The elephant in the truck
貨車?yán)锏拇笙?/h1>
Since January 2016 every Singaporean above the age of 25 has been given a S$500 ($345) credit that can be freely used to pay for any training courses provided by 500 approved providers, including universities and MOOCs. Generous subsidies, of up to 90% for Singaporeans aged 40 and over, are available on top of this credit. The programme currently has a budget of S$600m a year, which is due to rise to S$1billion within three years. According to Ng Cher Pong, Skills Future’s chief executive, the returns on that spending matter less than changing the mindset around continuous reskilling.
在 2016 年 1月后每個(gè)年滿 25 歲的新加坡人都收到了一筆 500 新元的基金樊破，這筆錢可以用于支付由包括大學(xué)和慕課在內(nèi)的 500 多家培訓(xùn)機(jī)構(gòu)的培訓(xùn)課程費(fèi)用跃赚。新加坡 90% 以上年過 40 的人都收到了這筆慷慨的資助州藕。這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃每年需要 6 億新元的預(yù)算，在三年內(nèi)將會增加到 10 億韵丑。Skills Future 的長官 Ng Cher Pong 聲稱效五，相對于轉(zhuǎn)換持續(xù)重新學(xué)習(xí)的思維方式，這筆預(yù)算算不上什么。
Some programmes cater to the needs of those who lack basic skills. Tripartite agreements between unions, employers and government lay out career and skills ladders for those who are trapped in low-wage occupations. Professional-conversion programmes offer subsidised training to people switching to newcareers in areas such as health care.
有些計(jì)劃面向于滿足那些需求基礎(chǔ)技能的人群蝎宇。工會、用人單位以及政府間的三方協(xié)議為那些陷于低薪水的人群提供了職業(yè)和技能增長的階梯祷安。職業(yè)轉(zhuǎn)換項(xiàng)目為那些有志于轉(zhuǎn)換工作到比如醫(yī)療保健領(lǐng)域的人群贊助了培訓(xùn)課程姥芥。
Given Singapore’s size and political system, this approach is not easily replicated in many other countries, but lessons can still be drawn. It makes sense for employers, particularly smaller ones, to club together to signal their skills needs to the workforce at large. Individual learning accounts have a somewhat chequered history—fraudulent training providers helped scupper a British experiment in the early 2000s—but if well designed, they can offer workers educational opportunities without being overly prescriptive.
考慮到新加坡的體制和國土面積，這些方式并不容易被其他國家所復(fù)制汇鞭，但是同樣可以從中獲取有益的經(jīng)驗(yàn)凉唐。對于小型用人單位而言，可以聚集在一起然后告知用人市場的勞動(dòng)者他們需要哪些技能霍骄。個(gè)人學(xué)習(xí)賬戶有著毀譽(yù)參半的歷史台囱，在 2000 年左右一個(gè)詐騙培訓(xùn)機(jī)構(gòu)將英國的一個(gè)試驗(yàn)性項(xiàng)目化為泡影，但如果我們仔細(xì)設(shè)計(jì)規(guī)劃读整，便能在為勞動(dòng)者提供培訓(xùn)機(jī)會的同時(shí)而不用監(jiān)管過嚴(yán)簿训。
