Kudos to the winners of the inaugural SkillsFuture Employer Awards (Call to look beyond paper qualifications; Aug 3).

The awards recognise companies which show exemplary commitment to and investment in employees' skill and career development, in a sustainable manner.

These companies have shown the way in advancing a culture of lifelong learning in the workplace.

Employers can provide comprehensive on-the-job or in-house training for new staff. They can also retrain existing employees for new or redesigned jobs so that the workers can remain employable, for example.

Mentorship by senior staff, who have extensive experience and deep skills, would add immeasurably to employee motivation and the learning experience.

Employers can also sponsor their staff for external certificate courses or send them for workshops, seminars, forums, conferences and other short-term learning opportunities.

Giving staff time off to attend SkillsFuture and other continuing education and training courses is another way to support their lifelong learning journeys.

More companies should make lifelong learning a part of their corporate social responsibility, and extend this benefit to full-time contract staff and even their regular freelance workers.

Joachim Sim Khim Huang