08/07/2021
SkillsFuture Month 2021: Upskilling To Open Up New Opportunities
SkillsFuture Singapore has kickstarted the SkillsFuture Month, held
between 8 July to 22 August. Themed “Open new possibilities when you
upskill”, the SkillsFuture Month 2021 will feature a range of over 54
virtual, hybrid and physical events, catering to Singaporeans at
different stages of their life, as well as enterprises and training
partners.
More than 90 community, education and industry partners are
participating in SkillsFuture Month 2021, which is expected to reach out
to more than 50,000 learners. SSG and its partners have lined up a
series of events that are specially designed to meet the needs of
different workforce segments. These include live webinars, online
classes and workshops, online learning content as well as virtual
exhibitions. Please refer to Annex A for more details.
The SkillsFuture Month 2021 opened with the SkillsFuture Forum,
which was graced by Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for the
Ministry of Education. She was joined by industry leaders from leading
multi-national corporations, who discussed the best practices that
companies can adopt for business transformation and employee training.
SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) supports enterprises in the continual
skills upgrading of the workforce through a suite of initiatives,
including the SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC), National Centre of
Excellence (NACE) for Workplace Learning and SkillsFuture Queen Bee
(SFQB) partnerships. As of end May 2021, over 7,000 employers that have
sent their employees for SSG-funded training courses.
As of 31 March 2021, about 650 companies implemented workplace learning
programmes and trained 3,700 employees under the NACE initiative. We
have also partnered more than 20 SFQB partners to benefit over 500
enterprises, many of which are small and medium enterprises.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry and SSG conducted a study on the
returns to firms that sponsored their local workers for SSG-supported
training between 2010 and 2018. The study showed that when companies
actively support and invest in the upskilling of their employees, they
can better attract and retain talent, as well as increase their revenue.
Specifically, the study found that for every 10% of the local workforce
that companies supported for training, the company’s revenue was about
0.7% higher on average each year for up to three years after training.
The labour productivity of firms was also 2.2% higher on average per
year for two years. The results of the study are encouraging, and
provide evidence that investment in workforce training leads to positive
business outcomes.
Suite of SFM activities to cater to all Singaporeans
For working adults
In partnership with Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), and
supported by all the autonomous universities, polytechnics and the
Institute of Technical Education (ITE), the SFM@SIT
event will be a virtual event this year. This event will focus on the
theme “Supporting Industry Transformation through Upskilling Singapore
Workforce”. Participants can look forward to gaining insights from
industry leaders and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and discover
learning opportunities to be future-ready. SFM@SIT will feature keynote
sessions and a series of online workshops on trends in areas such as
Digitalisation, Smart Manufacturing, Design Innovation and
Sustainability, Health and Food Innovation, Business, Law and Finance,
Community and Social Services.
SSG and Workforce Singapore (WSG) will jointly organise the SSG X WSG Jobs and Skills Fair,
which will showcase the range of reskilling, upskilling and employment
opportunities available. Jobseekers can access information on various
support initiatives such as Skills and Training Advisory sessions,
one-on-one career coaching, and the Virtual Career Fair. They can also
participate in live sessions and webinars with training providers,
industry partners and employers.
For students
The SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair will be organised by
the ITE this year, in collaboration with the Polytechnics, and private
sector partners. The Work-Study Fair will showcase work-study
opportunities for fresh and recent graduates, as well as the strong
industry partnerships that underpin the work-study ecosystem. They can
also participate in webinars jointly curated with industry partners to
better understand how they can build their skills and develop a career
in the sector of their choice.
SSG will partner The Astronauts Collective, a non-profit organisation to
hold World X, a virtual career exploration event. Over 1000 tertiary
students will be able to experience and discover diverse careers through
activities such as job taster workshops, networking sessions and
interactions with working professionals.
For the general public
The five Community Development Councils (CDCs) will jointly organise this year’s SkillsFuture@CDC
for the residents. The virtual event comprises a series of online
programmes, covering employability skills and lifelong learning topics.
Participants can learn from experts on job-search skills, critical core
skills and industry insights. Topics include design thinking,
cybersecurity, data visualisation and digital fluency among others.
Participants will also be guided to various resources and SkillsFuture
Advice webinars that they can leverage for skills upgrading.
SkillsFuture Month will close with a physical roadshow, which includes a
career fair and a wide range of virtual learning activities. The
roadshow will showcase the training opportunities under the SGUnited
Jobs and Skills Package, as well as an in-depth focus on SSG initiatives
to help Singaporeans continue to upskill. In addition to training and
skilling opportunities, participants will be able to learn more about
in-demand sectors, jobs and skills, as well as receive training advisory
from Skills Ambassadors on site.
Mr Ong Tze-Ch’in, Chief Executive of SSG, said, “This year’s
SkillsFuture Month has an exciting slew of events for everyone. We hope
that Singaporeans will join these events, be it physical or virtual.
With the theme “Open new possibilities when you upskill”, we hope that
Singaporeans can find new opportunities and resources to support their
lifelong learning journey.”
Information on the SkillsFuture Month 2021 and a full listing of all the
activities are available on the MySkillsFuture app as well as on
myskillsfuture.gov.sg/skillsfuturemonth.
Annex A - Key SkillsFuture Month 2021 events line-up as of 2 July 2021
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