Two National CET Campuses to Boost Workforce Development
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) will develop two Continuing Education and Training (CET) campuses that will serve as the key focal points for skills upgrading. This major initiative underscores Singapore's continuing commitment to CET and its increasing importance in enhancing economic competitiveness as well as workers' employability beyond the recession.
2. The CET campuses will serve as:
(i) A Gateway for all workers, from rank-and-file to professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), to discover career opportunities, and access relevant training that will help them stay employable and progress in their careers;
(ii) A Hub of high quality CET providers, clustered under one roof, leveraging on each other and linked up with the wider network of providers around the island;
(iii) An Employment Exchange for employers to meet their manpower needs and for workers to seek out good job opportunities;
(iv) A One-Stop Centre integrating career coaching, training, assessment, and career services.
Enhancing CET Accessibility
3. To be ready by 2013, the campuses will be located at Paya Lebar Central in the East and Jurong Lake District in the West, both of which will be major regional hubs1. They will be easily accessible to all Singaporeans via the excellent public transport networks that serve these areas. Together, the campuses are expected to cater to about 150,000 training places annually.
Integrated Services
4. The campuses will bring together facilities such as career centres, skills assessment facilities, best-in-class CET centres, facilities for recruitment and career workshops, and facilities for CET research and development of new CET programmes. Both campuses will offer generic courses in employability and portable skills such as service excellence. Each campus will also adopt sector themes and training providers will be clustered along these themes for greater effectiveness. For example, hospitality-related courses, such as tourism, hotel, food & beverage and retail, can be located at the same campus. Training related to social services such as healthcare, childcare, youth and student care and senior services can likewise be clustered together.
What Workers and Employers can Expect
5. Adult Singaporeans will tap on the CET campuses as an important resource throughout their working life. They can visit the campuses to find out the latest on jobs and training opportunities. They can also seek advice from the career consultants and attend regular industry and career talks. They will be able to find out about all the programmes available in our national CET system, including courses that are provided outside of the campuses (such as our Polytechnics, Institute of Technical Education and other relevant CET providers).
6. While employers planning new investments or expansion can partner the campuses to jointly develop customised courses and train a pipeline of skilled workers for their business needs. For employers, there is the added advantage of dealing with a single party via either campus which can package services to meet their current as well as future needs2.
Building a Community of Adult Educators
7. CET organisations and professionals at the campuses will be part of a close-knit community. They will learn from one another to further their expertise and share resources to improve service delivery. New CET delivery approaches and programmes will be developed and ‘hot-housed' on the campuses, merging local know-how with international expertise. The campuses will also be involved in the training and professional development of adult educators.
A Tripartite Partnership
8. Both campuses will boast strong tripartite presence and collaboration involving WDA, the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), private and public sector training providers, industry associations and employers. NTUC's e2i has valuable capability in CET, especially its experience in operating a one-stop CET cluster at its current premises. SNEF serves as a key outreach channel to employers and a CET provider itself. Both will play important roles in the CET campuses. Relevant government agencies, employers and training providers will also be involved in the development process.
9. “The campuses will serve as key gateways to deliver integrated and effective skills upgrading for both workers and employers. We hope that the CET campuses will be to working adults what our ITE, polytechnics and universities are to our young. They will provide vital resources for Singaporeans throughout their working life to retrain or upgrade their skills, and in the process boost their employability as the economy and labour market continually evolve,” said Mr Chan Heng Kee, Chief Executive of WDA.
About Ministry of Manpower
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) aspires to develop a globally competitive workforce and a great workplace, for a cohesive society and a secure economic future for all Singaporeans.
More information is available at our website.
About Singapore Workforce Development Agency
The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) enhances the competitiveness of our workforce by encouraging workers to learn for life and advance with skills. In today's economy, most jobs require not just knowledge, but also skills. WDA collaborates with employers, industry associations, the Union and training organisations, to develop and strengthen the Continuing Education and Training system that is skills-based, open and accessible, as a mainstream pathway for all workers - young and older, from rank and file to professionals and executives - to upgrade and advance in their careers and lives. For more information, please visit the WDA website.
1Refer to Annex A for more details on the CET Campuses and their locations.
2Please refer to Annex B for more details on what the two campuses will mean for workers and employers.
Annex A- Media Release on CET Campuses (200809).pdf
Annex B- Media Release on CET Campuses (200809).pdf