New Multi-agency Effort To Ramp Up Transformation Of Singapore’s Training And Adult Education Sector

13/08/2020

New Multi-agency Effort To Ramp Up Transformation Of Singapore’s Training And Adult Education Sector

SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) together with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) announced a slate of new initiatives as part of a joint effort to accelerate the transformation of Singapore’s Training and Adult Education (TAE) sector. The initiatives were launched at the biennial Adult Learning Symposium 2020 (ALS2020 Live), to be held over two days on 13 & 14 August 2020. The conference, being held online for the first time this year, is organised by IAL in partnership with SSG as part of SkillsFuture Month 2020, in support of SGUnited Jobs and Skills.  

Guest of Honour, Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Education & Manpower, graced the opening ceremony for ALS2020 (Live) this morning and delivered a speech on Facebook Live via IAL’s Facebook page, detailing the Government’s strategic commitment to support the development of Singapore’s TAE ecosystem.

DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF SINGAPORE’S TAE SECTOR

Aligned to the Training and Adult Education (TAE) Industry Transformation Map (ITM), a new TAE Industry Digitalisation Plan (TAE IDP) was launched, to drive nationwide digital transformation in the TAE industry.

As part of the SMEs Go Digital programme, the TAE IDP is a guide for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the TAE sector to assess their digital readiness and identify digital solutions to adopt at each stage of their growth. 

In May 2020, SSG and IMDA pre-approved a list of Learning Management System solutions to help training providers deliver online education content for their learners. The TAE IDP brings this further by providing a more comprehensive and systematic guide on other digital solutions and employee training that TAE SMEs can adopt to thrive in the digital economy.  

“TAE SMEs today face a greater urgency to transform so that they can deliver timely training with safe distancing measures in place. The TAE IDP guides SMEs in using solutions like Digital Learning Platforms to achieve this, enabling them not just to continue operations despite COVID-19, but also grow to capture new markets with online education, both in Singapore and overseas,” said Mr Lew Chuen Hong, Chief Executive Officer of IMDA.

The TAE IDP will also advance Singapore’s vision to realise a high-quality and responsive TAE sector that supports overall industry transformation and enables the workforce to stay relevant and competitive. 

Mr Ong Tze-Ch’in, Chief Executive of SSG, said “SSG is keen to see the TAE sector grow and transform through digital transformation. This is part of SSG’s vision to build a high-quality education and training ecosystem that can support our companies and our people for their upskilling and reskilling needs. I strongly encourage all training providers to consider adopting the digital solutions outlined in the TAE IDP. They form a curated, easy-to-use resource for our training providers to tap on in their digital transformation journeys.”

IAL will play an integral role in the development and levelling of training providers’ skills and capabilities as the sector goes digital. IAL’s innovation arm iN.LAB, continues to be the anchor facility given its suite of programmes dedicated to exploring innovative learning and development solutions via digital possibilities.

“IAL supports the Government’s move to deepen the capability of the TAE sector. As the national institute for adult educators, we are proud to partner with SSG and IMDA in making the vision of a continuous-learning workforce sustainable through active adoption of learning innovation. Enhancing the quality of the TAE ecosystem is valuable to the immediate priority of Singapore’s economic recovery, and the longer term competitiveness of our workforce,” said Professor Lee Wing On, Executive Director of IAL.

IAL is set to launch InnovDEV this September – a new initiative that will serve as a guide for training providers to transform their programmes for effective online learning. Under InnovDEV, training providers will be paired with experienced digital curriculum developers who will help build the capabilities of their in-house curriculum team and guide them to digitalise learning contents and delivery. A grant of up to $5,000 will be provided to training providers, with the initiative expected to benefit 200 training providers over the course of three years. 

STRENGTHENING THE NEXUS BETWEEN EMPLOYERS AND INDUSTRY VIA WORKPLACE TRAINING

SSG continues to appoint more National Centres of Excellence for Workplace Learning (NACEs) to enable companies to develop workplace learning capabilities and provide workplace learning solutioning to enterprises for their manpower and skills development needs, with NACE led by Nanyang Polytechnic continuing to coordinate the various Centres.

One of these Centres announced in February this year is the NACE@SIT. SSG together with IAL will be setting up another centre – NACE@IAL before end of 2020, which will leverage on IAL’s strong network of adult educators to promote workplace learning and lend its expertise in helping companies to integrate workplace learning practices to build business resilience for the future. 

SUPPORTING HOLISTIC SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

To support holistic workforce skills development, SSG continually anticipates and reviews Generic Skills and Competencies (GSCs), to ensure relevance and currency of skills to Singapore’s workforce and its economy. SSG has formulated 16 new Critical Core Skills (CCS) competencies from the existing GSCs, which serves as a guide for soft skillsets valued by employers across different industries, and will complement the technical skills that employees need to be trained in.

SSG and IAL are currently collaborating to define CCS personas relevant for different occupational clusters. This will enable SSG and IAL to identify innovative approaches for the TAE sector, and to improve learners’ capacity to acquire and master CCS competencies.

This project is among many ongoing programmes within the TAE sector that directly enhances Singaporeans’ employability. In addition to developing more innovative training approaches, the TAE sector promotes opportunities for individuals to undergo experiential learning in their future workplace.

Click here to view the factsheet of the TAE Industry Digitalisation Plan.

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