TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT SKILLS UPGRADE
Singapore – Many employers in Singapore are not keen on sending their foreign workers for the Service Literacy Test (SLT), with some describing the programme as unnecessary.
The test, which was introduced by the Workforce Development Agency to help foreign workers in Singapore gain better English-speaking skills, is targeted at front-line staff in the hotel, food and beverage, and retail sectors.
According to Straits Times (ST), the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reported that only 1,650 work permit holders were enrolled for the test last month. This is a small fraction of the 422,000 foreign workers in Singapore.
Companies said they did not want to send their staff for SLT because training costs were expensive and it was unnecessary to assess their employees' English literacy skills.
The cost of the literacy test can range from between $250 and S$1,000 per person, and is not subsidised by the Singapore government. However, employers get to pay S$100 less in foreign worker levy for each permit holder who passes the test. The current levy is S$270 for unskilled workers.
Jimmy Ng, operations manager for Ya Kun International, said he is satisfied as long as the company’s work permit holders can “speak basic English and can do cashiering”.
“It’s good enough for me,” he said. He added the reduced levy was not an incentive for the company, as he is not confident all his staff will pass the test.
Still, there are employers who recognise the benefits of sending their foreign staff for such programmes. MOM said companies who were inclined to send their staff for the test were motivated by “the better service and business operations that good language proficiency would bring”.
Susan Hiu, human resources (HR) and training manager of Fish & Co restaurants, said sending employees for the test will allow the company to “better assess the literacy level of our staff”.
Royal Plaza on Scotts is another organisation that is looking to send its foreign staff for the test. “There is an additional incentive for employers to do so, with the increase of levy for foreign workers in July,” Juliana Ong, the hotel’s HR manager, said.
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