25/02/2015

P-Max

Background

SMEs form 99% of all enterprises in Singapore and have an integral role to play in Singapore's economy. SMEs currently employ around seven out of every ten workers, and contribute nearly half of Singapore's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In today's highly competitive business environment, a critical success factor is the recruitment and retention of talent. However, this is also an area that many SMEs are challenged to overcome in Singapore, with the limited pool of local talent in our tight labour market.

With PMEs set to form the majority of our local workforce in the years ahead, it is therefore imperative to have more attention and resources dedicated to ensure that local PMEs across different age groups and income levels continue to remain relevant and gainfully employed, potentially within SMEs that can offer interesting and challenging career opportunities.

With support from the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) have been appointed as Programme Managers (PMs) to administer their respective Place-and-Train (PnT) programmes for SMEs and PMEs under P-Max.

About P-Max

The PnT programmes under P-Max seek to help SMEs to better recruit, train, manage and retain their newly-hired PMEs, encourage the adoption of progressive human resource practices within SMEs, and help to place job-seeking PMEs into suitable SME jobs. For their role as PMs, ASME and SNEF will work closely with SME and PME participants to complete the relevant training and six-month follow-up thereafter under their respective PnT programmes.

Appointed P-Max PMs will work with employment facilitation partners such as CaliberLink, WSG's Careers Connect and e2i, to help screen and match job-seeking PMEs with suitable positions in hiring SMEs. SME management/supervisors/HR representatives (SME Reps) and their newly-hired PMEs will attend their respective SME and PME workshops, where the SME Reps will learn how to better communicate with their newly-hired PMEs and to adopt and incorporate progressive HR best practices/guidelines within their SMEs, while PMEs will learn how to better acclimatise to and take on SME jobs.

Funding Support

With up to 90% funding support from WDA, SMEs will only be required to pay the 10% nett fee portion of the respective SME and PME workshop course fees:

Assistance Grant

Upon completion of both workshops, the appointed P-Max PMs will follow-up with the newly-trained PME personnel and their SME Reps for a period of six months. SMEs who successfully complete the six-month follow-up and retain their newly-hired PME employee, will be eligible for a one-off S$5,000 Assistance Grant.

Eligibility Criteria

SMEs will need to meet the following criteria to be eligible for WDA funding support:

• Be registered or incorporated in Singapore
• Be made up of at least 30% local shareholding
• Have an annual sales turnover of not more than $100 million or employment size not exceeding 200 employees

PMEs will need to meet the following criteria to be eligible for WDA funding support:

• Be a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident who is keen to pursue a full-time career in an SME
• Hold at least a Diploma or have prior work experience in a PME job
• Have at least one year of full-time working experience

How to Apply

For more details on the Programme, please contact the respective PMs at: