STB to give training incentives

Training Industry Professionals in Tourism (TIP-iT) is the Singapore Tourism Board’s newest incentive scheme. It supports companies in their manpower development either through training a larger pool of talent in specialised skills or equipping staff with new capabilities that would benefit the tourism industry.

The scheme covers two aspects of training – Scheme A for Companies and Scheme B for Organisers.

Scheme A for Companies
A company can tap on Scheme A if its training programme incorporates an overseas training component for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PRs) to build useful and currently lacking tourism-related skills.

This can include attachments or structured training programmes or certifiable and non-certifiable courses conducted overseas. The scope of support is up to 50% of eligible expenses, unless otherwise specified. 

For example, a hotel intending to start a personalised butler service for premium plus clientele could send staff to attend a course at a training school, such as Magnums Butler in Australia that would equip trainees to provide discrete and professional service at recognised industry standards.

Alternatively, restaurants keen on training their chefs in specific cuisines, such as Indian vegetarian dishes, can send them overseas for training at a renowned culinary school, which might not be available in Singapore.

Scheme B for Organisers
A training provider can tap on Scheme B if they are looking at developing local training programmes which are new or enable attendees to ramp up on existing tourism capabilities and have an industry-wide impact.

This includes non-certifiable training like seminars, workshops or conferences. The scope of support is up to 70% of eligible expenses, unless otherwise specified. 

For example, a training provider might want to improve standards to visitors from China. The training provider could organise a one-day seminar to share a research company’s findings on the service expectations of the consumers from China and invite an expert to highlight the benefits of good service.

Find out if you qualify
To qualify, businesses must meet the following requirements:
• Businesses must be an incorporated company or registered in Singapore 
• Training must be related to the building of useful and currently lacking tourism-related skills.
• Training programmes must be new or enable the company to ramp up on existing tourism capabilities.

Find out more about the TIP-iT scheme and get application forms