TWO national continuing education and training (CET) campuses will be built by 2013, to make it more convenient for workers to attend retraining programmes.

They will offer 150,000 training places annually and be managed by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA).

The building of the campuses was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally on Sunday.

Currently, workers may have to go to a few different CET centres islandwide to attend courses certified by the WDA.

For example, a retail professional whose shop is part of a tourist attraction may need to attend separate courses in service excellence, retail and tourism offered at different centres.

There are 48 existing CET centres altogether. In future, however, workers would need to go to just one of the two new campuses in Paya Lebar and the Jurong Lake district. Each centre will gather training programmes for similar industries under one roof.

During a visit yesterday to a CET centre, the Institute of Adult Learning, Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said: "The two campuses will bring together CET providers in related industries, so they can leverage on each other's strengths and be more effective in delivering training programmes."

The campuses will also make it easier for employers to recruit new workers.

Mr Gan said: "The employers can go to the campuses to look at a full range of trainees who are engaged in the same types of industries and identify suitable candidates. Workers can also go to the campuses to explore training and career-advancement opportunities."

He added that the projects are now in the "design stage", and the estimated costs will be revealed at an appropriate time. The existing CET centres will continue operating, running programmes that require hands-on training in off-campus locations, such as in garden-landscaping and maritime work.

They will also cater to industries with unique and specific training requirements.

"We also want to make sure there's enough spread of CET centres so it's easy for people to go to," said Mr Gan.

cheryll@sph.com.sg

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