agency said participants taking some of the newly added courses will become eligible for the mid-career training allowance later. Speaking at the SkillsFuture Fellowships and SkillsFuture Employer Awards ceremony, Lau said the expansion aimed to connect training more closely with employment opportunities.
