SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme to cover 140 more courses, including in finance and tech

[SINGAPORE] About 140 additional courses will be supported under the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme (SFLP) from Dec 1, giving mid-career Singaporeans more opportunities to upgrade their skills, including in sectors such as financial services, infocomm technology, and maritime and offshore.

The expansion will broaden the programme beyond its initial focus on training at institutes of higher learning to include more industry-specific courses offered by industry leaders and private training providers.

The additional courses comprise around 80 Workforce Skills Qualifications full qualifications across various sectors and 60 courses supported by sector agencies, said the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) on Wednesday (Oct 28).

All the additional courses will be eligible for SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career), which provides Singaporeans aged 40 and above with S$4,000 to offset course fees.

Some will also qualify for the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance for Singaporeans aged 40 and above, and Workfare Skills Support (Level-Up) for lower-wage workers aged 30 to 39, at a later date.

More details will be announced in due course, said SWDA.

Introduced in 2024, the SFLP aims to help mid-career Singaporeans upgrade their skills or retrain for new roles.

Speaking at the SkillsFuture Fellowships and SkillsFuture Employer Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, Acting Minister for Manpower Jasmin Lau said the government is working with sector agencies to identify courses that address skills gaps and manpower needs, including those that prepare workers for specific roles or lead to recognised qualifications.

“Beyond encouraging training, we must make sure training connects to real opportunities,” she said.

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More SkillsFuture courses for finance, tech and maritime

For instance, mid-career workers seeking to enter the tech sector can take up courses under the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s Tech Immersion and Placement Programme, which combines intensive training with placement into tech roles.

In the maritime and offshore sector, selected certifiable courses under the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Maritime Cluster Fund can help local maritime personnel deepen their expertise.

Those interested in financial services can also take selected courses under the Institute of Banking and Finance’s Standards Training Scheme to acquire skills needed for roles in the sector.

As at Jun 30, about 80,000 Singaporeans had used their SkillsFuture Mid-Career Credit, while more than 11,000 had received the training allowance, Lau added.

In her speech, she also stressed that the government will keep working with the industry and sector agencies to refresh the courses available under the SFLP as jobs themselves evolve.

“We want workers to feel that the time and effort they put into training is worthwhile, and have confidence that the skills they acquire will open up new career opportunities,” she said.

Separately, 14 Singaporeans and 28 employers were recognised at Wednesday’s awards ceremony, which marked the close of SWDA’s SkillsFuture Festival.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam attended as guest of honour and patron of the awards. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and National Development Syed Harun Alhabsyi was also in attendance.

The SkillsFuture Fellowships were accorded to “Singaporeans who have achieved exemplary skills mastery in their fields, embraced lifelong learning, and committed themselves to mentoring others”, said SWDA.

Recipients included professionals from banking, engineering and technology, as well as a master bus captain and an artist. 

The SkillsFuture Employer Awards, meanwhile, went to employers that have “excelled in developing their employees’ skills and fostering a culture of lifelong learning at the workplace”.

This year’s recipients comprise 14 gold and 14 silver awardees, which include a public relations firm, a landscaping company and a Japanese manufacturer.

Since the awards were introduced in 2016, 198 individuals and 234 employers have been recognised for their commitment to skills development.