The SBL-KHAS Scheme which was introduced on 16 September 2001 is an extension of the SBL Scheme. The objective of the scheme is to assist employers who have cash flow problems to retrain and upgrade the skills of the workers during the economic downturn through the usage of the current levy balance in the HR DF.

Under the SBL Scheme, employers have to pay the course fees upfront to the training providers. However, under the SBL-KHAS Scheme employers do not need to pay the course fees, or they only have to pay a small amount of the course fees to training providers depending on the maximum allowable course fee imposed by PSMB.

The SBL-KHAS Scheme is quite similar to the PERLA Scheme. Employers can still send their workers for training under this Scheme. One of the advantages of the SBL-KHAS Scheme is that the course content is allowed to be modified not more than 50% of the approved course content to suit the employers’ training needs.

The SBL-KHAS Scheme covers publicly conducted courses as well as customized in-house training conducted by external trainers. Employers need to submit the training grant applications before the commencement of the training. Claims by employers as well as training providers can be done after the training had ended. It is hoped that with this facility employers will further increase their retraining activities.

Originally, the SBL-KHAS Scheme was introduced on a temporary basis with the intention to assist and help to ease employers’ financial burden when sending their workers for training during the economic downturn in the late 1990s. Due to the positive impact as well as the overwhelming response from the employers, PSMB through its Board of Directors in its meeting dated 18 September 2003 decided the SBL-KHAS Scheme be made into a permanent scheme. The procedures for the application of training grants and claims under this scheme is the same as paragraph 4 and 5 in PSMB’s Employers Circular No. 11/2001 dated 29 August 2001.