SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 29 September 2020 - The economic impact of COVID-19 has pushed unemployment rates to the nation's highest in more than a decade and is expected to climb further for the rest of 2020. This is in tandem with increased demand for relevant ICT skills as businesses make a digital switch to better cope in the new normal.

Acknowledging the needs of the current manpower landscape, Singapore IT courses provider, COMAT, has launched 47 new funded tech courses to close the digital skills gap and support a post-pandemic economy. Among the new IT courses introduced, it has added brand-based certifications in office skills as well as a range of advanced technology competencies such as those in cloud computing, data analytics and AI.

Together with its current pool of training courses, COMAT allows jobseekers to acquire useful tech skills desired in their chosen fields, or reskill to stay economically relevant and find opportunities in new industries. Companies can also leverage these courses to send eligible employees for training to boost their technical proficiencies.

Government grants for training accessibility

With government funding available, both companies and individuals can overcome financial barriers that prevent them from investing in professional development, thus making skills upgrading more accessible than ever.

COMAT's courses are eligible for up to seven government grants together with a union funding scheme, applicable to Singapore citizens and permanent residents. They include:

1.     Critical Infocomm Technology Resource Programme PLUS (CITREP+)

2.     Enhanced Training Support for SMEs

3.     National Infocomm Competency Framework

4.     Skills Development Fund

5.     SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy

6.     Post Secondary Education Account

7.     SkillsFuture Credit

8.     Union Training Assistance Programme

These funding options cater to a range of courses across Professional, Manager and Executive levels as well as the rank and file, with further categorisation on age and mode of sponsorship. Those eligible may also apply for multiple schemes and get as much as 100% of course fees covered. More details are available in COMAT's guide to training grants for IT courses in Singapore.

With the pandemic-accelerated adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in both the public and private sectors, the nation must ensure that its labour market can meet skills demand during volatile economic conditions. COMAT addresses this at the crux by making IT training accessible, affordable and relevant in Singapore.