New statutory board merges SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore
The Singapore government will establish on July 1 the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), which will merge SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) into a single statutory board.
The SWDA, established through a legislation that passed in May, aims to develop and advance Singapore's human potential.
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said the agency is expected to provide employers support for their recruitment efforts and be a "stronger partner" to employers in workforce development.
The agency also aims to support the delivery of training that is more relevant to employers' needs, and provide a suite of programmes that can help employers reskill their staff.
It is also expected to support employers through the challenges of deeper workforce transformation in the wake of ongoing AI transformation in workplaces, according to the minister.
Tan said the SWDA will provide employers with integrated support across workforce restructuring, job redesign, and capability development.
For employees, the SWDA will also offer tools, services, and programmes to support different groups of workers, including fresh graduates, mid-career employees, and senior workers.
SWDA will also offer free access to premium AI tools for those who take up selected training courses, a move under the national initiative of preparing the workforce for AI transformation.
SWDA's leadership
Lim Sim Seng, Deputy Chairman of SIA Engineering, has been named as the SWDA Board Chairman.
He is responsible for steering the agency's strategic direction, strengthening coordination with key partners, and ensuring strong governance, according to the Ministry of Manpower.
Lim is the former Group Head for DBS group consumer banking and wealth management, and former DBS Singapore country head. He currently serves as Member of the Board of Directors of Raffles Medical Group, Independent Non-Executive Director of IOI Properties Group, and Singapore High Commissioner (Non-Resident) to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
"Mr Lim's strong public service and commercial experience will be valuable in leading the transition to SWDA," MOM said in its announcement.
The ministry added that Lim will be supported by 11 other board members, who include:
- Bikramjit Singh Bhangu - Operating Partner at Temasek International and Council Member of Singapore National Employers Federation
- Cham Hui Fong - Deputy Secretary-General of National Trades Union Congress
- Chong Yiun Lin - Deputy Secretary (Higher Education and Skills) of Ministry of Education
- Dilys Boey - Incoming Chief Executive of SWDA
- Eleanor Seet - President, Head of Asia ex-Japan at Amova Asset Management
- Kenny Tan - Deputy Secretary (Workforce) of MOM
- Low Soon Teck - Managing Director and CEO of Kuok Maritime Group
- Rachel Lim - Co-founder of Love, Bonito
- Shariq Barmaky - Country Managing Partner of Deloitte Singapore
- Wong Wai Meng - Chief Executive Officer (Data Centres) of Keppel's Data Centres and Networks Division; Council Member, Singapore Business Federation
- Zhang Weijie - Senior Director (Digital Economy Office) and Director, Industry (National AI Group), Ministry of Digital Development and Information
"Their collective experience spans the public and private sectors, including multinational corporations, local enterprises and our tripartite partners," MOM said.
"This diverse mix of expertise will help ensure that SWDA remains closely attuned to the evolving needs of workers and employers."
The board will be appointed on July 1 for a two-year term ending on June 30, 2028.
History of SWDA
The SWDA merges SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) again under a new statutory board after both agencies were split a decade ago.
WSG remained under MOM to focus on strengthening employment facilitation services, while the SSG was placed under the Ministry of Education (MOE) to enable it to work closely with Singapore's institutes of higher learning.
Tan said bringing both the WSG and SSG together again, this time under the joint supervision of MOM and MOE, will combine the strengths of both agencies over the past decade into a "single upgraded engine for skills and workforce development."
