More help for workers, especially ITE and poly grads, to 'take ownership' of career and training: DPM Wong

SINGAPORE — More help will be provided for workers to take ownership of their careers and training, with special attention paid to those in vocational and technical roles, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Monday (May 1). 

Speaking to around 1,400 labour movement leaders, workers and tripartite partners during the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) May Day rally held at Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mr Wong said that the Government will shift SkillsFuture to a “higher gear”. 

He added that the Government will help workers  — especially Institute of Technical Education and polytechnic graduates — deepen their skills through different pathways so they can secure better salaries and career paths in the professions they have trained in. 

Mr Wong, who was delivering the keynote speech in place of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the May Day rally for the first time, added that Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) will also have to improve their skills alongside rapid advances in technology. 

Providing the example of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mr Wong said that he had asked ChatGPT what he should write in his speech. 

“It didn’t give me a good answer, so I had to write this speech myself,” he quipped.

On a more serious note, Mr Wong said that in time to come the AI algorithms will only get better and more versatile, with "many more" applications of AI on the way. 

Integrating new technologies like AI into the workplace will bring sweeping changes, including ones for highly-trained workers. 

“We must expect more human tasks to be taken over by machines. Some existing skills will no longer be so useful, but new skills will be needed,” he said. 

While he gave examples and lauded workers who have upgraded their skills to embrace new technology, Mr Wong acknowledged the difficulties of juggling work, family responsibilities and studying. 

The Government, he said, will work closely with the labour movement to reduce the costs and lower the barriers to training.

Mr Wong added that the Government is also looking at other issues in their Forward Singapore review. These include providing more support for those who have lost their jobs as well as uplifting lower-wage workers. 

He noted other concerns that workers have such as the cost of living and said that the support measures implemented during this year's Budget will help cover the increase in spending due to inflation for lower and middle-income households. 

He said that "more help is on the way", such as top-ups for children later this month, utilities and service and conservancy charges rebates every quarter and cash payouts for all adult Singaporeans. 

“We have done everything we can to lessen the stresses and strains that people feel on the ground, and we will continue to do so,” he said. 

Touching on the relationship between the ruling People's Action Party and NTUC, Mr Wong said that tripartism is the Government’s “secret recipe”, as well as “one of our greatest and most sustainable competitive advantages”. 

Though it cannot afford the same scale of subsidies as Germany in offering Intel to invest in the country, Mr Wong said that Singapore has something worth even more – a tripartite structure that is in working order. 

"That’s worth many times more than S$10 billion. So let’s cherish and guard this precious inheritance and make it even better," he said. 

He pointed to other developed first-world nations such as France and the United Kingdom, where industrial relations have broken down. 

"It becomes a vicious cycle, because once trust is lost, it’s very hard to recover. We must never allow this to happen here," he said. 

Fortunately, Singapore is "on the right track" and its tripartite approach ensures that the country has the "best chance of overcoming challenges and seizing new opportunities", said Mr Wong. 

Speaking to TODAY after the event, pre-school principal Ms Herlena Masehkoo, 42, who is part of the Education Services Union, was heartened to hear about the greater emphasis on training as this would be beneficial for her, even as she attends trainings regularly already. 

Fellow unionist 52-year-old Rohana Ujang, who is an assistant teacher at an international school, agreed.

"If you want to continue working, you have to continue upskilling and improving yourself. If not, you will be stagnant," said Ms Rohana. 

NTUC TO BETTER SERVE NEEDS OF YOUTH

Also speaking at the rally was NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, who spoke about how NTUC intends to better serve youths, which he referred to as an underserved segment by the labour movement, along with PMEs. 

He said that the union has engaged over 10,000 youths after launching the Youth Taskforce last year. 

The key concerns shared were career prospects and opportunities, finances as well as mental well-being. 

As such, Mr Ng said that NTUC has conceptualised a career trial where youths can access jobs with workplace mentors as they start working. 

This will help complement internship programmes by Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and create a “win-win” for youths and employers, especially for those finishing National Service and are starting work. 

Executive council observer for the Union of Security Employees. Mr Vignesha Naidu, speaking to TODAY after the event, said that with the issue of salaries in the security industry moving up to an "acceptable level" for Singaporeans, the next focus will be on young people entering the industry. 

"When they come into our industry, they do not want to be in a mundane industry. They will want to be in a challenging, more exciting industry," he said.

This is where training for security technology such as AI and facial recognition systems play a part, to ensure that such technologies are tapped on and there are constant upgrades for officers, he said.