SINGAPORE: Professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) hoping to upgrade, reskill or switch careers within and into the Infocomm Technology (ICT) sector can look forward to eight new Professional Conversion Programmes (PCP) by the end of the year, said the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) on Wednesday (May 4).

The programmes will run from three to nine months, covering areas of specialisation such as cybersecurity, software development and network administration, WDA said.

They will also run in “place-and-train” mode, where participating employers employ the trainees before they go through classroom and structured on-the-job training. Among the 13 employers on board the programme are Carousell, Eon Reality and ST Electronics, WDA said.

The eight new programmes bring the total number of ICT Professional Conversion Programmes to 10 – enough to take in 250 PMET jobseekers and mid-career switchers in 2016. The prospective employees will not have to pay for their training, it added.

Employers will also enjoy subsidies of 70 per cent of the employee’s salary, capped at S$2,000 per month, for new entrants re-skilling for new jobs  from WDA. In addition, those hiring long-term unemployed or PMETs aged 40 and above will be eligible for enhanced salary support of 90 per cent capped at S$4,000 per month.

According to the Infocomm Development Authority’s 2015 ICT Manpower Survey, Singapore’s ICT industry revenue saw a compound annual growth rate of 15.7 per cent from 2009 to 2014, reaching S$167.1 billion in 2014. The sector also employed over 150,000 ICT professionals.

Minister Lim Swee Say at the Adapt and Grow ICT Career Fair. (Photo: Loke Kok Fai) 

At the sidelines of the Adapt and Grow ICT Career Fair, where the eight programmes were announced, Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said that while PCP is relevant to all sectors of the economy, it is particularly so for the ICT sector where knowledge gets outdated quickly.

“Even for somebody who is working in ICT today, they see a lot of scope for them to go for these Professional Conversion (Programmes),” said Mr Lim. “Because within ICT there are many areas of specialisation. Someone who is good in one area such as Enterprise Resource Planning or system administration may not be good in data analytics or cybersecurity.”

“Having said that, it doesn’t mean that every local PMET have to convert into the infocomm sector,” he added.

“What we want to do is create similar opportunities in every major sector of the economy so that depending on the interest, background and aspiration of each individual, they can decide on which sector is most relevant and suitable for them.”