Government Accepts Recommendations to Place Stronger Emphasis on Skills and Competencies for Security Officers

1.     The Government has considered and accepted the recommendations contained in the report of the Security Tripartite Cluster (STC) released today. [1] The report recommended enhancements to the training and emplacement requirements of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the security industry, viz (i) placing stronger emphasis on skills and competencies; (ii) facilitating the entry of good quality candidates seeking to join the security industry; and (iii) updating the prescribed job functions for better clarity and effectiveness. These recommendations will enable the PWM to better support tripartite efforts to transform the security industry under the Security Industry Transformation Map (ITM), and provide better clarity and flexibility to security agencies and their officers. [2]

Placing Stronger Emphasis on Skills and Competencies in Progression Criteria

2.     The STC has recommended placing more emphasis on skills and competencies by moving towards a skills-based progression criterion. To achieve this, the Police Licensing & Regulatory Department (PLRD) will work with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to align the PWM training requirements with the skills and competencies from the Skills Framework for Security. At the same time, to encourage the development of digital skills to support technology adoption and innovation, the PWM training requirements will be aligned with the Digital Roadmap (Training) under the Security Industry Digital Plan. [3]

3.     The Government also agrees with the STC’s recommendation to reduce the minimum Year-In-Grade (YIG) requirements for progression towards Senior Security Officer (SSO), Security Supervisor (SS), and Senior Security Supervisor (SSS) appointments, to better recognise capable security officers. The YIG requirements for progression towards Chief Security Officer (CSO) will remain unchanged to reflect the seniority and experience required of CSOs as the apex grade within the PWM. The updated YIG requirements will take effect from 1 January 2019.

Facilitating Entry of Good Quality Candidates Seeking to Join the Security Sector

4.     The STC recommended the development of new programmes to attract good quality mid-career entrants into the security industry, especially amidst the tightening labour market. To attract mid-career entrants with supervisory experience, e2i, with the support of MHA, will pilot a new Place-and-Train programme for Security Supervisors in January 2019. The six-month programme consists of three months on-the-job training and three months’ probation, and will provide suitable Security Officers with a fast-track pathway to be appointed as a Security Supervisor, subject to meeting all assessment conditions.

5.     There will also be greater clarity on the exemption and emplacement criteria for ex-unformed service personnel joining the security industry. [4] For example, ex-uniformed service personnel who have attended similar courses while in active service will be exempted from certain PWM training courses. More details on the exemptions will be available in 3Q 2019. PLRD will also provide greater clarity on the emplacement criteria to allow ex-uniformed service personnel a better understanding of where they can be emplaced should they join the security industry by January 2019.

Updating the Prescribed PWM Job Functions for Better Clarity and Effectiveness

6.     The STC recommended updates to the job functions in the PWM to provide more clarity on security officers’ job roles and to enable more effective deployment of security officers. The revised job functions will also allow some security officers to take on higher-value tasks. The revised job functions will take effect from 1 January 2019.

7.     The STC’s recommendations are timely and will augment existing tripartite efforts under the Security ITM. Government agencies will work together with tripartite partners to implement the recommendations for the security sector to create more meaningful careers for security officers, increase their productivity and improve security outcomes.

8.     The Security Tripartite Cluster Report is available online.

[1] The STC comprises representatives from unions, security service providers and buyers, and the Government.

[2] The Security ITM was launched in February 2018 by the Ministry of Home Affairs with the support of various tripartite partners. More information on the Security ITM can be found at Transforming the Security Industry .

[3] The Security Industry Digital Plan (IDP) is a guide for local SMEs in the Security Industry to digitise their businesses, plug skills gaps and participate in national innovation initiatives. More details can be found at www.imda.gov.sg/security-idp .

[4] The uniformed service includes the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Singapore Prison Service, and Auxiliary Police Forces.