SINGAPORE - Four new SkillsFuture work-study programmes, offering a total of about 300 places over the next three years, are in the pipeline to meet manpower needs in emerging and growth sectors. Three of these new programmes will be rolled out in October. The work-study schemes, which allow adults to pursue higher qualifications while working, will also rope in more than 32,000 firms - mostly local small and medium-size enterprises - in tie-ups with higher learning institutes and business associations. Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman said at a virtual SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair on Friday (Aug 13) that two memoranda of understanding have been signed between the higher learning institutes and the Singapore Business Federation and Singapore Manufacturing Federation respectively. The expansion of the work-study programmes builds on their success, said Dr Maliki. For instance, 96 per cent of those trained were employed six months after completion of their work-study programmes according to a survey last year. Since the launch of the programmes in 2015, more than 7,000 trainees and more than 1,600 companies have benefited from them. "One example of a company that has benefi...