Debated in Parliament on 11 Jan 2022.
Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Manpower (a) to date, what is the percentage of graduates who successfully completed at least one SGUnited Traineeship Programme but has not been converted into permanent employment with the same company; (b) what are the reasons for not being converted; and (c) what recourse do these jobseekers have.
The SGUnited Traineeship programme was introduced in March 2020 amidst a weak labour market to provide fresh graduates with traineeship opportunities that allow them to acquire industry-relevant experience and build up their skillsets and networks. As of end-November 2021, about 11,500 graduates have taken on SGUnited traineeships since the scheme was launched. With the economy showing signs of recovery, fewer graduates are participating in the scheme.
As at end-August 2021, 7,200 trainees have exited or completed their traineeships and based on latest available data, about 5,800 (81%) are employed: 3,500 (49%) employed by other companies and 2,300 (32%) employed by their host organisations.
The traineeships were designed to provide traineeship and working experience to as many fresh graduates as possible despite weak economic conditions, hosted by employers who had the capacity to train and provide employment opportunities. If we are with the expectation that host organisations were obligated to employ all their trainees, then we must accept the corollary, that they would not be able to offer so many traineeships during the most critical period of the crisis.
The reasons for a trainee not being converted into employment depends on the fit of each trainee to the job and the business situation and hiring needs of the host organisation. Trainees who are not employed by their host organisations will nevertheless have benefited from the traineeship experience, which boosts their employability. Taking recourse against host organisations will be against the spirit in which employers, job seekers and the Government came together to ensure that opportunities continue to exist despite the disruption to the labour market due to COVID-19.
For trainees who have not secured employment, Workforce Singapore (WSG) has proactively reached out to provide them with job search resources and information on job opportunities and upcoming job fairs. For trainees who require additional support, they can take up WSG’s career matching services including career coaching, employability workshops and networking sessions.
PAPERCUTS