Debated in Parliament on 1 Feb 2021.
Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Manpower (a) how many companies have been rejected by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) on the usage of SGUnited Traineeship programmes; (b) whether companies are given a quota of trainees who can be hired by a company at any one time; (c) what recourse do trainees have to resolve disputes with their employers; and (d) how many complaints have been lodged with SBF in relation to disputes over the scheme.
Each application to host a traineeship or company attachment is carefully screened by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which is appointed by Workforce Singapore (WSG) as programme partner for the SGUnited Traineeships and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways programmes. SBF checks that the traineeships are of good quality and provide meaningful opportunities for the trainees. SBF will also work with the applicant to improve their proposals, such as improving the development plans for trainees. Not every application will be approved. As at end-December 2020, the SBF received applications from more than 5,200 companies to host traineeships or attachments. Around one in ten of these applications were rejected for reasons such as development plans not meeting requirements, and proposed roles being unsuitable.
There is no quota on the number of approved traineeships for each host organisation as long as the proposals are of good quality and the host organisation has the ability to host trainees for all the approved positions.
Although traineeships and attachments are not employment contracts, SBF requires participating host organisations to enter into an agreement with SBF, which sets out the conditions that the host organisation will need to abide by. These conditions include adhering to the approved development plan and the prompt submission of monthly traineeship progress reports that are signed off by both the host organisation and the trainee. The agreement also includes the right for SBF to arbitrate in any disputes between the host organisation and trainee, with SBF’s decision to be taken as final.
SBF monitors the trainees through the monthly traineeship reports. Trainees with enquiries or feedback on the programme should contact SBF directly via a phone hotline or email. In addition, WSG and SBF have set up a dedicated online whistle-blowing channel for reporting of irregularities by host organisations. As at end-December 2020, we have received 8 complaint cases. Issues raised included absence of proper guidance from supervisors, and the lack of safe-distancing measures within the organisation. For each of these cases, SBF’s first priority is to establish the facts and render assistance to the trainee or host organisation. Some of these cases are being resolved amicably through mediation.
However, if there is evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the host organisation, SBF will work with MOM and WSG to take action against the host organisation, including rescinding approvals and clawing back any grants disbursed in serious cases. In one case, we have barred the organisation from future participation in WSG’s programmes. If necessary, WSG will support the affected trainee to find new opportunities.
PAPERCUTS