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The Big Read in short: Time to get serious about SkillsFuture

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.

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.

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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. This is a shortened version of the full feature, which can be found here.

  • The SkillsFuture initiative was launched in 2015 to promote lifelong learning and encourage people to learn new skills
  • Training participation rate has improved from 35 per cent to 50 per cent, with Singaporeans taking courses as diverse as flower arrangement, folk dancing and people management
  • On Feb 16, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced new moves seen to be aimed at taking SkillsFuture to the next level
  • The measures seek to nudge workers to take SkillsFuture  programmes that are more closely related to work skills and lead to better employability outcomes
  • Workers, businesses and human resource experts whom TODAY spoke to speak of challenges in tapping SkillsFuture courses and skills training, and suggest ways to improve

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.

So the 48-year-old mathematics lecturer at a polytechnic decided to spend her SkillsFuture credits on a three-month course on air-conditioner maintenance.

While she is still unable to repair her air-conditioner — the course was “too technical” with little hands-on experience — Dr Chua said it started her journey in 2021 to learn different skills such as electrical repairing.

“Recently I applied for a course to learn about artificial intelligence (AI). But I’ve also spent money on courses that are not deductible (through SkillsFuture) like a course to learn Italian.”

With about S$100 in SkillsFuture credits left, she plans to spend it on learning about car maintenance.

But when asked if she would spend the credits on skills related to her job, Dr Chua hesitated.

“There are a lot of resources available online for educators from a variety of sources worldwide,” she told TODAY.

“It’s something I do daily too and am more involved in… I would rather use my SkillsFuture credits on other things.

“But with the new initiative (announced during the) Budget, where we get more credits to spend on more specific courses, it could be interesting. I might have a look at the courses available once there’s more information and see if any are relevant to me… maybe something related to AI.”

Dr Chua Yen Ping, 48, spent her SkillsFuture credits on courses on air-conditioner maintenance, electrical repairs and artificial intelligence.

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.

About 35 per cent of Singaporeans took part in training programmes under SkillsFuture in its inaugural year.

In 2022, training participation rates improved to about 50 per cent, said Minister of State for Education Gan Siow Huang in response to a parliamentary question on Jan 10 this year.

WHY THIS MATTERS

The SkillsFuture initiative, which is into its 10th year, has seen Singaporeans taking courses as diverse as flower arrangement and folk dancing. Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong recently announced new initiatives that are seen to be aimed at taking SkillsFuture to the next level.

In his Budget 2024 speech on Feb 16, Mr Wong, who is also the Finance Minister, unveiled several new initiatives to nudge mid-career workers to take up SkillsFuture training programmes that are more closely related to work skills.

This includes giving all Singaporeans aged 40 and above a S$4,000 top-up in SkillsFuture credits in May.

These new credits, unlike the basic S$500 credits that Singaporeans receive when they turn 25 years old, will be more targeted in scope.

"We will confine its usage to selected training programmes with better employability outcomes," said Mr Wong, who is also Finance Minister.

Singaporeans aged 25 and older received S$500 in credits from 2016.
In 2020, the Government gave these citizens a one-off S$500 top-up, which expires at the end of 2025.

With technological advancements and shorter lifespan of skills, human resource (HR) experts said it has become increasingly important for mid-career workers to be able to take reskilling courses that are effective.

“It's not just about staying relevant. It's about seizing opportunities that were (once) inaccessible and enabling workers to be updated with the latest technology know-how to maintain their employability,” said Mr Gavin Teo, director at recruitment firm Michael Page Singapore.

Second Minister for Finance and National Development Indranee Rajah told news radio station CNA938 on Feb 19 that the SkillsFuture boost announced in Mr Wong’s Budget speech will focus on growth areas.

“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.

THE BIG PICTURE

Mid-career workers in their late 30s and 40s told TODAY that taking on these courses comes at some cost — be it their personal or work time — and they are more interested in taking courses of their own interests.

The tangible results from courses are not always obvious, said owners of small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs), especially for courses on soft skills.

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.

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.

“For example, you wish to send a staff for a course and search for one. There’s so much information, it’s hard to tell if a course fits your company’s needs. After reading for 20, 30 minutes, you have no idea and just give up as you have work to clear. Sending employees on such workshops just goes into the backburner.”

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.

The quality and nature of courses available through SkillsFuture has also been questioned several times.

On Thursday (Feb 22), SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and the National Environment Agency released a statement defending a S$580 course on toilet cleaning listed on the SkillsFuture learning portal that had garnered flak online.

The government agencies said that the course is important to ensure cleaning industry workers are efficient and effective at what they do, and is a requirement for licensed cleaning businesses.

The quality and nature of courses available through SkillsFuture has been questioned several times.

Several bogus claims and scams related to SkillsFuture have also occurred over the years.

The largest fraud case involved a syndicate which registered nine dormant entities and made 8,391 claims to SSG in 2017, resulting in nearly S$40 million of training grants being disbursed to the entities. 

These submissions involved 25,141 employees purportedly working for six applicant entities, who had purportedly attended training courses conducted by three training providers.

In response to these incidences, SSG said in 2017 that it had implemented “mystery shopping audits” to catch unethical and misleading marketing practices, strengthened the sensitivity of its data analytics system to detect anomalies, and stepped up the frequency of checks and audits on training providers and individual claims.

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.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Given these challenges, educational institutions providing reskilling courses for mid-career workers have adjusted their courses to fit the needs of their mature students.

These include creating asynchronous lessons, workplace learning programmes which involves "developing workplace learning blueprints, coaching workplace trainers and helping with job redesign”, and having project elements in courses that workers can implement in their companies.

But beyond that, businesses could also take their own initiative to assess what courses fit their employees best, said Ms Jenny Su, senior director of executive search firm Ethos BeathChapman. This includes:

  • Conducting assessments before and after the course to measure employee’s knowledge and skills
  • Defining clear performance metrics related to the skills targeted in the courses
  • Analysing employee performance, distinguishing between those who have attended the course and those who have not
  • Establishing feedback channels for employees to share their thoughts on the courses they attend

Experts and businesses also made several suggestions on what could be done to boost skills training, including cultivating on-the-job training, enhancing financial support for business and showcasing more mid-career workers who benefit from upgrading their skills through courses.

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.

Nonetheless, Dr Charles Ong, dean and director of health and life sciences at private educational institution PSB Academy, said private educational institutions will also be “pushed to step up to ensure their programmes align with the Government's goals” through the initiative.

This includes offering training to support career switchers, and adjusting teaching methods and entry requirements to suit mature learners.

But as many incentives and nudges are given by companies and the Government, individuals need to push themselves to take the step and reskill themselves, said experts, schools and business owners.

This is something that Mr Hisham Ong, 40, senior manager in data and analytics for Asean and South Pacific in the Coca-Cola Company, agrees with.

"Time is a luxury an individual has, it's really up to them to prioritise their time and to say that they are ready to take up the challenge," he told TODAY.

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 the "leap of faith" to study for a Graduate Diploma in Sustainability at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Mr Hisham Ong, 40, had initially been apprehensive about the rigours of entering formal education while juggling his work life and family life, but decided to take the "leap of faith" to study for a graduate diploma in Sustainability at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

"(The graduate diploma) gives you the basic grounding. While on the job, people don't have the luxury of time to explain things," said Mr Ong, who was able to use SkillsFuture credits for three of his six subjects.

"I believe that choosing to study represents a significant opportunity for me to enhance my professional growth, stay abreast of sustainability trends, and bring more value to my role in the sustainability space."

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SkillsFuture training Big Read

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