SINGAPORE: Up to 800 traineeships will be offered by private firms and the public sector from October amid concerns from fresh graduates about a tepid job market.
Under the Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) scheme, trainee allowance will range from S$1,800 (US$1,400) to S$2,400 per month depending on the scope of each traineeship, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Public Service Division (PSD) said in a factsheet on Friday (Aug 22).
The government will fund 70 per cent of the monthly allowance for trainees and the host organisation will fund the remaining 30 per cent, said the agencies. Each traineeship will last between three to six months.
WSG will work together with various agencies to identify companies in growth sectors such as financial services, information and communication technology, and manufacturing and wholesale trade, the factsheet said.
Apart from placements in these private sector companies, there will be a separate GRIT@Gov scheme, which is coordinated by PSD, to support trainees in public sector agencies.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said the programme is designed to help fresh graduates gain industry experience and practical skills via traineeships, which can then help them explore their career options while also raising their employability.
"One issue we have heard from graduates in their job search is that while there are jobs available, many employers are also looking for individuals with years of relevant working experience to fill them," said Dr Tan.
"But graduates cannot obviously obtain the required experience if they are not offered the opportunity in the first place."
The details on the traineeships come after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in his National Day Rally speech that a government-funded traineeship scheme would be launched to tackle job concerns.
It would kick off with a “more focused rollout” and be expanded if the economy worsens, he said.
The new traineeship scheme is aimed at fresh graduates from universities, polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education and other educational institutions, the factsheet stated. Graduates with master's degrees or PhDs can also apply.
Singapore citizens and permanent residents who graduated in 2024 or 2025 are eligible for the scheme.
Those who graduated earlier but completed National Service in 2024 or 2025, and those who will only receive their qualification in 2026 but have completed their studies will also be eligible, according to the factsheet.
Trainees are encouraged to complete their stints but can exit the programme early for valid reasons, including accepting full-time roles in the same organisation or elsewhere, said the agencies.
Companies that take in trainees will not be required to make Central Provident Fund contributions or provide employee benefits because there is no employer-employee relationship involved.
Non-monetary benefits may be offered on a discretionary goodwill basis, according to the factsheet.
Applications
Traineeships were previously offered in the midst of economic uncertainties during the COVID-19 pandemic through the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, which was launched in 2020.
Trainee allowance for the programme ranged between S$1,100 and S$2,500, with 80 per cent of the allowance funded by the government.
From June 2020 to March 2022, more than 12,500 trainees went through the SGUnited programme, said Ms Gillian Woo, director of enterprise programmes division at WSG. The programme ceased after the number of participants dipped when the economy recovered.
Based on WSG’s experience, the SGUnited Traineeships facilitated longer-term employment outcomes for most trainees.
To mitigate the risk of mid-career workers being displaced by the new scheme, the allowance and duration of the traineeships are calibrated to be lower and shorter than what is offered to mid-career individuals, the factsheet said. For example, the Mid-Career Pathways Programme's training allowance is between S$1,800 and S$3,800.
Mid-career individuals can also tap on other initiatives such as the Career Conversion Programmes, which helps to train and reskill workers and includes salary support from the government.
There will also be safeguards to ensure that companies do not retrench people in roles that are similar to those proposed for the traineeships, said the factsheet.
The government will assess whether the scheme's capacity needs to be expanded based on the economic situation and labour market indicators, as well as sentiments on jobs and the economy among fresh graduates, it added.
Dr Tan noted that the long-term unemployment rate in Singapore remains low.
"We are making sure that whatever traineeships that we are putting out there will not end up inadvertently cannibalising the ability for them to land on full-time jobs," he said.
Dr Tan said leading firms in key growth industries have stepped forward to offer traineeships under the new programme, including Grab, Micron, OCBC, ST Engineering and Sea Limited.
He added that the public sector is already offering about 2,400 immediate vacancies for fresh graduates via the government job portal Careers@Gov, including roles in data, tech and digital services.
OCBC, which took in trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic, said on Friday that it will be supporting the new scheme after accepting 200 young talents in 2020 and 2021 under the previous traineeship programme.
"Based on our initial estimates, for a start, we expect to welcome over 100 tertiary graduates across functions such as consumer banking, wholesale banking, and technology and operations," said Ms Lee Hwee Boon, head of group human resources at the bank.
She said OCBC is committed to building a "sustained pipeline of talent" to support the bank's growth and Singapore's financial sector.
On the bank's previous batches of trainees, Ms Lee said many have since transitioned into a variety of full-time roles across OCBC, including data scientists, financial analysts and tax advisory executives.
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Under the Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) scheme, trainee allowance will range from S$1,800 (US$1,400) to S$2,400 per month depending on the scope of each traineeship, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Workforce Singapore (WSG) and the Public Service Division (PSD) said in a factsheet on Friday (Aug 22).
The government will fund 70 per cent of the monthly allowance for trainees and the host organisation will fund the remaining 30 per cent, said the agencies. Each traineeship will last between three to six months.
WSG will work together with various agencies to identify companies in growth sectors such as financial services, information and communication technology, and manufacturing and wholesale trade, the factsheet said.
Apart from placements in these private sector companies, there will be a separate GRIT@Gov scheme, which is coordinated by PSD, to support trainees in public sector agencies.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said the programme is designed to help fresh graduates gain industry experience and practical skills via traineeships, which can then help them explore their career options while also raising their employability.
"One issue we have heard from graduates in their job search is that while there are jobs available, many employers are also looking for individuals with years of relevant working experience to fill them," said Dr Tan.
"But graduates cannot obviously obtain the required experience if they are not offered the opportunity in the first place."
The details on the traineeships come after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said in his National Day Rally speech that a government-funded traineeship scheme would be launched to tackle job concerns.
It would kick off with a “more focused rollout” and be expanded if the economy worsens, he said.
Related:
The new traineeship scheme is aimed at fresh graduates from universities, polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education and other educational institutions, the factsheet stated. Graduates with master's degrees or PhDs can also apply.
Singapore citizens and permanent residents who graduated in 2024 or 2025 are eligible for the scheme.
Those who graduated earlier but completed National Service in 2024 or 2025, and those who will only receive their qualification in 2026 but have completed their studies will also be eligible, according to the factsheet.
Trainees are encouraged to complete their stints but can exit the programme early for valid reasons, including accepting full-time roles in the same organisation or elsewhere, said the agencies.
Companies that take in trainees will not be required to make Central Provident Fund contributions or provide employee benefits because there is no employer-employee relationship involved.
Non-monetary benefits may be offered on a discretionary goodwill basis, according to the factsheet.
Applications
PREVIOUS TRAINEESHIP SCHEME
Traineeships were previously offered in the midst of economic uncertainties during the COVID-19 pandemic through the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, which was launched in 2020.
Trainee allowance for the programme ranged between S$1,100 and S$2,500, with 80 per cent of the allowance funded by the government.
From June 2020 to March 2022, more than 12,500 trainees went through the SGUnited programme, said Ms Gillian Woo, director of enterprise programmes division at WSG. The programme ceased after the number of participants dipped when the economy recovered.
Based on WSG’s experience, the SGUnited Traineeships facilitated longer-term employment outcomes for most trainees.
To mitigate the risk of mid-career workers being displaced by the new scheme, the allowance and duration of the traineeships are calibrated to be lower and shorter than what is offered to mid-career individuals, the factsheet said. For example, the Mid-Career Pathways Programme's training allowance is between S$1,800 and S$3,800.
Mid-career individuals can also tap on other initiatives such as the Career Conversion Programmes, which helps to train and reskill workers and includes salary support from the government.
There will also be safeguards to ensure that companies do not retrench people in roles that are similar to those proposed for the traineeships, said the factsheet.
The government will assess whether the scheme's capacity needs to be expanded based on the economic situation and labour market indicators, as well as sentiments on jobs and the economy among fresh graduates, it added.
Dr Tan noted that the long-term unemployment rate in Singapore remains low.
"We are making sure that whatever traineeships that we are putting out there will not end up inadvertently cannibalising the ability for them to land on full-time jobs," he said.
PIPELINE OF TALENT
Dr Tan said leading firms in key growth industries have stepped forward to offer traineeships under the new programme, including Grab, Micron, OCBC, ST Engineering and Sea Limited.
He added that the public sector is already offering about 2,400 immediate vacancies for fresh graduates via the government job portal Careers@Gov, including roles in data, tech and digital services.
OCBC, which took in trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic, said on Friday that it will be supporting the new scheme after accepting 200 young talents in 2020 and 2021 under the previous traineeship programme.
"Based on our initial estimates, for a start, we expect to welcome over 100 tertiary graduates across functions such as consumer banking, wholesale banking, and technology and operations," said Ms Lee Hwee Boon, head of group human resources at the bank.
She said OCBC is committed to building a "sustained pipeline of talent" to support the bank's growth and Singapore's financial sector.
On the bank's previous batches of trainees, Ms Lee said many have since transitioned into a variety of full-time roles across OCBC, including data scientists, financial analysts and tax advisory executives.
Continue reading...