Plenty of jobs for Sinkies - construction jobs

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Micro-job scheme for seniors launched after pilot, covers 4 more active ageing centres​

Mr Shue Teng Lee, 72, and Madam Green Lillian Janet, 83, from Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities Active Aging Centre @ Macpherson delivering food to nearby residents. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

Joyce Teo
Senior Health Correspondent

AUG 14, 2023

SINGAPORE – A scheme that allows seniors to get paid for simple tasks such as delivering food to other seniors has been expanded to another four active ageing centres, with more expected to come onboard soon.
There are now 15 active ageing centres on board, after the scheme was first piloted in January at the Bedok Active Ageing Centre of Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC).
Today, 11 of THKMC’s 18 centres have signed up and about 50 seniors – who are mostly in their 60s and 70s – are involved. They have supported nearly 200 beneficiaries and completed more than 22,000 micro-jobs, receiving $1 for every task.
The scheme was developed by the Centre for Seniors (CFS) in collaboration with THKMC and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC).
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat launched the initiative on Monday during the THKMC Bedok Active Ageing Centre’s National Day celebration, held in the neighbourhood fitness park.
Active ageing centres are places where seniors can access a range of activities including befriending or buddying programmes, health-related initiatives and referral to care services. The micro-job scheme is one of the latest initiatives at the centres.
Singapore is expanding the number of such centres from 119 to 220 by 2025 to help its fast-growing pool of seniors age well in the community.

The micro-jobs, which include providing medication reminders in person, were chosen based on feedback from seniors. THKMC will gradually expand the scheme to its other seven centres.
Since early August, four active ageing centres run by Lions Befrienders have started offering micro-jobs to seniors.
Its executive director, Ms Karen Wee, said on the sidelines of Monday’s launch that Lions Befrienders is now working with THKMC and CFS to expand the scheme to its remaining six centres in the next two months.

Previous similar schemes were not successful as they included jobs such as cleaning ones that demanded a fixed routine of longer hours, she said.
“A food package delivery may take only half an hour to an hour. You have a certain delivery time and don’t have to do it for stretches of four to eight hours.”
These micro-jobs are also near the seniors’ homes, and they can work in their own time and at their own target, she added.
Currently, almost all the beneficiaries in the scheme are those on financial assistance living in rental flats.
In future, the initiative can be expanded to include those living in their purchased flats who want food delivery, Ms Wee said.
AIC will work with CFS to include other centres across Singapore. More complex tasks will be added to the scheme progressively.
THKMC, for example, is looking to introduce additional tasks like getting seniors to organise and conduct activities at their active ageing centres. Centre staff can then channel their time to other duties, such as conducting home visits under the befriending and buddying programme, or checking on frail and housebound seniors, said THKMC chief executive Jason Lee.
Ms Lim Sia Hoe, executive director of CFS, said the agency wants to empower active seniors to continue contributing to the workforce and society, particularly as many of them wish to stay engaged in the workforce after retirement.
The scheme is supported by the Tote Board Community Health Fund, which backs the piloting of innovative programmes for the community care sector.
Ms Fatimah Kalip, 68, joined the initiative in January. She works five days a week, delivering food to the elderly in Bedok twice a day. She also checks if they have taken their medication, and gets them to sign a form if they have done so.
“I can get paid and I can pay my phone bill,” said Ms Fatimah, who used to do various jobs, including working as a helper at hawker stalls and providing catering help, to support her five children.
They are now all married and live with their own families. Her husband died when she was 45 and she prefers to live alone as she is used to being independent.
“I joined the Bedok active ageing centre two years ago and have made a lot of friends. Before this, I just sat at home and made kueh.”

 

[k1976]

Tiagong, class 5 or 6 drivers earn 1k only, true?

 

[The Crow]

Those with fake degrees work in big office, those with real stuff, work at construction site?

Better close down NUS and NTU, since these 2 top universities can't produce talents ...

 

[k1976]

Better close down NUS and NTU, since these 2 top universities can't produce talents ...

Like that can be very speical mah

 

[The Crow]

Like that can be very speical mah

Why special? Cannot produce talents then produce special needs is it? ...

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Netizens mock toilet cleaning course but agencies say training required for cleaners​

The course covers the proper use of cleaning tools, proper cleaning of sanitary fixtures and the safe handling of cleaning agents. PHOTO: PEXELS

Carmen Sin

FEB 23, 2024

SINGAPORE – A $580 basic toilet cleaning course on the SkillsFuture portal drew ridicule from netizens this week, but agencies said such classes are part of mandatory training requirements for cleaners.
In response to queries, SkillsFuture Singapore and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement on Feb 22 that these classes teach existing and prospective cleaners “essential skills” for the washing of restrooms.
The 20 or so such classes found on the SkillsFuture portal range from basic to advanced and take between 30 and 40 hours to complete.
Before subsidies, most basic courses cost between $100 and $600. After SkillsFuture subsidies, the course fees range from $100 to $300.
On Feb 19, a screengrab of a listing for the “Perform basic cleaning of washrooms” course on SkillsFuture was posted on social media and roundly mocked for its $580 price tag before subsidies.
Netizens doubted the need for such a course and criticised the steep cost of $290, even after subsidies.
Facebook user Remaesh Krishnan commented: “Those days in army, we clean our toilets. No need course.”

But SkillsFuture and NEA said the course contributed significantly to the “professional development” of working cleaners.
In response to queries, a spokesman for one course provider, NTUC LearningHub, said these toilet cleaning courses aim to “professionalise the cleaning industry”.
The basic course, for instance, covers skills like the proper use of cleaning tools, proper cleaning of sanitary fixtures and the safe handling of cleaning agents, he added.

Its toilet washing courses, which range from $288 to $440 after subsidies, are mostly targeted at cleaning firms that pay to enrol their employees, the spokesman said.
The courses are in line with the Progressive Wage Model, facilitating “sustained wage growth for lower-wage workers by skills development, increased productivity and higher service standards”, he added.
The Progressive Wage Model is designed to improve the wages of Singapore’s lowest-paid sectors.
A six-year salary increment schedule is set out for cleaners in tandem with training and skills acquisition on their part.
Incentives are also provided to cleaning companies to enrol the cleaners in their employ.
For instance, absentee payroll capped at $100,000 a year for each firm is available, said the SkillsFuture and NEA statement.
Employers who sponsor their employees under the Workfare Skills Support scheme are also eligible for absentee payroll at up to 95 per cent of their hourly basic salary, capped at $13 an hour, it added.

Licensed businesses which do not send all their cleaners for the required courses under enhanced training requirements may be fined up to $5,000 and face suspension or revocation of their licences.
Since the training requirements took effect on Dec 31, 2022, more than 500 cleaners have attended the basic toilet cleaning course.
Cleaning firms The Straits Times spoke to said job seekers who have completed such courses are viewed favourably, but certification is not a prerequisite for hiring.
Conrad Maintenance Services chief executive Raymond Ng said: “With the courses, there will be priority for them to join us as cleaners, but as long as they have experience or a willing-to-learn attitude, we will hire them, too.”
New hires without certification will, in any case, be sent for the required training modules, said a spokesman for home cleaning firm SparkCleanz.
These modules – including the controversial basic toilet cleaning course – are “specifically designed to equip cleaners with the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their duties effectively, maintain hygiene standards and ensure a safe working environment”, he added.
When asked for a reasonable price for the basic cleaning course, Mr Ng said anywhere between $250 and $350, though the sum should be fully subsidised by SkillsFuture credit.
Cleaner Sareswathy Mookiah, 52, who has been on the job for six years, said: “This kind of course, sooner or later, every company will send you.”
She added that she has attended around five training courses without ever paying a cent.
In line with the Progressive Wage Model guidelines, toilet or restroom cleaners are paid more than general cleaners.
“This is attributed to the specialised nature of restroom cleaning, and the additional skills and attention to detail required for maintaining hygiene standards in these areas,” said the SparkCleanz spokesman.
Under the current framework, all toilet or restroom cleaners now must be paid at least $1,795. By July 1, 2024, the amount must be at least $2,060. The salary must rise to at least $2,835 by July 1, 2028.