BCA Approved SEC(K) / Multi Skill Courses by Aesperon Construction

What Is SEC(K) Scheme?

SEC(K), which stands for Skills Evaluation Certificate (Knowledge), is a skills certification framework conducted by the Building and Construction Authority to assess a worker’s competency and skill in a particular construction trade.

Workers can apply for SEC(K) at the BCA Academy or at the BCA Approved Training and Testing Centres (ATTCs). Companies can also apply for their workers to take the 2^nd SEC(K) at Overseas Test Centres (OTCs).

In the event that the worker has less than 4 years of construction experience in Singapore and only the first SEC/SEC(K), employers are unable to submit a Multi-Skilling application for the applicant as per the requirement.

What Is Multiskill Scheme?

The Multi-skilling scheme provides an alternative pathway for the industry to upgrade their experienced workers from Basic Skilled R2 to Higher Skilled R1 workers.

The Multi-skilling scheme aims to build up a pool of workers who are competent in multiple skill sets to carry out more than one type of task on-site.

Employers will have greater flexibility in deploying multi-skilled workers,
hence reducing downtime and improving their productivity.

Higher Skilled R1 workers would enjoy a long allowable period of employment (up to 22 years in Singapore), and lower foreign worker levy than Basic Skilled R2 workers.

Currently, a worker must possess SEC(K) certificates in two different construction trades and have a minimum of 4 years of construction experience in Singapore before they can be registered under the Multi-skilling scheme.

Since 1 October 2016, this upgrading pathway will be extended to longer-staying workers who are specialized in safety-related works on site.

All registered multi-skilled workers must meet the Continuing Education & Training (CET) requirements before renewing their registration every 2 years.

The difference between SEC(K) and CoreTrade/Multi-Skill Scheme

Multi-Skilling Scheme

As we know, the Multi-Skilling scheme was developed following feedback from the industry on the need for more upgrading pathways for construction workers. It is an alternative pathway for them to progress from “Basic Skilled” R2 workers to “Higher Skilled” R1 workers under the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)’s Foreign Worker Levy.

Multi-Skilling workers offer greater flexibility in deployment on site and hence help to enhance productivity by reducing productivity downtime. This will benefit firms as they will be able to deliver their construction work with lesser workers.

CoreTrade Scheme

While the CoreTrade Scheme recognizes those workers specializing in key construction trades, i.e. possessing “deep” skills, the Multi-Skilling scheme complements the CoreTrade scheme by recognizing experienced workers who are competent in multiple trade skills or have completed 120 training hours of approved safety courses.

Apart from equipping your workers with new knowledge and additional technical skills, your company can benefit by having them recognized by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Building and Construction Authority (BCA) and upgrading them into Higher-Skilled Workers.

Employers will be able to pay a lower levy rate and extended maximum period of employment, upon upgrading their construction personnel with a BCA-approved training course like CoreTrade.

Benefits Of Attending These Training Courses?

This CoreTrade scheme is available for both local Singaporean workers and foreign workers with relevant years of experience working in the construction industry in Singapore.

CoreTrade provides a platform to retain better and more experienced personnel by providing a clear career progression path and recognition.

According to the BCA, there are two types of construction personnel a worker may be categorized into:

Construction Tradesmen – construction workers that are skilled in specific construction trades
Construction Foreman – also known as a construction supervisor; in charge of coordinating and supervising tradesmen in a specific construction trade

By upgrading your construction personnel with a BCA-approved training course like CoreTrade, employers will pay a lower levy rate and extended maximum period of employment. Instead of 14 years for a Basic-Skilled Worker, Higher-Skilled Workers actually have their period of employment extended to a maximum of 26 years!

Signing your employees up for a familiarisation course provides a lot of benefits to you and your company. You get to keep your company’s high-performing construction personnel with additional training and testing through this CoreTrade Scheme.

No need to worry about re-hiring new workers all the time when you can keep the core group of personnel essential to your business for a long time.

Top BCA-Approved Construction Courses by Aesperon Construction

Eligibility to sign up for Multi-Skill Courses

According to the BCA, to sign up for the Multi-Skilling Scheme, the requirements include:

Obtain at least 4 years of construction experience in Singapore
Obtain certification in a second SEC(K) trade skill that is different from the first SEC(K) / SEC trade skill. If you have Malaysian employees with valid work permits, a certification in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) is needed.
Meet Continuing Education & Training (CET) requirements (for Renewal)

Applications for the Multi-Skilling Scheme should be in PDF format and submitted online. The required documents for an interested applicant are listed below:

Worker’s NRIC (for Singaporean and Singapore PR) or valid work permit/employment pass (for foreigners) (front and back on a single page). For a company application, the name of the employer in the application must be similar to the employer stated in the foreign worker’s work pass.
Worker’s employment details (for work permit holder) obtained via the Ministry of Manpower website (WP Online), to verify the applicant’s years of construction experience in Singapore. This is mandatory for all foreign work permit holders. A sample of the correct document attachment and required information can be downloaded here.
Skills Evaluation Certificate (SEC/SEC(K))
120 hours of training in Approved Safety Related Courses
Proof of employer’s registration with Landscape Company Registry (LCR) (for Construction-Related Landscape)
Must have an active email account

If you need more information regarding any of the schemes and find out how you can upgrade your workforce and cut your costs at the same time, email us at hello@aesperon.com.sg for a no-obligation enquiry!