Singapore, 30 January 2020 – Despite current economic uncertainties and a weaker demand from some end-markets such as consumer electronics, there are still bright spots within the electronics industry driven by the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and the rise of electric and autonomous vehicles. These changes, coupled with industry transformation, will not only generate new jobs, but also enhance and transform existing roles for both PMET and Rank-and-File (RnF) workers in various disciplines such as engineering, support technology, finance, human resources and business analytics.

2            In anticipation of these manpower changes and to prepare the industry for future growth, Workforce Singapore (WSG) has worked with the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA) and industry stakeholders to increase the training capacity for the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCP) for Electronics Engineer and Electronics Assistant Engineer. In consultation with the industry and SSIA on the manpower demand, an additional 1,000 PMETs are expected to benefit over three and a half years, beginning from November 2019. Please see Annex A for more information about the PCPs.

3            WSG and SSIA have also rolled out a pilot Place-and-Train (PnT) Programme for Electronics Operator to help 50 RnF workers enter or get reskilled into new jobs in the electronics industry over the same period. Please see Annex B for more information about the new PnT Programme.

4            Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower, made the announcements during a ceremonial Lunar New Year Lohei with SSIA this evening.

Ramped-up efforts to ensure the workforce and labour pool remain ready for new and enhanced roles in electronics

5            With automation and adoption of Industry 4.0 solutions, demand for workers with the necessary skills to manage and handle these new processes and technologies will rise. For business transformation to fully come to fruition, employers need to decisively start to ease the acute skill shortage and fill new roles that have emerged from such an exercise. Apart from just looking to universities for fresh graduates, they can consider the large pool of mid-careerists who bring with them a wealth of working experience and simply need a quick period of retraining to bridge skills gap.

6            Companies undergoing or starting their own transformation process during this period of moderate economic growth can also look at reskilling and redeploying their existing workers into the new or enhanced roles.

7            The increase in training capacity of the PCPs and the pilot PnT Programme will allow these employers to access a wider pool of talent and defray the training costs involved in reskilling and redeploying existing employees affected by business transformation into new or enhanced roles.

8            Launched in November 2016 under the Adapt and Grow initiative, close to 900 mid-career PMETs have entered new careers through the PCPs for Electronics Engineer and Electronics Assistant Engineer. More than 30 multinational companies and small-and-medium enterprises have also benefited from an easier access to this alternative talent pool.

9            Mr Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive of WSG, said, “WSG is committed to build a resilient workforce equipped with deep capabilities that can support the future needs of the electronics industry, as the increase in PCP capacity and introduction of the pilot Place-and-Train programme show. We will continue working with SSIA – the key conduit between our Adapt and Grow programmes and the industry – to plug skills gaps and ensure that our electronics workers have the right skills to stay ahead. We also encourage employers to cast their sights further upstream and be ready to harness the opportunities when the eventual upturn arrives.”

10          Andrew Chong, Chairman of SSIA said, “It is one of SSIA’s mandates under the Industrial Transformation Map (ITM) to reshape the local manpower landscape to meet the industry’s needs in talent development, and the Profession Conversion Programme (PCP) is one of the successful initiatives. We are honoured to roll out this programme together with WSG.”

For media queries, please contact:

Esther Chan
Senior Manager, Workforce Singapore
9188 8251          esther_chan@wsg.gov.sg

About Workforce Singapore (www.wsg.gov.sg)

Workforce Singapore promotes the development, competitiveness, inclusiveness, and employability of all levels of the workforce. Its key mission is to enable Singaporeans to meet their career aspirations, take on quality jobs at different stages of life, and help enterprises be competitive and manpower-lean. Workforce Singapore’s focus is on strengthening the Singaporean core and ensuring that Singaporeans are able to have better jobs and careers. Workforce Singapore, in partnership with key stakeholders, also provides support to business owners and companies to enable them to transform and grow, while building a future-ready workforce.

Annex A

MEDIA FACTSHEET ON PROFESSIONAL CONVERSION PROGRAMMES (PCPs) FOR ELECTRONICS ENGINEER AND ELECTRONICS ASSISTANT ENGINEER

Under the Adapt and Grow initiative, Workforce Singapore (WSG) worked with the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA) and the industry to develop the Professional Conversion Programmes (PCPs) for Electronics Engineer and Electronics Assistant Engineer. These job roles are in areas such as production, facilities management, research and development, automation and integration, and technical support.

These PCPs aim to equip mid-career Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs), as well as existing PMET employees whose company is undergoing business transformation, with the necessary competencies and skills to take on new or enhanced job roles in areas within the electronics and semiconductor industries.

Participants onboard the six-month-long programme will undergo full-time structured On-the-Job Training and facilitated classroom training (either in-house or external). Participating employers will receive salary support of up to 90% of the monthly salary for the employees onboard the PCP.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who are mid-career hires must fulfil the following criteria:

• Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident;
• Must be newly hired PMETs and nominated by an eligible company for the PCP;
• Must not be in a similar job role in the same industry prior to joining the PCP; and
• Graduated or completed National Service at least 2 years prior at the point of application.

All participating companies must fulfil the following criteria:

• Registered or incorporated in Singapore;
• Must offer the new hire a PMET job and issue a valid permanent employment contract. Full-time employment contract must be at least 12 months;
• Companies undergoing business transformation must be able to provide structured OJT for new hire and affected employees;
• All applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis; and
• Companies exploring support for redeployment of their employees who are affected by ongoing business transformation should approach WSG/SSIA for discussion.

Contact Details

For more information, please contact Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA) at:

Tel:                      3109 1953

Email:                  pcp@ssia.org.sg

Website:             www.ssia.org.sg

Interested individuals may apply through the following application portal

Annex B

MEDIA FACTSHEET ON PLACE-AND-TRAIN (PnT) PROGRAMME FOR ELECTRONICS OPERATOR

Under the Adapt and Grow initiative, Workforce Singapore (WSG) worked with the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA) and the industry to develop the Place-and-Train (PnT) Programme for Electronics Operator.

The three-month-long PnT programme aims to equip mid-career operators and existing Rank-and-File workers with the necessary competencies and skills to take on new or enhanced job roles in areas within the electronics and semiconductor industries. These job roles are in areas such as production, facilities management, research and development, automation and integration, and technical support.

Participants onboard the programme will undergo full-time structured On-the-Job Training and facilitated classroom training (either in-house or external). Participating employers will receive salary support of up to 90% of the monthly salary for the employees onboard the programme.

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates who are mid-career hires must fulfil the following criteria:

• Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident;
• Must be newly hired and nominated by an eligible company for the PnT Programme;
• Must not be in a similar job role in the same industry prior to joining the PnT Programme; and
• Graduated or completed National Service at least 2 years prior at the point of application.

All participating companies must fulfil the following criteria:

• Registered or incorporated in Singapore;
• Must offer the new hire a job and issue a valid permanent employment contract. Full-time employment contract must be at least 12 months;
• Companies undergoing business transformation must be able to provide structured OJT for new hire and affected employees; and
• All applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis; and
•  Companies exploring support for redeployment of their employees who are affected by ongoing business transformation should approach WSG/SSIA for discussion.

Contact Details

For more information, please contact Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA) at:

Tel:                      3109 1953

Email:                  pcp@ssia.org.sg

Website:             www.ssia.org.sg

Interested individuals may apply through the following application portal:  https://conversion.mycareersfuture.gov.sg/Portal/ProgramListing.aspx?source=PCP

Profiles of PCP Participants