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.
The Big Read: Generous SkillsFuture carrots for Singaporeans to get serious about lifelong learning, but will they bite?
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 560,000 people took part in initiatives supported by SkillsFuture Singapore in 2022, including 192,000 who used their SkillsFuture credits. This is an annual increase of around 12,000 per year, from 156,000 in 2019. With the SkillsFuture initiative into its 10th year, it has seen Singaporeans taking courses as diverse as pet care and folk dancing. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong recently announced new initiatives that are seen to be aimed at taking the national movement to the next level.
"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.
And with over 29,000 courses available under the SkillsFuture scheme, individuals and SMEs said they have problems figuring out what courses would best suit their needs. Another handyman course on electrical repairs she took taught her how to repair only one electrical equipment — her oven — as the day-course involved her bringing her own electronic equipment for repairs.Ms Dawn Lim, 29, co-founder and chief executive officer of customer experience consultancy Alnico, also felt the tangible benefits were not obvious after sending some of her employees for several reskilling courses in 2021.
The agencies said that the course is important to ensure cleaning industry workers are efficient and effective at what they do. Separately, in the same year, about 4,400 individuals made false claims to encash their SkillsFuture credits by claiming to attend courses which they did not. “As the global skill landscape evolves, individuals, corporations, and governments must adapt swiftly to ensure that we can deliver to future needs,” said Ms Dolon Mitra, director of human resource transformation at consultancy Change Et Al.
“Digitalisation, sustainability, these are key growth areas. And then of course you have our usual ones, electronics and manufacturing …. Basically, anything where there's growth, we encourage people to pursue,” she said. “When we talk about and reskilling, we're talking about empowering individuals to not just keep up, but to lead,” she said.
Courses on digitalisation, which drives business growth and efficiency, and those which focus on specialised skills, such as data analytics and artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, will also be in greater demand.As the job market rapidly changes, the need for mid-career workers to reskill and upskill has become more crucial than ever, HR experts told TODAY.
“Now with a child and more life commitments, I don’t think I can find the energy to do any long courses anymore,” she admitted. Mr Ang Yuit, president of the Association for Small and Medium Enterprises , said: “There’s such a wide variety of courses, so SMEs have a challenge when it comes to decision making.
Ms Lim of Alnico also pointed out that SMEs may not be able to translate courses into tangible benefits for the company. Hence, they might be more hesitant to send their employees on courses. “But at an SME, there will come a time where there is not much employees can learn from their bosses.” “For greater clarity and assurance of competencies gained, both to the learners and to companies looking out for skills, SP has started to develop and launch micro-credentials with leading industry or professional bodies to define industry-relevant competencies and develop accreditation methods.”
Through this, the lecturer ensures the project can be completed by the end of the training period — motivating the mid-career worker through “small wins” and allowing companies to see the return of investment through the project implementation.Educational institutions providing reskilling courses for mid-career workers have adjusted their courses to fit the needs of their mature students.
In 2020, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong launched the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit to allow businesses to defray up to 90 per cent of out-of-pocket expenses of business transformation, job redesign and skills training. Analysing employee performance, distinguishing between those who have attended the course and those who have notBut as many companies and mid-career workers value on-the-job training and question the need for courses, Mr Ang of ASME wondered if more could be done to enhance such training in-house.
Dr Ong of PSB Academy said that private educational institutions will also be “pushed to step up to ensure their programmes align with the Government's goals”. She took a diploma in people management, which taught her how to work with people better through various skills like communication and customer service. The skills also apply to her daily life as she uses these skills to communicate with her family clearly, she said.
“The time and job opportunity sacrifice is temporary. There’ll be long-term benefits to these courses, and I believe it’ll allow me to have more time to care for my children while working as the sole breadwinner,” she said. He had been apprehensive about the rigours of entering formal education while juggling his work life and family life, but Mr Ong said he took a"leap of faith" to study for a graduate diploma in Sustainability at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.