Tuesday, May 19, 2009
[IWS] ILO: SINGAPORE: SOCIAL DIALOGUE & SKILL DEVELOPMENT: TRIPARTITE APPROACHES TO TRAINING [May 2009]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Social Dialogue, Labour Law and Labour Administration Department
Paper 21:
Social dialogue and skill development: Tripartite approaches to training in Singapore
Hing Ai Yun, Russell D. Lansbury. ISBN 978-92-2-121653-7. English only.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/ifpdial/downloads/papers/skilldev.pdf
[full-text, 51 pages]
Executive summary
This paper outlines the development of tripartite approaches to training and skills
development in Singapore in recent years, which involves a high level of
cooperation and collaboration between the government, employers and unions.
While numerous factors are responsible for Singapore's rapid economic
development, various tripartite initiatives in the skills and workforce development
fields have played a crucial role in Singapore's success. In 2003, the Singapore
Workforce Development Agency (WDA) was established to enhance the
employability of Singaporeans and help them adjust to the changing economy
which is based increasingly on knowledge-driven industries in the service sector
and less on the traditional manufacturing. The Skills Development Fund, which is
based on collections from the Skills Development Levy on employers, has also
provided financial incentives for training on a cost-sharing principle. Recent
initiatives by the WDA include the Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund and the
Job Re-Creation Programme which aims to assist workers during periods of
economic restructuring. Research indicates, however, that well-educated workers
with higher earnings are more likely to participate in training and reap the rewards
than lower paid, less well-educated workers. Hence, there is a need to extend
training to the more vulnerable members of the workforce. While Singapore has
made significant progress in skills enhancement and successfully engaged the
social partners to collaborate in training policy and development, it is nevertheless
important to look forward to future development. The concept of sustainable skill
ecosystems may be useful to explore in Singapore as a means of developing a 'high
skills equilibrium' based on firms using high skills and innovative practices. Some
skills ecosystems projects have been developed in Australia within specific
industries in order to develop networks which can more effectively train and retain
workers, particularly where skills are scarce, and contribute to operational
efficiency. Singapore may find that a skills ecosystem approach provides a useful
framework within which to develop sustainable skills and training programmes,
within and across various industries, while preserving the advantages of their
tripartite approach.
Giuseppe Casale,
Chief,
Social Dialogue, Labour Law and
Labour Administration Branch
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Social Dialogue, Labour Law and Labour Administration Department
Paper 21:
Social dialogue and skill development: Tripartite approaches to training in Singapore
Hing Ai Yun, Russell D. Lansbury. ISBN 978-92-2-121653-7. English only.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/ifpdial/downloads/papers/skilldev.pdf
[full-text, 51 pages]
Executive summary
This paper outlines the development of tripartite approaches to training and skills
development in Singapore in recent years, which involves a high level of
cooperation and collaboration between the government, employers and unions.
While numerous factors are responsible for Singapore's rapid economic
development, various tripartite initiatives in the skills and workforce development
fields have played a crucial role in Singapore's success. In 2003, the Singapore
Workforce Development Agency (WDA) was established to enhance the
employability of Singaporeans and help them adjust to the changing economy
which is based increasingly on knowledge-driven industries in the service sector
and less on the traditional manufacturing. The Skills Development Fund, which is
based on collections from the Skills Development Levy on employers, has also
provided financial incentives for training on a cost-sharing principle. Recent
initiatives by the WDA include the Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund and the
Job Re-Creation Programme which aims to assist workers during periods of
economic restructuring. Research indicates, however, that well-educated workers
with higher earnings are more likely to participate in training and reap the rewards
than lower paid, less well-educated workers. Hence, there is a need to extend
training to the more vulnerable members of the workforce. While Singapore has
made significant progress in skills enhancement and successfully engaged the
social partners to collaborate in training policy and development, it is nevertheless
important to look forward to future development. The concept of sustainable skill
ecosystems may be useful to explore in Singapore as a means of developing a 'high
skills equilibrium' based on firms using high skills and innovative practices. Some
skills ecosystems projects have been developed in Australia within specific
industries in order to develop networks which can more effectively train and retain
workers, particularly where skills are scarce, and contribute to operational
efficiency. Singapore may find that a skills ecosystem approach provides a useful
framework within which to develop sustainable skills and training programmes,
within and across various industries, while preserving the advantages of their
tripartite approach.
Giuseppe Casale,
Chief,
Social Dialogue, Labour Law and
Labour Administration Branch
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 6:31 AM
