Singapore’s conscripted NSFs who have completed their two-year NS conscription will now receive unrecognised training certificates. According to Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen’s speech at the Total Defence’s dinner yesterday (Oct 5), Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) certificates will be issued for the NSFs over “experience” like helping out in the Army Open House and overseas training. The certificates are generally useless in the private sector and education institutes both internationally and locally.
Minister Ng Eng Hen also said that the government will also be publishing an employer “guide” to “help them understand” the training experience went through by the NSF conscripts.
According to Second Defence Minister Ong Ye Kung, NSFs receive WSQ certificates for virtually all training they attend; even the Basic Military Training (BMT) will grant one a WSQ certificate. As a result, the numerous range of WSQ certificates issued cheapened its value in the eyes of the public and employers.
Only Singaporean males born in Singapore need to serve conscription, which entails a 2-year mandatory military service and a yearly training for 10 years after. New citizens are exempted from conscription, and coupled with increasing corruption in the Singapore ruling party government, more Singaporean men find NS useless and a waste of time.