560,000 tapped SkillsFuture schemes in 2022, down from 660,000 in 2021

Courses related to skills in the IT, F&B and security sectors saw the highest demand among Singaporeans who used their SkillsFuture Credit. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

SINGAPORE - About 560,000 people took part in initiatives supported by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) in 2022, including more than 192,000 people who spent their SkillsFuture Credit.

This is a drop from the 660,000 overall participation figure in 2021, which includes some 247,000 people who claimed from SkillsFuture Credit on eligible courses.

The fall was expected, SSG said in a release on Thursday, given the extensive training support programmes introduced in 2021 to help Singaporeans tide through the pandemic.

As a result, the year registered the highest annual figures for individuals and enterprises taking part in SSG-supported initiatives, according to the statutory board.

Still, overall participation in 2022 was higher than the 540,000 in 2020 and 500,000 in 2019, before the pandemic began.

Courses related to skills in the IT, food and beverage and security sectors saw the highest demand among Singaporeans who used their SkillsFuture Credit.

Of the approximately 58,000 trainees surveyed by SSG, 97 per cent indicated that they could perform better at work after undergoing SSG-supported courses.

SSG also started the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme in April 2022, which offers 82 courses in 10 sectors, such as healthcare and professional services, to mid-career individuals. It said that more than 1,000 people have enrolled in the programme as of Dec 31.

About 20,000 enterprises participated in SSG programmes in 2022 – down from 24,000 the year before – of which 96 per cent were small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Over 5,000 enterprises used their SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit to offset course fees for employees.

SSG chief executive Tan Kok Yam said: “It is encouraging that individuals and enterprises remain invested in upskilling and reskilling.”

He added that SSG intends to engage stakeholders such as employers, learners and partner unions to raise the quality, currency and impact of training delivered.

SSG’s Jobs-Skills Integrator pilot, announced by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his Budget statement in February, will work with partners to understand manpower and skills demand in different sectors, supply training programmes, and help match skilled workers to jobs.

A new Workplace Skills Recognition Programme, which has yet to be launched, will equip SMEs with basic workplace learning capabilities and fast track the certification of skills acquired on the job by their workers.

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