The SkillsFuture movement in Singapore is gaining steam.
This is the assessment by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) since the launch of the movement in 2016.
SSG released its report card for 2017 at a news briefing on 1 February 2018.
Report Card
Here is a quick snapshot of the highlights by SSG in 2017.
MySkillsFuture.sg portal: Since its launch last year, there have been some 1.9 million page views. Nearly 268,000 people have also browsed the site.MySkillsFuture.sg is a one-stop online portal that enables Singaporeans to chart their own career and lifelong learning pathways.
SkillsFuture Credit: 285,000 Singaporeans have taken advantage of their $500 SkillsFuture Credit, nearly double the number in 2016. The amount was credited into the accounts of Singaporeans aged 25 and above in January 2016.
SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme: 76 programmes have been launched so far for graduates from the polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education (ITE). This work-learn programme gives fresh polytechnic and ITE graduates a headstart in careers related to their discipline of study.
Sharing the recent findings of the Manpower Ministry’s Report on the Labour Force In Singapore 2017, SSG’s Chief Executive Ng Cher Pong highlighted that the training participation rate of the resident labour force aged 15 to 64 has gone up in the last two years.
In 2017, it was 47.9 per cent, up from 42 per cent in 2016 and he feels this is due to the SkillsFuture movement.
Feedback
SSG has also been receiving feedback about SkillsFuture. One key concern is that Singaporeans still find it difficult to look for the course of their choice as more than 20,000 are listed on the MySkillsFuture.sg portal.
SSG will focus on building up the resources on the MySkillsFuture.sg portal to help make it easier for people to search for courses.
The second concern, which comes from both the training providers and workers, is the mode of payment for the course using both the SkillsFuture Credit and personal top ups, if needed. They are concerned with the administrative procedures involved.
“We are working on a programme called the payment gateway which will help those who are signing up for the courses online to pay for them seamlessly,” revealed Mr Ng.
Outreach
In the year ahead, SSG will be pressing on with reaching out to employers, especially the thousands of small-and-medium-sized enterprises, to come on board the training bandwagon.
SSG will also be working closely with the human resource personnel of various sectors to impress upon them the urgency to upskill workers.
It added that these personnel can also take advantage of the opportunities provided by the various industry transformation maps to improve the job prospects of workers.
