The elephant in the truck

货车里的大象

Since January 2016 every Singaporean above the age of 25 has been given a S$500 ($345) credit that can be freely used to pay for any training courses provided by 500 approved providers, including universities and MOOCs. Generous subsidies, of up to 90% for Singaporeans aged 40 and over, are available on top of this credit. The programme currently has a budget of S$600m a year, which is due to rise to S$1billion within three years. According to Ng Cher Pong, Skills Future’s chief executive, the returns on that spending matter less than changing the mindset around continuous reskilling.

在 2016 年 1月后每个年满 25 岁的新加坡人都收到了一笔 500 新元的基金，这笔钱可以用于支付由包括大学和慕课在内的 500 多家培训机构的培训课程费用。新加坡 90% 以上年过 40 的人都收到了这笔慷慨的资助。这项计划每年需要 6 亿新元的预算，在三年内将会增加到 10 亿。Skills Future 的长官 Ng Cher Pong 声称，相对于转换持续重新学习的思维方式，这笔预算算不上什么。

Some programmes cater to the needs of those who lack basic skills. Tripartite agreements between unions, employers and government lay out career and skills ladders for those who are trapped in low-wage occupations. Professional-conversion programmes offer subsidised training to people switching to newcareers in areas such as health care.

有些计划面向于满足那些需求基础技能的人群。工会、用人单位以及政府间的三方协议为那些陷于低薪水的人群提供了职业和技能增长的阶梯。职业转换项目为那些有志于转换工作到比如医疗保健领域的人群赞助了培训课程。

Given Singapore’s size and political system, this approach is not easily replicated in many other countries, but lessons can still be drawn. It makes sense for employers, particularly smaller ones, to club together to signal their skills needs to the workforce at large. Individual learning accounts have a somewhat chequered history—fraudulent training providers helped scupper a British experiment in the early 2000s—but if well designed, they can offer workers educational opportunities without being overly prescriptive.

考虑到新加坡的体制和国土面积，这些方式并不容易被其他国家所复制，但是同样可以从中获取有益的经验。对于小型用人单位而言，可以聚集在一起然后告知用人市场的劳动者他们需要哪些技能。个人学习账户有着毁誉参半的历史，在 2000 年左右一个诈骗培训机构将英国的一个试验性项目化为泡影，但如果我们仔细设计规划，便能在为劳动者提供培训机会的同时而不用监管过严。