What is the Career Conversion Programme and who is eligible in Singapore?
Last updated:
For Singapore employers looking to build new capabilities or reduce the risk of hiring into transformation roles, the Career Conversion Programme is the largest employer-side workforce funding instrument Skills and Workforce Development Agency (formerly Workforce Singapore) operates. Yet many SMEs and HR teams approach it with the wrong mental model: treating CCP as a hiring rebate rather than a structured reskilling programme tied to a redesigned role. This article explains what CCP actually funds, who qualifies, what eligibility tests Skills and Workforce Development Agency applies, and how to know whether your scenario is a good fit before you commit time to a submission.
What is the Career Conversion Programme?
CCP is a Skills and Workforce Development Agency programme that co-funds an employee’s salary while they are reskilled into a new or redesigned role. Salary support is 90% of monthly salary for staff aged 40 and above or long-term unemployed (or 70% standard), capped at S$45,000 per eligible placement, for an OJT period that is typically 3 to 6 months but can extend up to 9 or 12 months for sector-specific pathways. The defining feature is structured on-the-job training, with named activities, supervisors, milestones, and assessments.
The programme is operated through pathway-specific programme partners (industry associations, sector agencies, and training providers) which administer applications, claims, and OJT verification on behalf of Skills and Workforce Development Agency. The active pathway list spans digital marketing, sustainability, HR, infocomm, biomedical manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, wholesale trade, built environment, retail, MICE, and overseas-market roles, alongside a general different-job-scope track for new hires. Our full SWDA CCP employer guide walks through how the programme is structured end-to-end, and our regulated medtech case study shows what eligibility looks like for a real Singapore SME.
Who is eligible for CCP funding?
Eligibility is checked at three levels: the company, the candidate, and the role. All three must pass.
- Company. Singapore-registered (verified via ACRA), operating in a sector covered by an active CCP pathway, in good standing on prior grant claims, and willing to provide the documentation and supervisor capacity the OJT plan requires.
- Candidate. Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident, mid-career (typically aged 21 and above), not a shareholder or related party of the company, and not previously funded for the same or substantially similar role under another programme. CPF contribution history is checked against declared work history.
- Role. Newly created in the headcount plan, or for existing staff being reskilled, demonstrating at least 50% change in job content from the prior role. The redesigned role must require a competency stack the candidate does not yet have, which is what the OJT plan closes.
- Funding rates. Both SMEs and larger companies can apply. The enhanced 90% salary support rate, capped at S$7,500 a month, applies to trainees aged 40 and above or long-term unemployed, whatever the size of the employer. Other trainees attract the 70% standard rate, capped at S$5,000 a month.
- Mandatory OJT. A structured OJT plan is required for every application. Plans built around informal shadowing or generic templates do not qualify.
Not sure if your scenario fits? Book a free eligibility check and we will review your case confidentially. The check is a 30-minute exercise that produces a written go or no-go memo regardless of whether you proceed with us.
Why more companies are using CCP
The programme has scaled meaningfully over the past three years, driven by employer demand in transformation-heavy sectors. Four reasons we hear most often:
- Cost savings. 70% or 90% salary support during the OJT period, capped at S$45,000 per placement, materially de-risks hiring into a redesigned role where the candidate’s prior experience is adjacent rather than direct.
- Better talent pipeline. Reskilling mid-career candidates with adjacent experience widens the talent pool beyond the narrow set of experienced hires the company would otherwise compete for. This is especially valuable in sustainability, data, and digital roles where the experienced talent pool is small.
- Supports transformation. CCP is the funding instrument most aligned with redesigned roles and new-capability functions. Employers running digitalisation, ESG implementation, or new-product builds find CCP fits the actual hiring shape.
- Aligned with long-term strategy. Because funding is tied to structured OJT and real role redesign, the programme forces employers to think clearly about what the redesigned role does, who supervises it, and what competencies the candidate needs to develop. The discipline pays off beyond the funded period.
How to know whether your scenario is worth a submission
The best filter we know is a five-question test. If the answer to any of these is no, the application is either premature or unlikely to succeed, and the time is better spent fixing the underlying issue first.
- Is the redesigned role a new line in the headcount plan, with KPIs and a reporting line that differ from any existing role?
- Does the candidate have adjacent but insufficient experience for the redesigned role, creating a competency gap the OJT can credibly close?
- Is there a named supervisor with the standing to sign off on the artefacts the OJT plan produces?
- Can the company commit to a 48-hour response cadence on clarification queries?
- Does the company have the cash flow to pay the candidate’s full salary until the first claim disbursement reaches payroll, typically months 4 to 6?
A yes to all five is a strong signal. A no on any single question is rarely fatal but does need to be addressed before any application work begins.
What disqualifies an otherwise good fit
Three patterns we screen for before recommending an application:
- The role is a rename, not a redesign. If the daily tasks, KPIs, and reporting line are unchanged, no amount of polish on the JD will make the application credible.
- The candidate is a related party. Shareholders, directors, and immediate family of directors are categorically ineligible regardless of the role’s merit.
- The supervisor is unavailable. If the named OJT supervisor cannot commit to the artefact-level sign-offs the plan requires, the OJT will fall apart at the claim stage even if the application is approved.
CCP eligibility questions from employers
- Q: Can I use CCP for an existing staff member?
A: Yes, if the role is being redesigned with at least 50% change in job content and a structured OJT is in place. The redesigned role should appear in the headcount plan as a new line, not as a retitled version of the existing one. - Q: How long does funding usually last?
A: The OJT period is typically 3 to 6 months, but pathway-specific durations run up to 9 months (overseas markets) or 12 months (biomedical manufacturing). The salary support cap of S$45,000 applies regardless of duration. - Q: Are digital and sustainability roles supported?
A: Yes. Both have dedicated pathways with established assessor expectations and active programme partners. See examples of supported roles across the active pathways. - Q: Can a candidate working on a probation period qualify?
A: Yes, provided the candidate is on a permanent or fixed-term contract for the redesigned role and the OJT plan covers the period under which salary support will be claimed. Probation is not a disqualifier on its own. - Q: Does the company need prior CCP experience to apply?
A: No. First-time applications are common and treated on their own merits. The standard the assessor applies is the same regardless of whether the company has prior CCP placements. - Q: How do I get started?
A: Contact BizGrants for an initial discussion and a structured eligibility review against your headcount plan and the active pathway catalogue.
→ Next: How to apply for a CCP in Singapore (2025 Edition)
See: which roles are eligible for CCP