According to the ‘Future of Jobs’ report published by the World Economic Forum in 2016, technological disruption and increased digitalisation will be responsible for the loss of as many as 5.1 million jobs worldwide between now and 2020. At the same time, some 2 million new jobs will also be created.
Zooming in on Singapore, a media release by enterprise development agency SPRING Singapore on 25 January 2017 shared that the 16,300 enterprises it supported in 2016 are on course to generate $7.8 billion in value to Singapore’s economy.
In the process, some 21,400 skilled jobs will be created, complementing the opportunities in sectors such as healthcare, information technology and education.
Embracing Change
To tap these newfound opportunities, the report pointed to the need for continuous learning and upgrading of skills – a key focus area for the Labour Movement.
“The spirit of lifelong learning is vital because the new mantra is not learn, work and retire; but learn, work, learn, work, learn, work and then retire,” said NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Patrick Tay. He is also director of NTUC’s Future Jobs, Skills and Training (FJST) Department.
“At any life stage, we need to be ready with new skills, relevant to new jobs and resilient to new changes… Always keep an open and positive attitude and embrace change before change embraces you,” said ASG Tay.
Besides determining the job opportunities of tomorrow, FJST will also identify the necessary skills required for those jobs.
A Necessity For Employment
“Skills are critical in a job search. Jobseekers should be hungry, persevering and embracing,” said Gilbert Tan, CEO of NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).
“Employers are always on a lookout for employees who can bring skills to add value to the company to increase its competitiveness and profitability. As such, to be employable, individuals need to constantly update their skills,” he said.
He added that jobseekers need to be hungry in acquiring the necessary skills that will get them a foot through the door in their desired job.
“They should also show employers they are keen and eager to learn and be persevering because skills often require time and practice to hone. With rapid changes in business processes, technology and automation, jobseekers need to embrace new ideas of what they need to learn and new ways of acquiring this knowledge,” he said.
A Means For Progress
“For adult learners, skills are not acquired just by training but earned through training plus exposure plus hands-on experience,” said NTUC Assistant Director-General (ADG) Vivek Kumar. He is also director of NTUC U Associate.
With a view on career progression, ADG Vivek said: “It is critical that our working people can equip themselves with the most recent knowledge through continuous training and upgrading; and have the mindset to make the best use of evolving opportunities for both themselves and the companies they work for.”
To that end, U Associate has been collaborating with e2i to offer sectoral programmes for professionals. ADG Vivek shared that the programmes are developed to share unique industry perspectives with classroom learning and industry exposure opportunities with professional development of participants as an intended outcome.
Tips On Course Selection
Upgrading may be a means to progress in one’s career, but picking the right course can be tricky.
To help in that selection process, ADG Vivek shared the three questions he would ask himself when choosing a programme.
• Personal or professional?
Are the skills meant to assist in personal development or in learning a whole new skillset for work?
• New skill?
Without prior experience, I would opt for a practitioner-oriented programme, ideally with a case-study approach or a project-based one to help me internalise the concepts.
• Networking opportunities?
Learning from my peers during classroom interaction is just as important as learning from the instructor. Hence the participant profile is important. Staying connected with course-mates and exchanging learning notes can be beneficial.
