I refer to the report “Keep learning but try to be a master of your field: Ong Ye Kung” (June 18).

The main focus of the School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (Scale) and SkillsFuture courses is to encourage Singaporeans to develop a culture of lifelong learning.

However, even with these set-ups, which allow the working population to become avid learners who dive deeper into their profession, the underlying problem of people lacking faith in these programmes is not addressed.

The root causes of this problem must be considered. That way, the efficacy of such strategies to engender lifelong learning can be assessed.

One root cause could be the perception that the qualifications obtained from such programmes are not reputable enough to grant an advantage in future employment.

Firstly, two types of skills can be gained under SkillsFuture: Soft skills and technical skills. Many of the courses, however, may only scratch the surface of what the job is truly about — a crash course.

Based on that, how does one determine if these courses will teach the hard or soft skills beneficial for future employment?

Secondly, Scale at the National University of Singapore has been set up and there are two routes for individual learners.

The first is a Bachelor of Technology degree recognised under the Washington Accord, which means that engineering bodies in countries like the United States, China, Japan and more recognise that degree.

The second route, the Undergraduate Certificate Courses, is not as recognised.

To apply for these courses, one must be a citizen, be at least 21 years old and must either have two years of work experience or be currently employed on a full-time basis.

It is impossible to tell how good these certification courses are based solely on the course descriptions, and the courses are too new to have reviews yet.

The skills taught may or may not be new to someone who has been working for two years, and may not be helpful to updating and studying for one’s career in greater depth.

The core question is: Will Singaporeans see these certificates as comparable to a bachelor’s or a master’s degree in helping them gain employment?

A better understanding of the above considerations must be gained for the SkillsFuture and Scale programmes to gain repute and credence among Singaporeans.