SINGAPORE — Whenever her air-conditioning unit broke down, Dr Chua Yen Ping used to wonder what needed to be fixed when the repair man could solve her woes in just minutes.
To promote lifelong learning and increase the employability of people amid a fast-changing world grappling with technological disruptions, the Government started the SkillsFuture initiative in 2015.Each week, TODAY’s long-running Big Read series delves into the trends and issues that matter. This week, we look at the SkillsFuture initiative and what new moves announced at Budget 2024 mean for workers and employers.
The measures seek to nudge workers to take SkillsFuture programmes that are more closely related to work skills and lead to better employability outcomes “Recently I applied for a course to learn about artificial intelligence . But I’ve also spent money on courses that are not deductible like a course to learn Italian.”
About 35 per cent of Singaporeans took part in training programmes under SkillsFuture in its inaugural year. "We will confine its usage to selected training programmes with better employability outcomes," said Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister.With technological advancements and shorter lifespan of skills, human resource experts said it has become increasingly important for mid-career workers to be able to take reskilling courses that are effective.
The tangible results from courses are not always obvious, said owners of small and medium-sized enterprise , especially for courses on soft skills. And as SMEs are smaller and may have less resources than multinational corporations, Mr Ang noted that some companies may face manpower struggles when employees go for courses that last longer than a day.
To address the quality of courses, SSG also implemented the Training Quality and Outcomes Measurement in July 2018, where it surveys course participants based on the course quality and its impact on work and career. Participation in the survey is “strongly encouraged” but not required.Given these challenges, educational institutions providing reskilling courses for mid-career workers have adjusted their courses to fit the needs of their mature students.
For private educational institutions, they hope that the S$4,000 additional SkillsFuture credits could be used by mid-career workers to defray the cost of education in their institutions.
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