28/10/2017
New SkillsFuture Series To Train 50,000 Annually In Eight Priority And Emerging Skills Areas
Led by Institutes of Higher Learning to transform adult education
A new SkillsFuture Series
of training programmes in eight priority and emerging skills areas has
been launched by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to help equip working
adults with the skills required across different sectors. This was
announced by Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education (Higher Education
and Skills) and Second Minister for Defence, at the launch of the
Lifelong Learning Festival 2017.
For a start, the SkillsFuture Series comprises more than 400 courses
offered for immediate enrolment, anchored primarily by the Institutes of
Higher Learning (IHLs)1.
With their deep knowledge base and reputation for high-quality
training, the IHLs will take the lead in driving and expanding the range
of training programmes in the SkillsFuture Series, complemented by
courses offered by high-quality private training providers such as
3dsense and Singapore Media Academy. The course list will be continually
expanded by up to three-fold, in consultation with employers, industry
partners and the Labour Movement. As a start, the SkillsFuture Series
will train 10,000 Singaporeans and will be ramped up over the next three
years to benefit 50,000 Singaporeans annually in 2020.
The eight priority and emerging skills areas of the SkillsFuture Series
draw reference from the Industry Transformation Maps and feedback from
industry partners. Within each of the following eight areas, there will
be a curated list of short and modular industry-relevant courses
averaging 25 training hours.
i) Data analytics, led by National University of Singapore
- Collecting, cleansing, transforming and modelling data, in order to discover useful information.
ii) Finance, led by Singapore Management University
- Application of technologies in the design, delivery and governance of financial services.
iii) Tech-enabled Services, led by Singapore University of Social Sciences and Republic Polytechnic
- Use of technology-based applications to transform
services-related industries such as supply chain, retail, healthcare,
professional and security services.
iv) Digital media, led by Nanyang Polytechnic
- Creation, broadcast, production, and use of digitised content, as well as digital communications.
v) Cybersecurity, led by Singapore University of Technology and Design and Temasek Polytechnic
- Measures and techniques to protect the integrity of data, computing
devices and other systems from damage or theft, and prevent disruption
to the functionality of the systems.
vi) Entrepreneurship, led by Ngee Ann Polytechnic
- Art of transforming an idea into a venture of value creation for market, through innovation and risk-taking.
vii) Advanced manufacturing, led by Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Polytechnic
- Use of innovative and advanced technologies to improve products and
processes by enhancing the cyber-physical integration of manufacturing.
viii) Urban Solutions, led by Singapore Institute of Technology and Institute of Technical Education
- Solutions aimed at improving the quality of living through designing
and building environmentally-sustainable and liveable cities.
(More details are available in Annex A.)
To enable individuals to identify relevant courses based on their skills
level and career needs, courses under the SkillsFuture Series are
tiered across three proficiency levels - basic, intermediate and
advanced (See Annex B).
SSG will provide up to 70% course fee subsidy for Singapore Citizens and
Singapore Permanent Residents to ensure that the courses in the
SkillsFuture Series are affordable. With the subsidy, most of the basic
level training programmes (80% of them) will cost less than $500.
Singaporeans who qualify for enhanced subsidies, such as the Enhanced
Training Support for SMEs or the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced
Subsidy, will also continue to enjoy further subsidies of up to 90% of
the course fees. At the 90% enhanced subsidy rate, about 85% of basic
level courses will cost less than $200. Additionally, SkillsFuture
Credit can be used to offset the balance of the course fees. SSG
expects to spend more than $70 million over the first three years on the
SkillsFuture Series.
Mr Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive of SkillsFuture Singapore, said,
“Through the SkillsFuture Series, we target to build up a curated list
of training programmes in priority and emerging skills. This will
facilitate Singaporeans and their employers in making choices about
training. The Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) will anchor the
SkillsFuture Series, and expand their role in Continuing and Education
Training (CET). The IHLs bring with them significant strengths and
expertise, and will add diversity to the overall CET landscape. Over
time, the IHLs will become an important third pillar, complementing the
important roles played by employers which provide in-house training and
private training providers.”
For more information on the courses, please visit skillsfuture.sg/series
1In total, there are 12 Institutes of Higher Learning, i.e. six Autonomous Universities, five polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education.
Annex A - The eight priority and emerging skills areas of the SkillsFuture Series
Annex B - Three proficiency levels of SkillsFuture Series