124,500 workers have signed up for the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) since its launch six months ago.

According to information released by Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Singapore Workforce Development
Agency (WDA), two-thirds of trainees are rank-and-file workers, while about one-third are Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs).

Of the 124,500, or more than half (67 per cent) of the trainees were sent by their employers, while 33 per cent signed up on their own.

In all, more than 19,000 job seekers have found jobs through the programme these six months. This is an increase compared to the 13,000 job seekers placed by the Community Development Councils, for the whole of 2008.

Most successful placements were for individuals aged 40 years and above, or lower-skilled workers with secondary education or less.