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.
