Forum: Soft skills must lead to credentials graduates can build on
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Across Singapore’s five polytechnics, more than 25,000 students are graduating into a workforce reshaped by AI, geopolitical uncertainty and rapid technological change.
The world they are entering does not reward the merely competent. It rewards the adaptable, the fluent and the fast.
It is heartening to see that most polytechnics understand this concern. Ngee Ann Polytechnic is offering all its graduates four free AI courses, including the thoughtfully conceived Human-First AI Core, stackable towards specialist diplomas.
Republic Polytechnic has gone further, embedding AI across its curriculum and staff development programmes, preparing graduates not merely to use AI tools but to thrive alongside them.
Nanyang Polytechnic’s industry co-created Professional Competency Model and Temasek Polytechnic’s new specialist diplomas in sustainability reporting reflect a sharp awareness of where professional demand is heading.
Soft skills like critical thinking and adaptability are rightly emphasised, yet graduates are right to ask what these lead to in practice.
Can more of such soft skills be stacked towards specialist diplomas or broader qualifications that are recognised by the industry?
Frank Chua
