It is heartening to observe the parliamentary debate on the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. Among the programme’s key objectives is supporting mid-career Singaporeans so as to boost their prospects in the current job or pivot into a new career.

My female colleagues and I faced career disruption during the pandemic. We then proactively enrolled and completed digital skills courses to reset our career path. But we were greeted with brutal ageism practices from various multinational corporations as well as small and medium-sized enterprises.

I believe the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme announced in the latest Budget will be effective only if workers who have completed the training programmes can land themselves a suitable career for the next phase of their working life.

A basic short-term training programme may be insufficient for older mid-career individuals to secure a job as they are competing with a younger generation with better academic qualifications. Mid-career workers risk remaining unemployed despite using up the $4,000 in subsidies.

More thought needs to go into how the training can lead to good jobs for these mid-career workers as there are only a limited number of job offerings. We need to address the deficiencies of the career matching programme in its current form to improve outcomes for the individuals using it.

All stakeholders, including employers, must support the well-intended measures in the Budget to rehire mid-career workers and those who have gone the extra mile to elevate their skills to stay relevant and contribute to the country’s economy.

Ho See Ling