Overview
The Workfare Training Support (WTS) Scheme complements the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme. While WIS encourages low-wage workers including older workers, to work by supplementing their income and retirement savings, WTS encourages them to upgrade their skills through training. Through this, they are able to improve their employability, upgrade to better jobs and earn more.
Together, these two schemes make up Workfare, a key pillar of Singapore's social security landscape to help low wage workers progress.
WTS covers training courses offered under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) System, including Employability Skills (ES) training courses. All WSQ courses receive 90% or 95% course fee funding support under WTS. This means that older low-wage workers, or their employers, only need to pay 5% or 10% course fees for all WSQ courses.
WTS takes effect from 1 July 2010 and will run for a period of three years.
WTS comprises three components namely:
EMPLOYER
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INDIVIDUAL
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| Enhanced course fee funding support and absentee payroll funding for employers
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Training Commitment Award encourages workers to go for continuous skills upgrading
Eligible workers must also be WIS recipients
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Workfare-Skill Up offers structured training programme with customised classes
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Funding Mechanism
Employers are best placed to know what kind of training is needed to sustain and develop their organisation.
Through the Skills Development Fund (SDF), employers can enjoy grants to support staff training. The funding rate may differ for various courses. SDF is funded through the Skills Deveopment Levy (SDL).
Click here to learn more about SDL.
Employers can apply via the SkillsConnect system to obtain training assistance for course fees and funding for absentee payroll.
View more information on SDF.
Use the Absentee Payroll Calculator.
Employer-based funding is available for two types of training:
- Certifiable Skills Training - refers to training that leads to national or industry-wide certification.
- Other Training - refers to training that does not lead to national or industry-wide certification.
| Type of courses |
Funding components |
Conducted by |
Courses targeted at Rank & File |
Courses targeted at PMETs* |
| Certifiable |
Course fee support |
External training providers |
80% of course fee capped at $7/hr
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50% of course fee capped at $15/hr
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| In-house instructors |
$7/hr
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$15/hr |
| Absentee payroll support |
External training providers / in-house instructors |
80% of hourly based salary capped at $4.50/hr
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Others#
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Course fee support
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External training providers / in-house instructors
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$2/hr
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| * |
Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians. |
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Funding for other training courses conducted by external training providers is capped at 100% of course fees. |
Eligibility Criteria
General Criteria
The general eligibility criteria are listed as follows:
- Companies must be registered or incorporated in Singapore
- Trainees should be fully sponsored by companies for all costs associated with the training
- Trainees must be employed, and are either Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents (PR) of Singapore
- Trainees must achieve at least 75% attendance, and have sat for all examinations if the course leads to certification
Employability Skills (ES) Training - Additional Criteria
Trainees seeking support for ES courses must meet an additional criteria (in addition to the ones listed above):
- For Workplace Literacy (WPL) and/or Workplace Numeracy (WPN) training courses under the Singapore Employability Skills System (ES), the trainee(s) must have completed the Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) appraisal and be recommended for training in the particular WPL and/or WPN module.
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