CLOSE to 50,000 workers in the service sector will be getting training to improve themselves over the next few years, and the government will foot the bill.

But perhaps more important for the workers, being put on the training programme means they will get to keep their jobs - the scheme aims to help employers keep their staff during the downturn by defraying their costs.

The $100 million programme, launched last month, is meant to bring service standards in the retail, health-care, food and beverage and hospitality sectors to a higher level.

Companies sign up with agencies like Spring Singapore and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to get their workers on it. Training is conducted either by external trainers or by WDA-approved companies and institutes.

Since the programme, called Phase 2 of the Go the Extra Mile for Service (Gems) drive, was launched, some 14 malls and 30 companies, with 34,000 workers in total, have said they will sign up it.

They include mall owner Capitaland Retail, the Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel, shoe and bag retailer Charles & Keith and health-care company Raffles Medical.

Twelve other companies which had gone through Phase 1 of Gems have decided to sign up for the second phase. They have 14,800 workers in all.

Yesterday, Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, called response to the scheme 'encouraging'.

Gems Phase 2 has twin aims: Help firms to upgrade service quality and skills, and cut costs by subsidising course fees at the same time.

It saves jobs since employers get training subsidies and are given the wages of workers whom they send for training.

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times.