Debated in Parliament on 10 Jul 2018.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong asked the Minister for Manpower what support is given to non-profit organisations promoting the lifelong employability of seniors and how is the Ministry looking to enhance this support for the ageing workforce.
To stay employable, seniors must have relevant skills which should be continually upgraded to keep pace with the changing needs of industry. To this end, the Government provides funding support for a broad range of continuing education and training programmes. For example, through the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy, there are courses pre-approved by the Ministry of Education and SkillsFuture Singapore. These include Workforce Skills Qualifications courses provided by non-profit organisations, such as Tsao Foundation's Hua Mei Training Academy.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) also promotes progressive workplace practices for seniors. For instance, the Singapore National Employers Federation is a key programme partner for grants, such as WorkPro, which encourages employers to redesign and adapt their work processes and jobs to appeal to older workers, and for older workers to continue to be productive in their workplaces.
In addition, MOM has initiatives that improve older workers' employability more directly. The Special Employment Credit Scheme provides wage offsets to employers that hire older workers aged 55 and above earning up to $4,000. Under the Adapt and Grow initiative, MOM supports the job search efforts of older workers. The Professional Conversion Programmes and Career Support Programme provide training and salary support to help older professionals, managers, executives and technicians overcome skills and wage mismatches.
Non-profit organisations that partner the Government in the delivery of programmes and services to seniors can receive direct or indirect funding support. For example, the Government supports Fei Yue Family Service Centre in the running of the Family Central's Elder Education Department to help senior citizens pursue lifelong learning.
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