Nearly 7 in 10 SkillsFuture learners say training has boosted work performance
64% of them credit their career advancement to training
[SINGAPORE] More Singaporeans are seeing tangible returns from training, with stronger work performance, career advancement, and relevance to the workplace reported in 2024, according to SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).
In its 2024 year-in-review released on Wednesday (Apr 9), the statutory board said that nearly seven in 10 respondents, or 69 per cent, who attended SSG-supported courses gave the highest rating for improved work performance – up from 65 per cent in 2023.
There was also a slight increase in the share of learners who credited their training for career advancement, to 64 per cent from 62 per cent the year before.
Meanwhile, more than 84 per cent of surveyed participants said their course learnings were applicable to their work, up from 78 per cent in 2023.
The responses came from those who had replied to a survey of 500,000 trainees approached by SSG.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday ahead of the report’s release, SSG chief executive Tan Kok Yam said that while the agency strives to ensure that course content remains relevant and high-quality, it would also help if employers could “articulate what they need in terms of skills”.
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This, he explained, enables individuals to better understand job requirements and work towards specific skills, instead of vague expectations like “three years of experience”.
He added that SSG also hopes companies will adopt a skills-based approach internally by identifying and developing specific skill sets in their workforce, making these skills more transferable across roles or industries.
Tan was responding to a question from The Business Times on how the rise of skills-based hiring, as highlighted in the Ministry of Manpower’s recent Job Vacancies Report, would influence SSG’s planning around training priorities.
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SSG also reported that 24,000 companies participated in its programmes in 2024, up from 23,000 the year before. Of these, 95 per cent were small and medium-sized enterprises, which typically require more workforce development support.
More pursuing career-relevant training
SSG’s year-in-review also found that more Singaporeans are taking up courses designed with employment objectives in mind.
The number who attended courses to upgrade qualifications, switch careers, or meet Progressive Wage Model requirements rose to 112,000 in 2024 – an almost 20 per cent increase from 95,000 in 2023.
Overall, 555,000 learners took part in SSG-supported training last year, up from 520,000 – a 7 per cent rise roughly.
Information technology-related courses were particularly popular, with participation nearly trebling from 34,000 in 2023 to 96,000 in 2024. These include areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital marketing – reflecting the economy’s rapid digitalisation, said SSG.
To support career transitions, SSG also expanded the number of SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes to 239 in 2024, from 179 the year before. Among the 14,000 individuals enrolled, more than half secured employment within six months of completing their training.
Use of the SkillsFuture Credit also rose sharply. In 2024, 260,000 Singaporeans used their credit to offset course fees – a 35 per cent increase from 192,000 in 2023.
Of these, 28,000 – or about 11 per cent – tapped into the SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) scheme, launched in 2024 for Singaporeans aged 40 and above to support reskilling and upskilling.
“Even if you do have a comfortable job now… there is (much) to be gained in terms of improving your career versatility and deployability.”
SkillsFuture Singapore chief executive Tan Kok Yam
SSG also found that more Singaporeans are turning to online learning, with SkillsFuture Credit claims for such courses jumping from 266 in 2023 to 2,655 in 2024.
To date, about 1.05 million Singaporeans – or 37 per cent of all Singaporeans – have used their SkillsFuture Credit. Among those who did not, some received training support from their employers instead.
Among Singaporeans aged 30 to 59, about 44 per cent have used their credit, while another 14 per cent were sponsored by employers for SSG-supported courses.
Acknowledging the uncertain times ahead, Tan said SSG plans to work more closely with partners such as Workforce Singapore to better integrate training with career facilitation and help individuals connect upskilling efforts with real job opportunities.
One such initiative would be the notion of “career health”, said Tan.
“Even if you do have a comfortable job now… there is (much) to be gained in terms of improving your career versatility and deployability,” he said, adding having such traits across the workforce will help keep Singapore resilient as an economy.
Echoing this sentiment, National Trades Union Congress assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay said in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday that the labour movement will continue working with tripartite partners, including SSG, to support industry-relevant training aligned with business needs and workforce transformation.
“All these would go a long way towards uplifting Singapore’s training participation rate,” he said, noting that it had fallen to a nine-year low of 40.7 per cent in 2024 – down from 49.9 per cent in 2021, when more people took up training during the pandemic.
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