Making lifelong learning work for employees

29 May 2017

The Straits Times, 29 May 2017 - Article mentioned that while there has been a plethora of initiatives and funding schemes to get people to attend courses to learn new skills, Singaporeans have job commitments and family responsibilities that leave them with little personal time. Mr Tan Suat Peng, director of NP’s Continuing Education and Training Academy, highlighted that if training is not supported by a company, it would mean workers having to apply for leave to attend training. Mr Suresh Punjabi, director of SP’s Professional and Adult Continuing Education Academy, said that we have to be realistic and empathetic to companies, especially SMEs where manpower is lean and is much needed in day-to-day operations. This is why bite-sized courses – or modular courses – make it easier for workers to learn at their own pace. RP’s part-time diploma in applied science (nutrition and food science) student Justin Li chose to pursue a part-time programme to better tackle production-related issues at his family-owned business Hara Hong Kong Tim Sum. He shared that running a business is a full-time commitment, and sometimes you have to skip classes to attend to urgent work.