Some Singaporean professionals with established careers are changing lanes by moving into the healthcare field. They are being tempted into new careers in the health care niche due to attractive incentives. Examples of positions which are being filled by these mid-career pros include nursing jobs, physiotherapy positions, occupational therapy jobs and diagnostic radiography positions. Examples of incentives which are making these career shifts more affordable include larger training allowances and more flexible degree choices.
This new initiative is being spearheaded by the government’s Ministry of Health, as well as by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. A recent announcement made it clear that monthly training allowances for an array of conversion programs are going to increase. This means that it will be simpler for people to access qualifications and skills which are needed in order to get hired in the health care field.
Increases are Good, But Not Huge
As of April, allowances will climb by at least fifty dollars or as much as one hundred and fifty dollars. While this increase isn’t huge, it’s attractive enough. The total allowances which are offered (pre-increase) are at least thirteen hundred dollars and as much as nineteen hundred dollars.
This isn’t the first improvement to allowance levels. It’s actually the second time that these improvements have been made. Back in 2014, a career transition bonus was offered and there was also a previous increase in monthly allowance amounts.
As well, as of early autumn, it will be possible for those who are classified as being in mid-career status to fill out applications via SIT. SIT is the Singapore Institute of Technology and it offers an exciting f/t, 4-year degree program for a variety of health care positions.
Those who are granted entry to these degree programs will qualify for lucrative allowances on a per-month basis. The amount that they are awarded will depend on how much work experience they have. They’ll also be in line for one-time bonuses of two grand when they graduate.
Why Are These Increases Happening?
The motivation behind these incentives is a population which is growing older. Older citizens need more health care services and a lot of staff members are needed in order to take care of tasks for an aging population. For this reason, government agencies are stepping up and making health care a more appealing career choice. These agencies are interested in seeing mid-career professionals transition to careers in health care, as people in mid-career have already established themselves as reliable workers who are able to stay in chosen niches for fairly long time periods. These types of workers will help to fill empty spaces within the health care system of Singapore.
Now that you know more about these new developments, you will be ready to decide if changing lanes is right for you. You can get more hard facts by visiting official government websites. You’ll need to fit certain criteria in order to qualify for these allowances. If you do qualify, you may find that transitioning to healthcare is a smart career move.
