SINGAPORE — Career centres will be set up in eight Housing and Development Board (HDB) towns from July 1, with more to come in August, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo announced on Sunday (June 21).

The new SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres, to be located in eight community centres in the first phase of its launch, will allow residents in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Batok, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong West, Sengkang, Woodlands and Yishun to access career advice and career matching services easily.

All 24 HDB towns — including the still-developing town of Tengah — will eventually have these centres that will be run by around 100 "career ambassadors" from government agency Workforce Singapore (WSG) across all venues.

WSG said: “As the Government creates a wider range of opportunities for jobseekers through the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, these satellite career centres will bring those opportunities closer to jobseekers by providing information on jobs and training, and helping them find the most suitable pathway based on their needs.”

When jobseekers turn up at these satellite centres, an ambassador will provide them with career advice and guidance on the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package.

Announced in the Fortitude Budget by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat last month, the package is meant to expand job, traineeship and skills training opportunities to aid around 100,000 Singaporeans affected by the economic fallout arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ambassadors may also assist in making appointments at other career centres, such as WSG’s Careers Connect or the labour movement’s Employment and Employability Institute centres, for those who need more in-depth career coaching services.

Newly hired ambassadors will undergo training to be equipped with the skills and competencies necessary to provide jobseekers with timely and relevant career advice, the agency said.

In the next phase of the launch, new centres will be set up in Bukit Merah, Geylang, Hougang, Pasir Ris, Punggol, Tampines and Toa Payoh from Aug 1.

Bishan, Bukit Panjang, Clementi, Jurong East, Kallang/Whampoa, Queenstown, Sembawang and Serangoon will have their centres set up on Aug 15.

Mr Tan Choon Shian, WSG’s chief executive officer, noted the anxieties and concerns that Singaporeans have over jobs and livelihoods because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are therefore working closely with our partners to set up the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres deeper within the heartlands to reach more Singaporeans, guide them in tapping the scaled-up opportunities, and embark on new pathways that will fulfil their career aspirations even amid this Covid-19 storm," he said.

“With the strong support from our partners, we will go through this trying time with Singaporeans and emerge stronger together.”