SGUnited Traineeships Programme launched to boost employability of graduates amid COVID-19 outbreak

Starting 1 June this year, recent and new graduates in Singapore can look forward to more traineeship opportunities to develop industry-relevant skills and build professional networks amidst weaker hiring sentiments in the COVID-19 outbreak.

This will apply to those from the Institute of Technical Education, Polytechnics, Universities, and other educational institutions, it was stated in a press release. The government will set aside S$100 million for the programme.

A joint initiative by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Workforce Singapore (WSG), the SGUnited Traineeships Programme was announced in the Resilience Budget in March, as part of efforts to support graduates and boost their employability by the time hiring demand picks up.

To date, over 280 organisations across the private sector, the government and the Institutes of Higher Learning – including DBS Bank, Singtel, and Nanyan Technological University – have come forward to offer more than 4,000 traineeship opportunities under the programme.

Companies that have the capacity to provide such traineeship opportunities are strongly encouraged to participate and be part of the SGUnited movement; besides providing local graduates with the opportunity to hone their skills professionally, host companies benefit by gaining access to a qualified pool of fresh talent and can consider hiring well-performing trainees as permanent employees after the traineeship period, when business conditions stabilise.

Details on the SGUnited Traineeships Programme

With support from sector agencies such as Enterprise Singapore and the National Research Foundation, and trade associations and chambers, the SGUnited Traineeships Programme aims to provide up to 8,000 traineeship opportunities this year across various fields, including life sciences, engineering and the arts. WSG has appointed the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) as the Programme Manager for the programme, which will work with host companies to review and approve the scope and development plans of their proposed traineeships.

• Traineeships under the programme will last up to 12 months, with trainees receiving a training allowance.
• The monthly training allowance will vary depending on the scope and skills requirements of the traineeship.
• 80% of the training allowance will be funded by the government, while the host company will fund the remaining 20%.
• SGUnited Traineeships opportunities will be made available on MyCareersFuture.sg; companies approved to host traineeships can post their positions with the #SGUnitedTraineeships hashtag, receive applications, and communicate with applicants through the portal.
• Eligible graduates who are interested in the programme, will be able to explore and apply for these traineeship opportunities on the portal.

Commenting on this, Tan Choon Shian, WSG’s Chief Executive said: “We are heartened that despite difficult business conditions during the COVID-19 outbreak, many firms, large and small, have stepped forward to join the SGUnited Traineeships Programme.

“With these firms participating as hosting companies, our fresh graduates will be able to use this traineeship period to prepare themselves for the eventual recovery, and we can be better assured that our Singapore workforce will remain resilient, robust and ready to rebound.”

In line with the above, two new virtual career fairs have been launched, and will run through as follows:

SGUnited Jobs VCF for ICT Professionals

Running from 3 April to 3 May, the fair features over 600 PMET job opportunities in the ICT sector from 33 participating employers.

SGUnited Jobs VCF for Essential Services

This fair will run from 20 April to 3 May, and features over 1,500 job opportunities across PMET and non-PMET roles in Essential Services, from 39 participating employers.

Refer here for more information.

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Photo / 123RF