Struggling along with other nations to weather the global economic downturn, Singapore has taken proactive steps to safeguard and support their workforce. One of the most recent acts is the creation of new Manufacturing Courses to help some members of their workforce pivot towards a sector where more skilled labor is required. Supported by the WDA (Singapore Workforce Development Agency), the government is hoping to provide these services to businesses looking to help retrain some of their employees to better meet the needs of the company.
How This Will Work
The WDA plans to hold classes and allow employers in the manufacturing industry to sign up their employees for masterclasses, conferences, and workshops. Designed to help deepen the skills of their employees, the WDA hopes to cover a range of topics including laser engineering, optical engineering, additive manufacturing, and advanced robotics. The government is gathering more than 400 technical specialists, product designers, engineers, and technical managers to help teach these courses and aid in the development of business regardless of their size. The masterclasses are expected to last around a few days in length and be quite intensive in their field and specialization. The manufacturing courses will begin later this year. If demand for these services continues, the masterclasses, lectures, and conferences will be continued indefinitely.
Who Is Running These Courses
The courses offered represent a combination of governmental interest as well as five different institutes in Singapore. The institutes include the Laser Engineering, Nanyang Technical University, and numerous institutes under the Agency for Science, Institute, and Research (also commonly referred to as A*Star). Who will cover the bill? Good question. It is worked out that 70% of the funding is going to come from the WDA. These are offered for permanent residents as well as citizens of Singapore. In addition, the government expects that roughly 90% of all people taking these courses will be from medium and small-sized companies.
Answering A Pressing Need
This latest action by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency is seen as another step in confronting a global economic recession that stands to impact Singapore disproportionally thanks to its strong ties to international and global businesses. With this service provided, Singapore is answering a very real need within its manufacturing industries for expertise and knowledge on highly advanced aspects of engineering that typically have issue finding employees. While it is relatively small to begin with, the classes offered will help companies save money by reinvesting in the workforce and producing the talent they require in house. This will result in more affordable labor and the ability to answer a very real need in the market for these skills.
Ultimately, the long-term impact of these new manufacturing courses will not be able to be determined for some time. In the short-term, interest in the courses by companies will show whether or not businesses as a whole in the industry want professionals in the fields offered. Long-term benefits will no doubt be harder to measure as they will play through the continued health and growth of the Singapore economy.
About the author
Nick James writes for Company Stamp Singapore Pte Ltd, where he wrote most of the blog content. He wrote the article “Eco Friendly Rubber Stamps” and “How to make your Company Stamps look impressive”. Company Stamp Singapore Pte Ltd offers the cheapest rubber stamps in Singapore.