Introduction
1. Happy to join you this morning at the SkillsFuture Festival @ SUTD event.
2. I would like to thank Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) for organising this event, with support from the other Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), to showcase the wide range of training opportunities they offer in supporting individuals and employers on their skills development journey.
Growing Our IHLS into Institutes of Continual Learning (ICLs)
3. Our IHLs are a key pillar of our skills ecosystem, alongside private training providers and enterprises.
4. Besides preparing our young graduates in ITE, Polytechnics and Autonomous Universities for their first careers, our IHLs provide upskilling for working adults and mid-careerists to meet the needs of the industry.
5. Let me elaborate on the areas where our IHLs can expand and deepen their efforts on.
6. To provide more flexibility for adult learners, our IHLs have to ramp up the delivery of shorter, modular courses to help individuals acquire and apply the skills in a responsive way.
7. Educational technology will be a key enabler to drive learning anytime, anywhere. Our IHLs can further build their capabilities to deliver CET courses through blended learning, balancing between the accessibility of online, self-directed learning with the need to maintain face-to-face learning and interactions.
8. We also need better signposting on skills in demand, an area that is particularly important for Singapore.
- Having developed key industry-sensing capabilities, SSG will be sharing Jobs-Skills Quarterly Insights that provide information on high-growth sectors. The Quarterly Insights will be launched today.
- Through such insights and their own engagement with the industry, IHLs can identify in-demand skills areas and jobs, and translate the insights into curriculum design.
9. To reduce barriers to entry, efforts are also under way to better recognise prior learning.
- For example, adult learners who have completed relevant Specialist Diplomas offered by Nanyang Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic can apply for credit exemptions when they enrol in SUTD's ModularMaster Certificate in Cybersecurity.
- There is room for IHLs to consider how else to improve the recognition of not just prior learning but also relevant work experiences for adults.
10. Next, IHLs continue to build on industry partnerships, to enhance the quality and outcomes of our CET offerings.
- Industries are at the forefront of economic transformation. Our IHLs must take advantage of the latest knowledge on technological and business trends and first-hand information on how these are impacting the workplace.
- Only then can our IHLs stay ahead of the skills demand and adult learners can access training that can translate into higher productivity, and better wage and employment outcomes.
11. One example is SUTD's collaboration with Changi General Hospital (CGH) to develop and deliver courses to upskill their staff in data analytics.
- SUTD tapped on CGH's clinical resources to enhance the substance of their classroom training.
- In turn, CGH leveraged SUTD's expertise in teaching and learning to design a structured training programme.
- It is a win-win relationship for SUTD and CGH and I hope to see more of such partnerships.
12. Lastly, to scale up impact across our training ecosystem, there is potential for MOE, SSG, IHLs and intermediaries such as Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) and unions to work more closely together.
13. Using our intermediaries' knowledge on skills development in their sectors and their extensive networks with companies, IHLs will be better able to aggregate the skills demands across companies, and develop sector-wide training programmes that better meet the needs of the industry.
Conclusion
14. To conclude, as we look to retool and prepare our workforce for the Future Economy, our IHLs can step up on their influence on the training landscape, through new and existing collaborations with industry partners, TACs and unions.
15. Once again, I would like to thank SUTD for organising this meaningful event, and our IHLs and industry partners for their involvement and support of the SkillsFuture movement in Singapore.
16. I wish everyone a fruitful time ahead. Thank you.