Singapore — Workers’ Party (WP) leader Pritam Singh announced on Friday (Dec 4) that he met Google representatives last month and discussed how the tech giant supports job opportunities for locals in Singapore.
Google Asia-Pacific’s Government Affairs and Public Policy team told Mr Singh and fellow Aljunied GRC MP Leon Perera, who was also at the lunch meeting, that it has some initiatives in the works to support Singaporeans in the job market.
One of the initiatives that caught Mr Singh’s interest is Google’s participation in the Skills Ignition SG programme, which seeks to train up to 3,000 job-seekers in either digital marketing or cloud technology. The first round of applications closed in August but a new round of applications to the programme has reopened.
Created for Singapore citizens and permanent residents who are not currently employed, the Skills Ignition SG training programme has two pathways for job-seekers. The first pathway is a 6-month vocational training track, in which candidates will be trained in either digital marketing or cloud technology.
Candidates in this pathway will receive a monthly training allowance of S$1,500, while the training costs S$500 which is payable in SkillsFuture Credit. Training may begin as early as January 2021 with new classes commencing every month thereafter, for those who apply now.
The second pathway is a vocational and on-the-job training track. Candidates who are selected for this track will undergo 3 months of vocational training in digital marketing or cloud technology, followed by 6 months of on-the-job training with Google or another host company.
Unlike the first pathway, there is no training fee for this track and candidates will be paid a monthly salary throughout the 9 months. Candidates who apply now and are chosen through a selection process may expect to start the programme in March or April 2021.
While the second track is a good fit for those who are interested in doing 6 months of on-the-job training to supplement vocational training, the first pathway provides a longer vocational training course that covers additional topics such as programmatic and social media advertising for digital marketing and networking and security for cloud technology.
Eligibility criteria and more information on the programme may be found here.
In his social media post, Mr Singh said that he and Mr Perera were interested in Google’s “enlightened recruitment culture which recognises diversity”.
Encouraging Singaporeans to apply to the Skills Ignition SG programme, he added:Â “While entry to the programme will undoubtedly be competitive, I hope eligible Singaporeans who have an interest in the IT industry, particularly digital marketing or cloud technology seriously consider applying.“
