SINGAPORE - The National Library Board (NLB) will be doing more to prepare Singaporeans for a future economy where digital skills are in high demand.

SkillsFuture@Libraries will be rolled out to help people make well-informed choices regarding training and careers, look for career opportunities, and be more innovative.

NLB is working with partners on this: SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), for skills-related areas and emerging skills outlined in various Industry Transformation Maps; Workforce Singapore (WSG) for career-related areas; the Council for 3rd Age (C3A) for positive ageing areas conducted by the National Silver Academy; and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) for technology skills.

The board will also introduce a re-employability series for senior citizens at various stages of their careers, comprising talks and workshops on how to use tech tools, digital resources and online services.

The aim is to reach out to more than 5,000 seniors at public libraries over the year, from the third quarter of 2018.

There will also be collaborations with tech companies in events such as the NLB-Microsoft Artificial Intelligence Hackathon and the National Digital Storytelling Competition, both of which will be open to students, said Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information said in Parliament on Tuesday (March 6).

NLB will also partner with IMDA to extend the reach of digital training to more than 300,000 Singaporeans over five years - 85 per cent of whom are expected to be adults.

"This year, seniors can look forward to TechShare, a tech showcase platform for seniors to try current and upcoming technology in a 'tech playground' setting, exploring gadgets such as robots and smart home technologies," Dr Yaacob said.