SkillsFuture helps older workers close skills gaps, says Chan Chun Sing
Published on
11 Dec 2024
Published by
The Straits Times
SINGAPORE – Older cohorts of students did not have the opportunities that the education system now offers, said Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing.
Younger Singaporeans have benefited from improvements in the system over the years, and a higher proportion of them have completed tertiary education.
Because of this cohort effect, older working adults should continue learning through relevant and quality SkillsFuture programmes to help them hone their skills and remain competitive, said Mr Chan.
With SkillsFuture having met its target of 500,000 people attending its courses every year, “the next phase of the programme is not numbers, but the quality of the programmes”, said the minister. “It’s not about chasing degrees or diplomas; it’s about the just-in-time modules.”
Mr Chan was commenting on the results of the latest Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies released on Dec 10. The study of adult skills was conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 31 countries from 2022 to 2023.
A total of 5,011 participants in Singapore were tested on how they applied literacy, numeracy and adaptive problem-solving skills in situations that they might experience in daily life.
While younger Singaporean adults scored above the OECD average, the older generation lagged behind, with below-average performance. This was especially so among those aged 55 to 65.
Although Singapore, alongside Finland, showed the most improvement in numeracy, gaps in proficiency were observed among different age and educational levels.
SkillsFuture Singapore said that in order to meet the needs of Singaporeans and close these gaps, the Government will continue to provide support for all Singaporeans to learn throughout life with various programmes.
These include broad-based support such as the SkillsFuture Credit for Singaporeans who are at least 25 years old, and the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme for mid-career Singaporeans aged 40 and older to pursue substantive training.
Under the latter, older workers got a $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit top-up in May 2024 for training courses with better employability outcomes. From the 2025 academic year, they will also be given subsidies to pursue another full-time diploma at polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education or arts institutions.
This is in addition to a monthly training allowance for two years of up to $3,000 when they enrol in selected full-time courses from 2025 to partially offset income loss from taking time off work.
Substantial age-related skill losses after the age of 35 were observed when the performance of adults born in the same years was compared between the current study and an earlier edition done between 2014 and 2015.
For Singapore, literacy proficiency was observed to be falling sooner, on a cohort basis, than in OECD countries as people got older.
Professor Christine Goh, a language education expert from the National Institute of Education, said literacy in this current age should be perceived more broadly than in the past, to include competencies that go beyond printed text.
“Singapore’s emphasis on multi-literacies (the ability to understand and create texts of different modes besides print) is keeping pace with international thinking on what it means to be literate today,” she said.
For working adults who have left the formal education system, she suggested providing incentives for small groups to be formed at work and in the community to promote reading among busy professionals to maintain their literacy skills.
Multi-modal text – which combines print, images and sounds – may also be easier to process, and can help build and sustain a desire to read long after individuals have finished schooling.
Prof Goh added that Singapore can also look to countries such as Finland and Japan to study the reading habits of adults there.
“One possible practice in these countries is that adults continue to read texts that are longer and more complex, such as novels, as well as hobby and professional magazines.”
Speaking to The Straits Times in an interview on Dec 3, Mr Chan said it would be useful for Singapore to learn from Switzerland, where the mental model is to prepare oneself for the next 10 years.
He noted that a majority of Swiss students attend trade schools and undergo apprenticeships instead of heading to university, and trade schools there have achieved “a certain momentum in their lifelong learning and upgrading”.
“We have done a lot, but we still need to do some more to institute that kind of culture,” he said. “And it’s both an individual responsibility and an organisational responsibility.”
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Reproduced with permission.
ALL views, content, information and/or materials expressed / presented by any third party apart from Council For Third Age, belong strictly to such third party. Any such third party views, content, information and/or materials provided herein are for convenience and/or general information purposes only. Council For Third Age shall not be responsible nor liable for any injury, loss or damage whatsoever arising directly or indirectly howsoever in connection with or as a result of any person accessing or acting on any such views, content, information and/or materials. Such third party views, content, information and/or materials do not imply and shall not be construed as a representation, warranty, endorsement and/or verification by Council For Third Age in respect of such views, content, information and/or materials.
