MOE, MOM form new statutory boards to focus on skills and employment

Effective implementation of SkillsFuture is a key focus.

The government revealed today that two new statutory boards will be established under the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). These boards will focus on the effective implementation of two key priorities, namely the national SkillsFuture initiative and the need to ensure competitiveness and quality jobs for Singaporeans over the long term.

Th new statutory board under the MOE, tentatively named SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), will be formed to drive and coordinate the implementation of SkillsFuture.

It will take over some of the functions currently performed by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and absorb the Council for Private Education (CPE), an existing statutory board under MOE.

At the same time, WDA will be reconstituted into a new statutory board, Workforce Singapore (WSG), focused on jobs and ensuring enterprises can become manpower-lean while remaining competitive. The new statutory board will remain under the MOM.

The changes will hence involve a reorganisation within Government rather than increase the overall number of statutory boards. The reorganisation will require changes to existing laws and will have to undergo Parliamentary legislative processes. 

In the meantime, WDA and CPE will continue to perform their statutory functions until the new statutory boards have been established. Subject to the completion of the necessary legislative processes, the new statutory boards are expected to be established by the end of 2016.