Inmates serving sentence at halfway houses can soon get training at educational institutes
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Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (centre) overseeing the signing of the memorandum of understanding on Dec 19.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Poh Yijian
Follow topic:
- Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) will launch new training courses in April 2026 for inmates in halfway houses, in collaboration with IHLs and Continuing Education and Training Centres.
- The courses, including the Skillsfuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP), aims to provide sector-specific skills applicable to industries like retail, food services and environmental services.
- YRSG and SIMPDF signed a MOU, providing an award of S$600 to ex-offenders securing employment, boosting motivation and helping with reintegration, with SIMPDF pledging up to S$150,000.
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SINGAPORE – Inmates residing in halfway houses or under community supervision will be able to enrol in courses under a new initiative that will include on-campus training at educational institutes.
Making the announcement on Dec 19 at Temasek Polytechnic, Yellow Ribbon Singapore said the new hybrid model is being introduced to enable more supervisees, who are still serving their sentence, to pursue opportunities in their preferred sectors.
Inmates under community supervision are typically at the tail end of their sentences.
They regularly report back and are supervised by prison officers while in halfway houses, under home detention, or in the Work Release Scheme.
The new hybrid initiative follows a successful pilot of the Environmental Services Specialist course under the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP), a train-and-place certification scheme introduced in 2022.
The course was conducted from May to December. It saw inmates start their training within correctional facilities in Changi Prison Complex and continue on campus at Temasek Polytechnic.
When studying at the polytechnic, the inmates, who were still serving their sentence, were moved to halfway houses or based at home as part of the community-based programmes, and they remained under community supervision.
From April 2026, Yellow Ribbon will expand its training pathways to enable more supervisees to pursue opportunities in their preferred sectors.
The courses will include the SCTP and offerings delivered by continuing education and training centres, including institutes of higher learning such as polytechnics.
Mr Leslie Jin, deputy director of skills at Yellow Ribbon, said the SCTP is a good opportunity for the inmates.
He added that the majority of the inmate population may not have a chance to go to a tertiary institution for education otherwise.
He said inmates under the pilot programme benefited from learning in a structured, realistic working environment.
They also gained access to equipment that they would otherwise have been unable to encounter.
Most importantly, he said, the hybrid approach significantly accelerated the training timeline, allowing more material to be taught in a few weeks, instead of a few months.
When former offenders successfully complete their sector-specific training, those who have secured employment will be presented with the SIM People Development Fund’s (SIMPDF) Progression Award.
The award, valued at $600 per recipient, is expected to benefit close to 80 inmates every year, from 2026 to 2028.
Yellow Ribbon on Dec 19 signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with SIMPDF, which pledged to commit up to $150,000 to support supervisees.
Mr Patrick Tay, chairman of SIMPDF, said the award would help offset expenses incurred over the course of the programme and serve as a powerful form of encouragement for former offenders as they embark on their new careers.
Commenting on the new programme, Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs, described the rehabilitation process for inmates as a community effort.
“It involves the Government, industry, educators, donors and community partners all moving in the same direction,” added Prof Faishal, who is also Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs.
Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim speaking at the event on Dec 19.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
The SIMPDF Progression Award was given to 23 supervisees, including 19 who have been offered employment at a recent job fair organised by Temasek Polytechnic and the Environmental Management Association of Singapore.
Dave (not his real name), who was among those who received the award, said he enrolled in the course because of his fascination with plants and animals.
He added that as part of his community supervision stint, he was allowed access to a phone and laptop. These resources were unavailable to him during his time in Changi Prison.
Dave said the hybrid model of the course helped transform him into a more self-directed learner, adding that the award made him feel appreciated for his hard work.
Although his third incarceration had been fraught with difficulties, when he heard about the SCTP, he thought to himself: “This time, I want to make a change.”
