How Singapore is winning the upskilling challenge

Singapore intends to be a “bright green spark” in the globe, but to do so, the public, corporate, and human resources sectors need to be equipped with the necessary capabilities.

With the launch of SkillsFuture, Singapore has made considerable progress in promoting lifelong learning, with over 660,000 people last year utilizing the initiatives the program supports.

“Protect workers, not jobs,” said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at a recent Citizens’ Panel on Employment Resilience. Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Lawrence Wong, who also serves as Finance Minister, recently discussed intentions to develop the SkillsFuture ecosystem and a bigger plan to improve the nation’s upskilling model.

73% of respondents to the bi-annual 222 Randstad Workmonitor study agreed that training and development are vital, and 56% of them listed soft skills, 49% career development, and 47% technical skills as the areas they would like to get training in.

On the other hand, upskilling employees has emerged as the top goal for L&D professionals in Singapore in 2023, according to LinkedIn’s 2023 Workplace Learning Report.

In this article, let’s explore how the young island nation, Singapore is upskilling and reskilling its workforce for the future. Take a quick look at these major statistics to closely understand the state of upskilling in Singapore.

Let’s now take a brief look at the initiatives that the Singaporean government has taken to upskill its workforce for the future:

Reskilling middle career workers through Career conversion programmes (CCPs)

In Singapore, career conversion programmes (CCPs) are designed for people in the middle of their careers and want to change jobs or transition into other fields with promising career prospects.

A mid-career person gets recruited by a participating employer before completing training to take on a new employment role in a place-and-train CCP.

Through industry partners in growing sectors with promising job prospects, individuals in mid-career are given training and work attachments prior to being placed in a position.

Aimed at businesses experiencing business transformation, existing staff members may be laid off or placed in vulnerable positions due to the transformation. These employees will receive training to assume new job duties or revised job roles within the same organization.

Encouraging lower-wage workers to upskill

The Workfare Skills Support (WSS) program encourages lower-paid individuals to enroll in training that will have a greater influence on their ability to find employment.

WSG’s efforts to assist low-wage workers in improving their skills and increasing their career mobility are in line with the launch of the WSS Scheme. The WSS Scheme gives LWWS additional opportunities to pursue training that results in more significant job outcomes.

As of 2023, with the lower eligibility age and higher income threshold, an estimated 70,000 more low-income workers will be eligible for this training support program.

Building a foundation in workplace learning and recognizing skills

At the World Economic Forum Growth Summit panel discussion Skills for Growth, Soon-Joo Gog, the Chief Skills Officer at SkillsFuture Singapore mentioned, “Every industry has an industry transformation plan, part of which is skills. Once we unveil that talent and skill strategy, it will almost immediately translate into insights for universities, polytechnics, and technical education who put this in their curriculums.”

A new initiative, Workplace Skills Recognition will soon be launched to give businesses the tools they need to implement workplace learning and

recognize the skills that employees have acquired.

The goal of the Workplace Skills Recognition (WPSR) initiative is to support businesses, especially SMEs, in laying a basis for workplace learning and in recognizing skills acquired on the job.

This will help assess the organization’s readiness to meet the workplace learning requirements and apply for the certification if the company has established systems and processes to support on-the-job training.

Empowering talent: Providing subsidies for training fees

Singapore has launched numerous scholarships and subsidies to assist cover training costs, so upgrading skills don’t necessarily have to be expensive.

To make sure that finance shouldn’t be a hindrance for talented individuals who want to advance in their careers, Singapore kicked off the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit Programme to help cover the cost of upskilling. Eligible enterprises can apply for up to $10,000 in funding for certain government programmes, as well as for courses that are in line with Workforce Singapore’s Skills Frameworks and job redesign efforts, with the goal of promoting company and workforce transformation.

By providing individuals with training, the Singapore government is helping them perform better at work while also creating a workforce that is more resilient to market fluctuations and prepared for future challenges.

Way forward

In Singapore, 91% of the workers surveyed for Randstad’s 2022 Workmonitor report indicated a desire for possibilities for professional growth and development. Despite this, just 22% of respondents reported that their employers had provided opportunities for training and upskilling within the previous 12 months.

Given the prevalence of career disruption, particularly for senior and mid-career workers, the Singapore government’s challenge is to make the upskilling process easier and less stressful, especially for people who manage family responsibilities like caring for elderly parents and kids.

According to its Labour Market Report Q4 2022, overall employment increased by an “unprecedented” 227,800 during the year, rising to 2.9% higher than before the epidemic.

Looking at the recent employment trend, overall employment increased by 43,500 in Q4 2022 alone for the fifth consecutive quarter, with gains in both resident and non-resident employment.

To ensure that people have fulfilling careers, Singapore has always prioritized resources for education and lifelong learning. Hence, despite the uncertainties, the future workplace of Singapore looks bright.