Forum: Continual learning on the job critical to workers' employability

People wearing face masks at Raffles Place on Sept 7, 2020. PHOTO: ST FILE

Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam's call for employers to prepare their staff for future jobs is timely (Employers urged to retrain workers early for future jobs, Oct 17).

It followed reports that many of the new jobs created by the Government and private sector employers have not been filled by those seeking employment.

The huge gap between the number of long-term and short-term jobs available and the number of successful applications is sobering and disconcerting, given the increasing number of unemployed Singaporeans during this economic crisis.

A perfect fit is always desirable but may not be feasible for various reasons.

Perhaps employers could hire job seekers based on their potential to learn on the job and fill the knowledge and/or skills gap over a reasonable time frame. They could consider such a human resource practice as part of their corporate social responsibility.

For many job seekers, their functional or professional skills may be relevant and applicable across different industries.

Arranging for recruits to learn on the job under the tutelage of a mentor will go a long way in ensuring a favourable outcome, and is a mutually beneficial proposition for both employers and new employees.

With technology progressing at an exponential rate and jobs transforming constantly, continual learning at work has become critical to workers' employability.

Workers' formal education may qualify them for only an entry-level job. After starting on a new job, it will be up to the employees to perform to expectation while continuing to learn on the job.

I can still recall being asked to edit a manuscript on modern mathematics when I started work decades ago, although I had not learnt the subject in school. With my supervisor's encouragement, I learnt the subject matter on the job and not only edited the copy but also corrected some of the answers to the exercises.

Joachim Sim Khim Huang

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 21, 2020, with the headline Forum: Continual learning on the job critical to workers' employability. Subscribe