What is Workfare Skills Support (WSS Scheme)
Workfare Skills Support, or WSS Scheme, encourages low wage workers to undertake training that leads to more impactful employment outcomes. Eligible individuals may receive training allowance for selected courses that individuals had paid for themselves and/or cash reward for completing training.
From 1 July 2020, the Workfare Skills Support (WSS) Scheme will replace the Workfare Training Support (WTS) Scheme. WSS eligibility criteria will be aligned with those of the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme. This means raising the qualifying income cap from $2,000 to $2,300 per month and introducing additional eligibility criteria to channel support to the more needy low wage workers.
(A one time Workfare Special Payment may also be available for eligible persons)
WSS Eligibility
To be eligible for WSS, individuals (both company-sponsored and self-sponsored) must fulfil the following criteria:
- Singapore citizen;
- Aged 35 years and above on 31 December of the work year
- For Persons with Disabilities, the age criterion is 13 years old or above.
- Employed and earning a gross monthly income 1 of not more than $2,300 for the month worked 2; and
- Fulfils the WIS eligibility criteria of housing annual value (AV), property ownership and spousal income. The WIS criteria of housing AV, property ownership and spousal income are as follows:
- Live in a property with an annual value of less than $13,000 3 assessed as at 31 December of the preceding year;
- Own less than two properties;
- If married:
- The individual and his/her spouse own less than two properties; or
- The assessable income of the individual’s Spouse for the preceding Year of Assessment is less than $70,000; and
- If the individual is a Self-Employed Person, s/he must have also declare his/her net trade income for work done in the Work Year and made Medisave contributions.
Other terms and conditions apply e.g. employers and individuals must not be barred from receiving government funding.
Notes
1 Gross monthly income includes basic salary and additional wages such as overtime pay and bonuses.
2 In addition, you must earn an average gross monthly income of not more than $2,300 in the past 12 months.
3 Annual value is the estimated gross annual rent of the property if it were to be rented out, excluding furniture, furnishings and maintenance fees. It is determined based on estimated market rentals of similar or comparable properties.
Questions on Eligible WSS Courses?
If you have any enquiries on Workfare Skills Support, your eligibility, which courses are suitable for you and how you can apply, feel free to enquire.
Components under WSS Scheme
Training Allowance
What is Training Allowance?
Training Allowance grants self-sponsored trainees (i.e. paying for their own training) $6.00 for each hour of training for any WSS qualifying courses, up to a cap of 180 hours per WSS eligibility year. Individuals must pass their course with a minimum attendance rate of 75% to qualify for Training Allowance.
Training Allowance applies only to outcome-based courses offered by CET centres appointed by SSG and selected courses in sectors which have adopted the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) including cleaning, security, landscape and lift sectors.
Training Allowance Eligibility
To get Training Allowance (TA) under WSS, these are the conditions :
- Students must have WSS Letter
- Study under Self-sponsored scheme (and not employer-sponsored), and meet the following :
- Have taken the course after 1 Jul 2020;
- Complete and pass the course (minimum 75% attendance);
- Have paid for his/her own training;
- Have taken courses listed here. Courses outside this list will not be eligible for TA. Please check with us for more details;
- Not be barred from receiving SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) / Workforce Singapore (WSG) / Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) grants;
- For Employed students (with regular CPF payment from company), TA of $6/hr will be paid automatically without the need of any application.
- For Self-employed students (hence without CPF payment), you may submit your TA claims at Workforce Singapore (WSG) Careers Connect or Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) centres within 120 days after your course ends.
Original documents to bring:- NRIC
- Valid bank book or statement
- Contract for Service dated within 3 months after course end date, OR
- Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)* business registration and business transaction document dated within 3 months after from course end date, e.g. revenue receipt/ invoice dated within three months to prove active status
| Self-Sponsored for Course (See Bullet 2) | Employer-Sponsored for Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Employed (with Employer paying regular CPF) | Eligible for TA (See Bullet 3) | Not Eligible |
| Self Employed (without CPF contribution) | Eligible for TA (See Bullet 4) | Not Eligible |
| Unemployed | Not Eligible | Not Eligible |
Absentee Payroll
Absentee Payroll covers 95% of hourly basic salary for company-sponsored trainees. You can benefit from this when you enroll your employees in any of the following courses:
- Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) courses
- All outcome-based courses offered by SSG-appointed CET centres are supported under the WSS scheme.
- Part-time ITE Skills Certificate, Part-time NITEC and Part-time Higher NITEC courses offered by the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).
- Standalone skills-based modular courses, Part-time Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Specialist Diploma and Diploma (Conversion) programmes offered by the five local Polytechnics.
- Certifiable Skills Training courses accredited or supported by the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).
Absentee Payroll Eligibility
In order to be eligible for Absentee Payroll funding, the applicant company must meet the following criteria:
- Company must be registered or incorporated in Singapore
- Trainees must be fully sponsored by their employer for supportable cost components (such as course fees) incurred on the training course;
- Trainees must be full-time or permanent part-time employees of the sponsoring company;
- Trainees must continue to receive their salary when they attend training;
- Trainees must have achieved at least 75% attendance;
- Trainees must have sat for and passed the examinations/ assessments where applicable; and
- Trainees must complete the course whilst under employment of the sponsoring company.
- Trainees must be paid overtime pay in accordance with the employer’s Human Resource (HR) policy (for training outside working hours).
Training Commitment Award
Training Commitment Award (TCA) encourages sustained, productive training. Training Commitment Award is a cash award given to eligible workers after achieving the required certifications:
a. $100 per 2 achievements of any of the following, capped at $200 during the trainee’s WSS Eligibility period
- WSQ Statement of Attainment
- Academic CET Modular Certificate or Post-Diploma Certificate
- Certifiable courses supported by SSG
b. $500 for achieving one WSQ Qualification or Academic CET Qualification.
There will be an overall TCA cap of $1,000 for the validity period stated in the WSS letter. Individual who is awarded $200 for achievement listed in a. and $500 for a 1st full qualification in b. will receive $300 for 2nd full qualification as TCA is capped at $1,000.
Only certifiable courses accredited or supported by the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) would qualify for TCA. No application is required by the trainee.
Summary of Fundings
| Training Commitment Award | Training Allowance | Absentee Payroll | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benefits |
|
Self-sponsoring trainee gets $6.00 per training hour, up to 180 hours per WSS Eligibility Year.
The Training Commitment Award of $6.00 per training hour will apply for courses that start from 1 Jul 2020 onwards. |
Sponsoring employer gets up to 95% of your hourly basic salary. |
| Eligible courses | Download full Excel list of courses | Download full Excel list of courses | Download full Excel list of courses |
| Other funding conditions |
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See more on SkillsFuture Credit & SkillsFuture Subsidy for courses.
WSS Claim
How to Claim Training Allowance
Training Allowance is applicable to only trainees who are employed.
Please check for your eligibility under the Training Allowance section.
If you are employed and have regular CPF contributions, no application is required. If eligible for Training Allowance, it will be credited via PayNow to the bank account linked to your NRIC number.
If you are self-employed and do not have CPF contributions to your account, you need to make a Training Allowance claim and provide documents to prove active employment. Please visit Workforce Singapore (WSG) Careers Connect or Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) centres within 120 days from your course end date.
| Workforce Singapore (WSG) Careers Connect | Employment & Employability Institute (e2i) Centres |
|---|---|
|
|
Original documents to bring:
- NRIC;
- Valid book of statement;
- Contract for Service or equivalent dated within 3 months after course end date; OR
- Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) business registration; and
- Business transaction documents dated within 3 months after course end date
How to Claim Absentee Payroll
Your employer may login to the following to submit Absentee Payroll claims:
https://www.skillsconnect.gov.sg/sop/portal/e-Services/For%20Employers/AbsenteePayroll.jsp
How to Claim Training Commitment Award
No application is required
Individuals who receive a WSS letter are eligible for Training Commitment Award if they achieve the Full Qualification and/or courses within the WSS eligibility period stated in the letter.
Individuals will be notified of their Training Commitment Award payment via SMS and/or letter by CPF Board.
Questions on Eligible WSS Courses?
If you have any enquiries on Workfare Skills Support, your eligibility, which courses are suitable for you and how you can apply, feel free to enquire.