DPM Lawrence Wong said in his Budget speech today (Feb 14) that there is a need for labour market intermediaries to optimise training and job placement.
This is because workers may not know what training programmes to enrol for, and employers may be unfamiliar with such a landscape.
These intermediaries, or ‘Jobs-Skills Integrators’, will be appointed to work with industry, training and employment facilitation partners.
This will help engage enterprises to understand the manpower and skills gap in the sector, work with training providers to update existing training programmes, or develop new ones that will close the skills gap.
Additionally, this allows them to work closely with employment facilities agencies, get buy-in from industry partners and unions, and identify individuals with the right aptitude. They must also ensure that training translates into better employment and earnings prospects.
This will be trialled in the precision engineering, retail and wholesale trade sectors, where there are higher concentrations of mature workers and SMEs.
Featured Image Credit: The Independent