This article was originally published on 18 August 2020 and updated to reflect the latest changes and extension of the programme.
Between April and June, unemployment in Singapore has risen to its highest in the decade, with 90,500 (3.9%) unemployed residents in Singapore. A labour crisis that was inevitable due to the pandemic, the Government introduced the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package to help Singaporeans.
One of the schemes, the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme, was launched in July 2020 to help current unemployed mid-career individuals affected by the economic situation. Aiming to provide up to an additional 14,500 traineeships and training programme slots, the programme seeks to provide individuals with the ability to widen professional networks and gain in-demand skills while preparing for more permanent jobs in the future. Under Budget 2022, this programme will be made permanent for mature individuals starting from 1 April 2022.
The programme has two routes for individuals to choose from: an attachment with a company or a full-time training course delivered by companies.
Enterprise Attachment
The SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme offers attachments at host companies to widen networks and gain skills to prepare for permanents jobs in the future. Sharing similar characteristics with the SGUnited Traineeships programme, the attachment only differs in terms of the length of the attachments and the allowances paid.
Allowances Paid
Under this programme, companies will offer attachments of up till nine months to prospective mid-career trainees. Trainees will receive an allowance between $1,400 and $3,000 per month, with the Government funding 80% of the allowance.
| Attachments commencing before 1 April 2021 | |
| Government Funding | Up to 80% of the training allowance |
| Monthly Training Allowance | $1,400 – $3,000 |
[Update] Under Budget 2021, the training allowances are increased to encourage take-up. The government will increase the co-funding to up to 90% for mature trainees (age 40 and above) while the minimum and maximum allowances are also adjusted. This revision will apply to new approved attachments commencing from 1 April 2021. Additionally, the maximum training duration of the attachment is reduced from 9 months to 6 months.
[Update] Under Budget 2022, it was announced that the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme will be made a permanent programme to support mature trainees (age 40 and above) commencing from 1 April 2022. The government will also lower the co-funding of the training allowance to 70%. The maximum training duration of the attachments will remain up to 6 months.
| Attachments commencing from 1 April 2022 | ||
| Enhanced Rate (For Mature SC/PR Individuals) | ||
| Government Funding | Up to 70% of the training allowance | |
| Monthly Training Allowance | |
$1,800 to $3,800 |
Employment Benefits
Do take note that as this is an attachment with no employer-employee relationships, host companies do not need to provide employee benefits such as sick or annual leave. This also means that there isn’t any CPF contributions made by the company. However, workplace injury insurance will be provided, and companies may choose to offer non-monetary benefits on their own.
Also, it is not guaranteed that you will be hired on a full-time basis. Companies would still need to offer a full-time position to you, whether during or after the programme.
Who Is Eligible
All Singaporeans and Permanent Residents can apply for the programme. As it is a full-time programme, individuals would need to be able to commit to the programme on a full-time basis when they start the programme.
However, those who are eligible for the SGUnited Traineeships Programme will not be able to apply for the Mid-Career Pathways Programme. This includes fresh graduates who graduated in 2019, 2020 or 2021 from ITEs, Polytechnics, universities or other educational institutions, or graduated from such institutions and completed National Service in 2019, 2020 or 2021.
How To Apply
Like SGUnited Traineeships, interested mid-career individuals should visit MyCareersFuture to search for attachments. Attachments under the programme can be searched for under the hashtag #SGUP or by selecting the “For Workplace Attachment, If you are mid-career seeking attachment” option under government support in the portal filters.
Read Also: SGUnited Traineeships Programme: What Is It And How Can Graduates Apply?
Full-Time Training Courses
The SGUnited Mid-Career Programme also offer full-time training courses carried out by companies such as Google, IBM and Shopee. Aimed at helping trainees acquire industry-relevant skills in their respective sectors with classes taught by industry-leading companies, the programme is aiming to support 10,000 jobseekers with full-time training in 2020.
Under this training programme, individuals can attend full-time training ranging from 6 to 12 months, in sectors such as ICT and manufacturing. Individuals would also receive career advice and employment assistances in jobs relevant to the skills acquired from the programme.
Allowances And Subsidies
Firstly, individuals would need to pay a heavily subsidised fee of $500 to $1000 depending on the length of the course. They would also be able to use their SkillsFuture Credits to offset the fees.
Trainees will then receive a monthly training allowance of $1,500 per month. This training allowance is not subject to CPF contributions and not taxable.
For current recipients of the COVID-19 Support Grant (CSG) and the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS), individuals will also receive additional top-ups of $700 and $500 respectively. However, they will only receive the $1,500 monthly training allowance after CSG/SIRS payouts are completed.
Do take note that if you are already on the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme training courses, you would not be eligible for CSG and SIRS
Who Is Eligible
All Singaporeans And Permanent Residents with two or more years of working experience are eligible for the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme training courses. They must also not be eligible for the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, similar to the Mid-Career attachments above.
However, if you have already completed another SGUnited Skills Programme or SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme training course, you will not be able to sign up for another course under these programmes.
Do also take note that individuals may also need certain skills or competencies to sign up for courses. You may also need some academic qualifications depending on each course’s assessment criteria.
How To Apply
Individuals can find courses under the Mid-Career Pathways Programme on the MySkillsFuture courses directory. Courses can be found in the directory by searching for the “SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme” or using the hashtag #SGUP.
Individuals will then need to apply to the training providers directly. Prospective trainees will need to submit personal particulars, contact details and any documents requested by the training provider.
Read Also: Understanding The Tripartite Guidelines On Fair Employment Practices & Fair Consideration Framework
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