PRESS RELEASE 27 October 2014 New $20 Million Training Fund For Power Sector The Energy Market Authority is establishing a new $20 million Energy Training Fund to build a strong core of Singaporean technical professionals for the Power sector. This fund will help meet the sector’s manpower needs by supporting two key areas of manpower training, namely: i) Development of new power-related training programmes for EMAapproved training providers: co-funding of up to 50 percent of qualifying costs; and ii) Co-sharing of costs of local technical employees attending the EMAapproved training programmes: funding of up to 70 percent of course fees. More details can be found in the Annex. 2. On why this fund was established, Mr Chee Hong Tat, Chief Executive, EMA said, “It is important for EMA to support and work with the industry to develop a strong Singaporean core of technical professionals for the power sector. This includes opportunities for skills upgrading and continuous education and training, so that our workers are well-equipped to meet the sector’s current and future needs.” 3. This new training fund supports an earlier set of initiatives recommended by the industry-led Power Sector Manpower Taskforce (PSMT) to develop programmes and manpower to meet the challenges of the future. On the timing of this move, Mr. Quek Poh Huat, Senior Adviser of Singapore Power Ltd, who chaired the PSMT said, “This new training fund reflects the Government’s willingness to listen to industry feedback, and address the impending shortage of technical professionals due to an ageing workforce. It is timely and it complements the industry driven initiative to set up the Singapore Institute of Power and Gas (SIPG) to establish a one-stop professional training and development centre for the Power sector.” Page 1 of 4 4. Mr Nachiappan RKS, General Secretary of Union of Power and Gas Employees (UPAGE) welcomed this initiative and said, “We are heartened by the strong commitment from the Industry as well as the Government to invest in workforce training and development to upgrade and reskill our workers with the relevant skillsets. This will also encourage more young Singaporeans to join and grow with the sector.” -- End -About the Energy Market Authority The Energy Market Authority (EMA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Our main goals are to ensure a reliable and secure energy supply, promote effective competition in the energy market and develop a dynamic energy sector in Singapore. Through our work, EMA seeks to forge a progressive energy landscape for sustained growth. Visit www.ema.gov.sg for more information. Page 2 of 4 ANNEX Energy Training Fund For The Power Sector 1. The Energy Training Fund seeks to develop and offer quality professional development courses to build a strong core of Singaporean technical professionals in the Power sector with the requisite skills to meet industry needs. 2. It supports the following areas: a. Development of new training programmes. Qualifying cost items for cofunding may include the costs of course development, and the purchase of training equipment and learning aids. • Funding quantum: Up to 50% of qualifying costs. b. Training grants to co-fund course fees for Singaporean workers from the Power sector attending training programmes approved by EMA. • 3. Funding quantum: Up to 70% of course fees. To be eligible for the ETF, the key criteria are: a. Development of new training programmes. i. The applicant must be a power-related training provider approved by EMA. To be an EMA-approved training provider, it must fulfil the following criteria: • The training provider is a registered business entity in Singapore. • It has a Technical Committee comprising industry experts to provide guidance and direction to develop power-related training programme that is relevant to industry needs. • It has adequate facilities and equipment in place to meet the training needs of the Power sector. • It has a sufficient pool of qualified trainers, assessors and curriculum developers who are subject matter experts in the Power sector. Page 3 of 4 ii. The proposed new training programme must: • Not have received funding/financial government agencies. • Be directly relevant to the Power sector. • Be aligned with the National Energy Competency Framework (NECF), i.e. the programme must be able to identify and address the competency gap with reference made to the NECF. Proposed programmes in electricity/gas related areas not covered under the NECF may be considered on a case-by-case basis. • Include a mandatory post-course assessment to test trainees’ understanding and competency. assistance from other iii. The trainer must have relevant industry experience and, knowledge in the area of the proposed training programme, and is approved by the Training Provider’s Technical Committee. b. Training grants on course fees for Singaporeans attending training programmes. i. The training programme must be approved by EMA. ii. The trainee must be a Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident. iii. The trainee must not be receiving any other grants from other government agencies for the same programme. iv. The trainee must be employed by a Power sector licensee (i.e. electricity, gas and district cooling) regulated by EMA. Trainees who are employed by non-licensees may be considered on a case-by-case basis, on the condition that the trainee is supported by a licensee company. Page 4 of 4