Participation in work-related learning jumped to 48% in 2018

Over 11,000 already joined the government’s SkillsFuture Series.

The proportion of the workforce taking up work-related training has risen for a second consecutive year, from 35% in 2015 to 42% in 2016, and again in 2017 to about 48%, senior minister for education Chee Hong Tat revealed.

According to Chee’s speech, this was helped by the SkillsFuture initiatives of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) over the past few years. “We worked with our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to launch the SkillsFuture Series modular courses last October, which is a curated list of short, industry-relevant training programmes,” he said.

As at 30 May this year, over 11,000 individuals have participated in the SkillsFuture Series. “We will build on this initial momentum and bring in other partners, including employers and unions, to work together to expand the range of courses,” the senior minister added.

Moreover, the SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace programme has also benefited 12,000 Singapore since its launch in October 2017, Chee said.

“Companies are often the first to sense what are the new skills needed for your business operations and what are the existing skills gaps in the workforce,” he added. “The government and IHLs will continue to involve industry representatives in designing our SkillsFuture initiatives and training courses to ensure they remain relevant in meeting industry needs.”