Singapore to continue focus on training workforce

Singapore is building two Continuing Education and Training (CET) Centers as it targets to raise productivity by 2 to 3 percent each year for the next decade, the country's manpower minister said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the 2nd Association of Southeast Asian Nation or Asean Human Resource Conference 2010, Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said that Singapore will build up a comprehensive CET system to provide more opportunities for workers to upgrade their skills.

To be completed by 2013, the centers will serve as key gateways for workers and employers to meet the training needs of the workforce.

He said that Singapore must maximize the potential of its human resources by retaining the experience and abilities of older workers, and encouraging more women to join the workforce.

To ensure that lower-skilled workers will also upgrade their skills and improve their productivity, the Minister also said that a new Workfare Training Scheme will be introduced in July to encourage low-wage workers to go for training.

Source:Xinhua