THE Government will quadruple the number of trainees under its Continuous Education and Training (CET) programme from 20,000 to 80,000 every year, says Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as Singapore pushes for a 'highly skilled and productive workforce'.

Speaking at the opening of the new training centre called the Employability and Employment Institute on Friday, PM Lee also hinted that more funds for CET programmes will be released.

Currently, Singapore already spends some $200 million or 0.1 per cent of GDP on adult training. The Lifelong Learning Endowment Fund (LLEF), a government initiative, so far has $2.2 billion in its coffers - with a long-term target of $5 billion.

"This year I expect the Minister of Finance to be able to make a significant contribution to the LLEF in the Budget. The additional resources will help us achieve intermediate goals of our CET Masterplan quicker," PM Lee explained.

So with workers now coming under CET programmes, expanding the schemes to include more industries, plus involving both rank-and-file as well as professional employees, are also on the cards.

"All workers should be able to embark on progression pathways throughout their working lives. If we do this well, we will deepen the skills base of our workforce, help workers to respond quickly to changes in the job market, and sharpen the competitiveness of our economy," said Mr Lee.

e2i, located at Redhill Road, is a one-stop location for job inquiries and skills training placement - a joint initiative of the NTUC, Workforce Development Agency and the Singapore Labour Foundation.