The Enhanced Training Support Package (ETSP) was part of the Stabilisation and Support Package and supplementary Resilience Budget announced by DPM Heng Swee Keat. To encourage employers to send their workers for training during downtime, the Government has provided time-limited enhancements to the course fee subsidy and absentee payroll funding for eligible courses. Enhanced course fee subsidies of up to 90% support were extended to selected sectors, while enhanced Absentee Payroll (AP) funding rates of 90% hourly basic salary (capped at $10/hour) were extended to all sectors from 1 May 2020. The time-limited enhancements were applicable for courses starting before 1 Jan 2021.
On 5 Oct 2020, DPM Heng Swee Keat announced the extension of ETSP for an additional six months with some adjustments, for courses starting before 1 Jul 2021. Specifically:
1. Enhanced course fee subsidy at up to 90% (up from baseline rates from 50%) will be maintained, for eligible employers in selected sectors more severely affected by COVID-19. This currently includes Aerospace, Air Transport, Arts & Culture, Food & Beverage, Point-to-Point and Private Hire Bus Transport1 , Retail and Tourism. This will also be extended to the severely affected Marine & Offshore sector.
2. From 1 Jan 2021, the enhanced Absentee Payroll funding rate will be revised to 80% of hourly basic salary capped at $7.50/hour, for employers in all sectors. This will apply to all courses that are eligible for absentee payroll2 funding today. This is lowered from the current enhanced AP rate of 90% of hourly basic salary, capped at $10/hour, in line with the easing of Government support as the economy recovers. The AP rate from 1 Jan 2021 to 30 June 2021 remains higher than the pre-COVID rates for some companies.
1Applies to point-to-point transport and private hire buses
2This applies to all courses that are eligible for absentee payroll funding today, e.g. selected courses by SSG-appointed CET Centres or certifiable courses by other SSG-approved training providers. Employers are advised to check with the training providers on the courses that are eligible for absentee payroll funding.
The ETSP is time-limited to cover eligible courses starting before 1 July 2021. Enterprises (both SMEs and non-SMEs) are eligible for funding under the ETSP if they send their employees for training which commence within the following periods:
Table 1: Eligibility for Enhanced Course Fee Subsidy and Enhanced Absentee Payroll Funding
Sectors | Course Commencement Date | Eligible for enhanced course fee funding? |
Eligible for enhanced absentee payroll (AP) funding#? |
Tourism* | Between 1 Mar 2020 and 30 Jun 2021 | Yes, for selected sector-specific programmes | Yes |
Air Transport | |||
Food & Beverage | Between 1 Apr 2020 and 30 Jun 2021 | ||
Retail | |||
Point-to-Point and Private Hire Bus Transport* | |||
Arts and Culture | |||
Aerospace | Between 1 Sep 2020 and 30 Jun 2021 | ||
Marine & Offshore | Between 5 Oct 2020 and 30 Jun 2021 | ||
All other sectors | 1 May 2020 to 30 Jun 2021 | No | Yes |
* Includes tourist guides who are self-employed persons. AP funding is not applicable to tourist guides and point-to-point drivers.
#For course commencement before 1 Jan 2021, the absentee payroll funding rate is at 90% of hourly basic salary, capped at $10 per hour. For course commencement between 1 Jan 2021 to 30 Jun 2021, absentee payroll funding is at 80% of hourly basic salary, capped at $7.50 per hour.
The training will focus on deep domain, digital and soft skills that the sectors require. Examples of these courses include:
Tourism | Foster Service Innovation, Quality Visitor Experience through Immersive Technology, Cultural Savviness & Diversity Service Inclusion and Understanding Visitors |
Air Transport | Dangerous Goods Handling, Perishables Handling, International Travel Regulations, Air Transport Community Enrichment Programme (Airport Operations), Human Factors Training for Cabin Crew, A380 Service Training |
Retail | Customer Experience Innovation, Productivity Management, Digital Marketing, Immersive Technology |
Food & Beverage | Culinary Arts, Process Innovation, Managing Cost and Quality Control, Search Engine Advertising |
Arts and Culture | Pedagogy for Performing Arts Instructors, Digital Media (art-making and outreach), Audience Engagement, e-Commerce Campaign Management |
Point-to-Point Transport and Private Hire Bus Transport | Understanding of Electric Vehicles, Vehicle Safety and Maintenance, Safe & Defensive Driving |
Aerospace | Quality & Safety Management System in Aerospace, WSQ Perform Aircraft General Maintenance |
Marine & Offshore | Electrical Power Engineering, Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Bunkering, and Shipyard Safety |
Employers are advised to check with SSG-appointed training providers for the list of sector-specific training programmes which are eligible for the enhanced course fee funding under ETSP.
From 1 May 2020, the enhanced AP rates will apply to all courses that are eligible for AP funding today, e.g. selected courses by SSG-appointed CET Centres or selected certifiable courses by other SSG-approved training providers. Employers are advised to check with training providers on the courses that are eligible for AP funding.
Tourism | • Analytics for the Hospitality Industry • SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace |
Air Transport | • Introduction to Behavioral Insights • Robotic Process Automation for Beginners |
Retail | • Digital Marketer Essentials • Customer Experience 4.0 |
Food & Beverage | • Fundamentals of Data Analytics • Customer Experience 4.0 |
Arts and Culture | • Staying Relevant in the Digital Economy • Event Branding and Social Media Marketing |
Point-to-Point Transport and Private Hire Bus Transport | • Staying Relevant in the Digital Economy • Digital Marketer Essentials |
Aerospace | • Analytics in Industry 4.0 • Robotics Operation & Adaptation (SkillsFuture Series) |
Marine & Offshore | • Sensors and Instrumentation for Automation • Cyber Security Essentials • Digital and Agile Transformation |
Enterprises with registered business activities in the 8 sectors listed above can sign up for courses with the appointed training partners and apply for enhanced AP. These companies only need to pay the net course fees (i.e. course fees after the enhanced SSG subsidy) and the appointed training partners will disburse the enhanced AP to eligible companies once their employees have completed the training and passed the assessment.
Interested enterprises may approach the following CET Centres or training providers for more information.
Sector |
Appointed Training Partners (as at 5 Oct 2020) |
Tourism (i.e. Hotel & Accommodation Services, MICE, Attractions, Tour & Travel and Tourist Guides) |
|
Air Transport |
|
F&B |
|
Retail |
|
Arts & Culture |
|
Point-to-Point and Private Hire Bus Transport |
|
Aerospace |
|
Marine & Offshore |
|
Enterprises in all other sectors may follow the current process of applying for AP via the SkillsConnect system for courses commencing before 1 November 2020. For courses which commence from 1 November 2020, you can apply for AP grants through the Enterprise Portal for Jobs & Skills (EPJS). You will receive a notification to apply for AP after the course has been completed. This will be available from 12 October 2020 onwards.