12/11/2016

SkillsFuture Fellowships And SkillsFuture Employer Awards To Be Launched In Mid-December 2016

Two new SkillsFuture Awards, the SkillsFuture Fellowships and the SkillsFuture Employer Awards, will be available for application from Mid-December 2016 to recognise individuals who have developed skills mastery and employers who are exemplary in investing in their employees’ skills development respectively. This was announced by Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills), at the kick-off event for the two-week long Lifelong Learning Festival 2016 today.

SkillsFuture Fellowships

The SkillsFuture Fellowships aim to recognise and support Singaporeans who have acquired deep skills, typically through significant work experience in particular industries/occupations, who are champions of lifelong learning and are deeply committed to contributing to the skills development of others.

Each Fellowships recipient will receive a monetary award of $10,000 to support their continual journey towards skills mastery in their respective fields. The award can be used to defray out-of-pocket expenses associated with education and training across a wide range of skills upgrading options.

SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) plans to give out up to 30 SkillsFuture Fellowships in 2017 and up to 100 SkillsFuture Fellowships annually at steady state.

SkillsFuture Employer Awards

Employers are key in encouraging workplace learning and skills development. The SkillsFuture Employer Awards aim to recognise employers which have made significant efforts in investing in their employees’ skills development and supporting the SkillsFuture effort through the development of structured skills-based career pathways for their employees. The SkillsFuture Employer Awards are recognition awards and are non-monetary in nature.

Up to 10 SkillsFuture Employer Awards will be given out in 2017 and up to 30 awards annually at steady state.

Nominations for both awards will open in mid-December and more information on the application and judging criteria will be made available at that time.

Mr Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive of SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), said, "In light of the current employment outlook, it is even more critical for individuals to up-skill and for employers to invest in their employees’ training and skills development to stay relevant. With the SkillsFuture Fellowships and Employer Awards, we want to recognise exemplary individuals and employers who embody the spirit of lifelong learning and hold them up as examples to encourage more individuals and employers to see the value in skills mastery. SkillsFuture Singapore will continue to work closely with its stakeholders to help Singaporeans deepen their skills and achieve skills mastery throughout their careers."

The public may visit www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/sfea for more information on the SkillsFuture Fellowships and SkillsFuture Employer Awards.