Singapore sets up council for skills and industry transformation

A TRIPARTITE Council for Skills, Innovation and Productivity will be set up to develop and implement the "industry transformation maps" announced in Singapore's Budget 2016, three ministries and a statutory board said in a joint press release on Friday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam will chair the council, said the education, manpower, trade & industry ministries and the Workforce Development Agency.

They said the council, which will be effective from Friday, "aims to develop skills for the future and support productivity-led economic growth" by advancing SkillsFuture, driving industry transformation and fostering a culture of innovation and life-long learning in Singapore.

It will be made up of representatives from government, industry, unions, and educational and training institutions who will initially have a two-year term.