Impact of Change in Criterion for Rapid and Immersive Skill Enhancement Programme
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether the Rapid and Immersive Skill Enhancement (RISE) programme’s criteria might encourage employed individuals to resign prematurely to qualify, as raised by Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim. Minister for Education Lawrence Wong clarified that the programme provides immediate support to jobseekers without requiring a fixed duration of prior unemployment. He noted that employed individuals face high opportunity costs as training allowances are lower than full-time wages, and alternative SkillsFuture options exist for those who remain employed. Minister for Education Lawrence Wong concluded that for individuals who find the pivot in their long-term interest, the Ministry should not impose additional barriers to entry.
Transcript
63 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry is aware that the existing criteria for the Rapid and Immersive Skill Enhancement (RISE) programme, which requires that trainees be unemployed only at the time of enrolment (before March 2021) rather than for a prior fixed duration, may induce potential applicants who are currently employed to prematurely submit resignation letters in order to qualify.
Mr Lawrence Wong: The Rapid and Immersive Skills Enhancement (RISE) programme is a six-month course under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme – Company Training (SGUP-CT). SGUP-CT is designed to support mid-career jobseekers who would like to acquire industry-relevant skills and pivot to new employment opportunities. There is no requirement for individuals to be unemployed for a prior fixed duration as this scheme is designed to provide jobseekers with support as soon as possible.
Employed individuals face significant opportunity costs to leave their jobs in order to enrol in a full-time SGUP-CT course, as the training allowance provided is not comparable to wages for full-time employment. There is also a wide range of alternative CET opportunities supported by SkillsFuture Singapore that employed individuals can take up while still remaining in their current job.
For individuals who have weighed the trade-offs and still find that it is in their longer term interest to take up SGUP-CT programmes like RISE, we should avoid making it harder for them to qualify for such programmes.