Guide · SWDA CCP · Updated September 2026

What is the SWDA (formerly WSG) Career Conversion Programme? An employer guide to CCP in Singapore.

The Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA, formerly Workforce Singapore or WSG) Career Conversion Programme (CCP) helps Singapore-registered employers hire or reskill mid-career workers into new or redesigned roles, with 70% or 90% salary support capped at S$45,000 per eligible employee. This page covers what the programme is, who it’s for, and how it fits SME and corporate hiring plans. See applied examples in our CCP case studies, including a three-role finance cohort at a Singapore fund manager.

Free CCP eligibility check See all CCP pathways
00 · One-minute overview

The CCP, explained in under a minute.

01 · In one paragraph

CCP, simply explained.

The CCP is a Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) initiative that co-funds an employee’s salary while they are reskilled into a new or redesigned role. It runs across multiple sector-specific pathways, from sustainability and digital marketing to overseas markets and HR functions. The defining feature is structured on-the-job training (OJT), a documented plan with measurable activities, supervision, and milestones that the funded employee follows during the programme period.

For employers, the programme reduces the cost and risk of hiring or upgrading talent in growth areas. For mid-career Singaporeans and PRs, it opens roles they may not have qualified for on paper.

02 · At a glance

CCP funding & structure.

Up to S$45,000 Salary support cap per eligible employee on a single CCP placement
70–90% Co-funding of monthly salary; SMEs and mature workers attract the higher rate
3–12 months Typical OJT duration, depending on pathway and whether the employee is a new hire or existing staff
12 pathways Including ESG, digital marketing, HR, overseas markets, retail, MICE, advanced manufacturing, and built environment
03 · Eligibility framework

Who qualifies for the CCP.

Eligibility is assessed across three dimensions, the employer, the employee, and the role. All three must hold for an application to proceed.

FIG. 01 / CCP eligibility framework
CCP eligibility framework: three axes that must align Three-axis eligibility diagram for the Skills and Workforce Development Agency Career Conversion Programme. The employer axis covers Singapore registration, OJT delivery capacity, and direct hiring. The employee axis covers Singapore Citizen or PR status, mid-career profile, and arms-length relationship to the company. The role axis covers either a newly created role or at least 50% scope change, plus minimum salary and a credible on-the-job training plan. All three axes must hold for the placement to be eligible. 01 / EMPLOYER Singapore-registered firm Active ACRA Bizfile Capacity to deliver OJT Direct hiring (no agency) Pays salary in full, claims back AND 02 / EMPLOYEE Mid-career SC or PR Singapore Citizen or PR Aged 21+, mid-career Not director’s family New hire OR existing redesign AND 03 / ROLE New OR 50%+ redesign Newly created role, OR 50%+ scope change Meets pathway salary floor Credible OJT plan RESULT / ALL THREE MUST HOLD Structurally eligible: map to pathway, build OJT, submit. When the three axes align, the placement is eligible. The remaining work is matching it to the right CCP pathway and writing the OJT plan that gets the application approved.
Three independent axes (employer, employee, role) that all must hold for a Skills and Workforce Development Agency CCP placement to be structurally eligible.

Employer

  • Singapore-registered company with a valid ACRA Bizfile.
  • Demonstrated ability to deliver a structured OJT plan over the programme duration.
  • Direct hiring relationship with the candidate (no third-party staffing arrangements).
  • Willing to pay the employee’s monthly salary in full and claim co-funding from SWDA.

Employee

  • Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident.
  • Mid-career, typically aged 21 and above.
  • Not a shareholder or immediate family member of a director.
  • Either a new hire entering the role for the first time, or an existing staff member moving into a redesigned scope.

Role

  • A newly created role, OR an existing role with at least 50% change in job content.
  • Meets the minimum salary floor for the chosen pathway (typically S$3,000–S$4,000 for PMET roles depending on sector; lower floors apply to rank-and-file roles).
  • Has a credible OJT plan with named activities, supervisor, and KPIs.
  • Falls within one of the recognised CCP pathways, or qualifies under the broad “different job scope” pathway.

Salary & OJT minimums

Pathway-specific minimums apply. Examples:

  • Different job scope: S$3,500 minimum, 3-month OJT (new hires only).
  • ESG / Sustainability: S$3,800, 6 months (new) or 3 months (existing).
  • Overseas markets: S$4,000, up to 9 months.
  • Biomedical manufacturing: 12 months (new), 6 months (redeployment) or 3 months (job redesign).

See all CCP pathways for the full sector-by-sector breakdown.

04 · Case example

Service Sales Engineer: HVAC & industrial SME.

Anonymised illustration of a CCP placement under the “different job scope” pathway.

CCP placement / case file

From general engineering background to dedicated service-sales role

A Singapore HVAC and industrial SME hired a mid-career engineer to take on a hybrid technical and customer-facing role. The position required structured exposure to service workflows, product knowledge across multiple HVAC lines, and a CRM discipline that the employee did not previously have.

Pathway
Different job scope
Role
Service Sales Engineer
OJT duration
3 months
OJT scope
Field engineering rotations + customer call shadowing + CRM and reporting practice
Outcome
Application approved; structured documentation prepared end-to-end

Details anonymised. Funding figures are subject to SWDA’s prevailing guidelines and the employer’s SME status at the time of application.

05 · Process at a glance

From eligibility check to claims.

Step 1: Eligibility & pathway

Confirm employer, employee, and role meet the eligibility framework. Map the role to the right CCP pathway and salary band.

Step 2: Job & OJT design

Draft the redesigned job description, OJT plan with measurable activities and KPIs, and the supporting evidence narrative.

Step 3: Submit & clarify

Compile the application pack, submit through the relevant programme channel, and respond to any clarifications.

Step 4: OJT delivery

Run the OJT for the approved duration, keeping evidence (logs, supervisor sign-offs, training records) in a single tracker.

Step 5: Claims

Submit periodic salary-support claims with the supporting evidence; reimbursements flow to payroll.

Full process walkthrough

For the detailed employer journey including timelines and deliverables at each stage, see the CCP-for-employers process guide.

06 · FAQ

Common questions about the SWDA CCP.

How much salary support can a single CCP placement bring in?

Up to S$45,000 per eligible employee on a single CCP placement. The exact amount depends on the employee’s monthly salary, the pathway’s OJT duration, and whether the employee qualifies for the enhanced rate (90%, for workers aged 40 and above or long-term unemployed) or the standard rate (70%).

Can the CCP be used for an existing staff member?

Yes, provided the role is being meaningfully redesigned (typically at least 50% change in job content) and the employee will follow a structured OJT plan to acquire the new skills required. Pure title changes or minor scope tweaks won’t qualify.

How long does CCP approval take?

Typical end-to-end timelines are 2 to 6 weeks depending on the pathway, document readiness, and the volume of clarifications requested by the assessor. Sustainability and overseas-market pathways tend to need more iteration than “different job scope” placements.

What roles are typically supported?

Roles in digital marketing, sustainability and ESG, HR and people functions, sales and business development, biomedical manufacturing, advanced manufacturing and automation, wholesale trade, retail and e-commerce, MICE and events, infocomm, and built-environment professions. The full sector list is in the CCP pathways reference.

Can the CCP be combined with other government schemes?

Some employers stack the CCP with related schemes like the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC) or sector-specific transformation grants. Combinations depend on the role, the timing, and which costs each scheme actually covers, we work this through during scoping. See CCP vs JGI vs SFEC for a comparison.

What documents does an employer need to submit?

Standard pack: company ACRA particulars, employment contract, salary evidence, CPF contribution statements, previous employment history (for the candidate), signed undertakings, the redesigned job description, and the OJT plan. Pathway-specific evidence may be added.

What happens if the employee leaves mid-OJT?

Salary support is claimed only for periods the employee is actually employed and undergoing OJT. Mid-programme exits typically end the placement; previously claimed support is not generally clawed back if the engagement was genuine, but the unclaimed remainder lapses.

Is the CCP only for SMEs?

No. Larger Singapore-registered employers can apply too. The enhanced co-funding rate (90% vs 70%) depends on the trainee being aged 40 and above or long-term unemployed, not on company size, and the eligibility framework itself is open to corporates of any size.

07 · Next steps

Going deeper.