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Oral Answer by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower, to PQ on Professional Conversion Programme for Preschool Teachers

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1756 FOR A SITTING ON 6 AUG 2019
QUESTION NO. 3008 FOR ORAL ANSWER

MP: Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar

To ask the Minister for Manpower what is the progress in running professional conversion programmes for retiring mainstream teachers and other professionals keen to take up a new career as preschool educators.

Answer

  1. To support the expansion of the early childhood care and education (ECCE) sector, Workforce Singapore (WSG), SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) jointly offer the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) for Pre-school Teachers and the Place-and-Train Programme (PnT) for Educarers, under the Adapt and Grow (A&G) initiative.

  2. These programmes are designed to equip mid-career individuals with the necessary qualifications and skills for a fulfilling career in the ECCE sector. Participating pre-schools receive salary and training support for their newly-hired employees. In the past three years, more than 2,000 jobseekers have been placed with over 400 employers in the ECCE sector.

  3. As the ECCE sector continues to expand, we hope to attract more mid-career individuals looking to pursue careers as Pre-School Teachers and Educarers. WSG, SSG and ECDA will continue with efforts to raise awareness of these A&G programmes, and encourage pre-schools and interested jobseekers to take up these programmes.