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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