Lee Yi Shyan to front SkillsFuture outreach to businesses

Singapore

SENIOR Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan will be in charge of SkillsFuture's outreach to industry associations and businesses, to ensure tie-ups with education and training providers, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on Thursday.

This is so that the biggest challenge of SkillsFuture - that of reaching out to businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - can be tackled, said Mr Tharman, who is also Finance Minister.

SkillsFuture is the national movement to give Singaporeans the opportunities to develop to their fullest potential throughout life, regardless of their level of education or job experience, so they can progress in their careers.

Mr Lee, who is also Senior Minister of State for National Development, has engaged multinational corporations and SMEs in the past from his roles in the Economic Development Board (EDB), Spring Singapore and IE Singapore.

Mr Tharman made the announcement at the EDB Society's 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner, in his speech on Singapore's economic development from value-adding to value creation, the mastery of vocational skills and the importance of innovation.

Since the launch of SkillsFuture at this year's Budget in February, several initiatives have been rolled out; they include the SkillsFuture Mid-career Enhanced Subsidy, a 90 per cent subsidy on course fees for Singaporeans aged 40 years and up, and the SkillsFuture Study Awards for the development of deep skills.

"This is good, early momentum, but the journey is long and we have much to do," Mr Tharman said.