MPs laud SkillsFuture but query implementation

SINGAPORE — The new SkillsFuture initiatives were hailed by Members of Parliament (MPs) as a potential springboard for sustained productivity growth that has proven elusive thus far, with Workers’ Party chairwoman Sylvia Lim even going as far as to say it could mitigate income inequality in the long run.

Its success, however, hinges on how the various programmes will be implemented, they said, including making sure there is quality training so that the Government’s investment in helping Singaporeans gain relevant skills is well-spent.

The SkillsFuture initiatives announced in the Budget statement last Monday, to which the Government has committed S$1 billion every year until 2020, include apprenticeships for polytechnic and ITE graduates, study awards, and training grants for Singaporeans aged 25 and above.

Weighing in on these measures yesterday, Ms Lim (Aljunied GRC) and Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast GRC) said courses and trainers under the SkillsFuture banner must be of a high standard for the initiative to “pay good dividends”.

Marine Parade MP Tin Pei Ling called for a wider selection of courses, such as master’s degree programmes, to be included under SkillsFuture Credit, which offers cash credits to those in the workforce to upgrade their skills. The credits can only be used for courses approved by the Education Ministry and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.

“The SkillsFuture Credit is about empowerment and giving Singaporeans autonomy ... over their personal development and career progression ... Hence, why not broaden the selection of courses for Singaporeans to decide for themselves?” she asked.

But Dr Chia Shi-Lu (Tanjong Pagar GRC) raised the concern that courses of widely differing merit may mushroom. He asked how training courses and study award recipients will be selected.

Several MPs also urged more support for certain groups to take advantage of SkillsFuture initiatives.

Among them were Ms Jessica Tan (East Coast GRC) and Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade GRC), who spoke up for stay-at-home mothers and suggested the rules be tweaked to allow their husbands and children to make partial transfers of unutilised credits to their accounts.

Ms Tan also suggested having online courses so that women who stopped their careers to care for their families can stay updated and return to the workforce more easily in future.

Turning to employers’ role in helping SkillsFuture take flight, Senior Minister of State (Prime Minister’s Office) Heng Chee How urged employers to invest in the capabilities of older workers, noting that they are less likely to job-hop and can be a key and lasting part of the payroll.

Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) also noted that employers must change their mindset: Bosses must see the “higher purpose” of training their staff, for overall industry development and to reduce dependence on foreign labour in the long run.

He also called on society to respect people, regardless of their occupation, for being good at what they do and not based on how much they earn. “If people from all walks of life ... take pride in (being the best at what they do), then skills upgrading becomes simply a natural part of that quest for self-improvement,” he said.