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Workforce Development Agency (WDA)

The  Workforce Development Agency (WDA) was founded on 1 September, 2003 as a statutory board under the Ministry of Manpower. Its main function is to support Singapore's labour needs by ensuring that the workforce remains competitive to meet the changing needs of the economy.

Roles and Responsibilities
The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) was set up to ensure that Singapore's workforce stays competitive despite changes in the economy. It works in tandem with organisations such as industry groups, unions, employers, economic agencies, professional associations and training organisations to set up training programmes and schemes aimed at building a trained and skilled workforce. 

Improving manpower capabilities will also help to raise industry standards in Singapore. The WDA works closely with the above-mentioned groups to identify skills gaps. The agency seeks to develop and organise training programmes for workers to bridge the gaps so that worker employability increases. Recent developments include introducing a Tripartite Nautical Training Award to encourage more Singaporeans to consider a maritime career and the opening of a S$1 million training centre for Singapore's retail industry

It also helps to improve adult continuing education and training (CET) by improving adult training methods and curriculum, establishing standards for the training industry and providing a skills framework that workers can use when planning their skills upgrading. As of 2009, there are 48 individual CET centres in Singapore. Under the CET masterplan, two new national campuses will be set up in Paya Lebar and Jurong Lake District. The new centres will allow training to be clustered along sector themes, making it more efficient for workers and employers to obtain all relevant training from one institution.

Another responsibility of the WDA is to assist retrenched Singaporeans in finding jobs. This is done with the help of the Distributed CareerLink Network which provides employment and training assistance to the public. Through its Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework, the WDA also provides programmes to introduce and train professionals, managers, executives and technicians for upcoming sectors such as the wafer fab and games industry. An example of the WDA's training efforts includes the 30 WDA-DigiPen Creative Talent Development Scholarship offered to applicants interested in the Games industry. It also provides job matching for retrenched workers. The Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) is another avenue for the WDA to help workers obtain training. Under SPUR, companies can send their employees for subsidised training. This will help to manage extra manpower as well as upgrade the skills of employees. Other examples of programmes organised by the WDA include the Professional Skills Programme Traineeship, that provides trainees with relevant job experience and the  SPUR-Jobs scheme which co-funds companies to recruit and train local workers.

Organisation structure
The WDA is headed by Chief Executive Chan Heng Kee. It caters to targeted industries such as tourism; healthcare, retail & business services; community & professional services and manufacturing & construction.

Each industry group is serviced by the WDA's frontline divisions that provide services such as identifying skills gaps, developing CET frameworks, developing financial incentives and promoting and implementing new skills programmes.

The frontline divisions are further assisted by eight core services divisions which provide support that cut across the industries. The core services divisions comprise corporate & marketing communications; corporate development; employment facilitation; generic skills development; incentives & finance; information technology; policy and quality assurance.



Author
Tan Yeelin 



References
Cai, H. (2009, September 1). Skills training for 7,000 to boost wafer fab sector. The Straits Times. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Goh, C L. (2009, October 9). Scholarships to train up ship's officers. The Straits Times. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Kor, K B. (2009, August 21). Cluster training for adults at new centres. The Straits Times. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Factiva.

More Singaporeans turning to government for assistance. (2009, May 20). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Sim, S.K. (2009, July 26). Job matching a challenging task. The New Paper. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Sim, S.K. (2009, June 6). Theres a course for everyone: WDA . Today. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Factiva.

Training centre for retail industry opens in the heart of Orchard Road. (2009, July 27). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Factiva.

WDA, DigiPen, Ubisoft collaborate to grow games development talent. (2009, August 6). Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from Factiva.
Work Development Agency. Retrieved Oct 13, 2009, from http://www.wda.gov.sg



The information in this article is valid as at 2009 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Politics and Government
Commerce and Industry>>Labour and Employment
Singapore Workforce Development Agency
Employer-supported education--Singapore
Continuing education--Singapore
Law and government>>Regulatory role>>Employment agencies
Education>>Adult education>>Adult literacy programs



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