The Singapore government has set aside S$36 million as allowances for freelances and self-employed to attend courses under its SkillsFuture initiative. Minister of Manpower Josephine Teo stated that this could also be a window of opportunity for them to upgrade their skills.
The newly introduced SEP Training Support Scheme will see all SEPs paid a training allowance of S$7.50/hour to attend courses under the SkillsFuture Series, as well as selected sector-specific training programmes, over the next three months. This will help them supplement their income while being more future-ready. Together, there are six modular courses stretching over 90 hours or about 12 days.
There is no cap to how much training SEPs can sign up for. NTUC, which has established outreach channels to SEPs, will administer this scheme, and release details on how to apply soon.
