Take-up Rate of SG United Traineeships Across Sectors and Need to Raise Awareness

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Manpower (a) with the introduction of SG United Traineeships, what is the latest take-up rate across different sectors; (b) whether there is a need to further reach out to more Singaporeans to raise awareness of the Traineeship programme; and (c) whether the Ministry will work with companies to eventually convert a larger proportion of the traineeships into permanent positions post-COVID-19.

Over 1,000 fresh graduate trainees have taken up traineeships under the SGUnited Traineeships programme. The majority of traineeship positions filled are in growth sectors such as Information Communications Technology and Media, Professional Services, and Financial Services. As the process of shortlisting and selecting suitable trainees by host organisations takes time, we can expect to see more placements into traineeships subsequently.

We have expanded outreach to increase awareness of these opportunities. To reach out to fresh graduates on opportunities under the SGUnited Traineeships programme, WSG works closely with the Ministry of Education, the Institutes of Higher Learning, the National Trades Union Congress and People's Association. We also reach out to graduates through various digital media.

The traineeships do not automatically convert into a permanent job. However, we are hopeful that companies will find a good number of trainees a good fit and make them part of their permanent staff. This will depend largely on the fit of each trainee to the job, and the business situation and hiring needs of the host organisation when the traineeships are completed. Workforce Singapore's experience with Attach-and-Train programmes so far has been that host organisations that are impressed with trainees will place them in full-time positions in the companies to make the most of the time and money they have invested in the attachment. The newly-launched Jobs Growth Incentive scheme will give greater support to businesses to expand and grow their local headcounts over the next six months. This will also help spur hiring of trainees.

For cases where the traineeship does not result in a permanent job, the experience will equip the trainee with industry-relevant knowledge and skills, and help to burnish their credentials and value proposition to other employers. The Government will also continue to support them in their job search journey, through career matching services offered by WSG and NTUC's Employability and Employment Institute.