The Big Read: Generous SkillsFuture carrots for Singaporeans to get serious about lifelong learning, but will they bite?

26 Feb 2024

Educational institutions providing reskilling courses for mid-career workers under the SkillsFuture framework have adjusted their courses to fit the needs of their mature students. SP Professional & Adult Continuing Education Academy director Mr Wong Jian Chang said it has developed more asynchronous lessons, allowing learners to learn “anytime and anywhere”. “While this is important, we augment them with face-to-face sessions so that learners can continue to interact, build networks, and have hands-on learning,” he said. “For greater clarity and assurance of competencies gained, both to the learners and to companies looking out for skills, SP has started to develop and launch micro-credentials with leading industry or professional bodies to define industry-relevant competencies and develop accreditation methods.” The polytechnic also has workplace learning programmes, which allow companies to make learning more effective. This includes “developing workplace learning blueprints, coaching workplace trainers and helping with job redesign”, allowing workers to work and learn at the same time. To address concerns related to tangible benefits from the courses, RP’s programmes include project elements in the curriculum. This allows mid-career workers to “build their portfolio in a new area by completing a real-life project”, said RP Academy for Continuing Education director Mr Sim Choon Hou. “RP has also seen tremendous growth in our training-cum-project-consultancy model, where participants will bring to the table a problem that they want to solve after attending a course and our lecturers will work as a trainer-cum-consultant to them.” 

[TODAY]