SINGAPORE - The Skills & Learning Festival @ South East returned as an in-person event on Friday (July 29) after being held virtually for the last two years.

Held at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College East, this year's event focuses on a diverse range of in-demand skill sets, such as tradesman- and craftsman-related jobs.

About 1,000 people are expected to attend the event from Friday to Saturday each day.

Mr Fahmi Aliman, mayor of South East District, said that Singapore is experiencing a manpower shortage in tradesman- and craftsman-related jobs from the Covid-19 pandemic, placing skill sets from such industries in demand.

The festival also has 11 employer booths such as Starbucks Singapore and The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts.

A spokesman for The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts said the event helped it engage with potential employees.

The event is also offering experiential workshops, such as the do-it-yourself plumbing workshop, which teaches attendees about common plumbing issues.

Mr Sky Seah picked up basic household maintenance skills such as plumbing and fixing air-conditioners.

The 66-year-old operations manager hopes to be able to better cope with the rising costs of living by fixing such issues at home, instead of calling a technician.

The festival features the Jobs @ South East portal, which has more than 1,000 job vacancies from over 80 companies in the South East District. The portal can be accessed at this website.

The event is a component of this year's SkillsFuture @ CDC (Community Development Council) programme, which is part of the annual SkillsFuture Festival. The SkillsFuture @ CDC programme runs from July 22 to Aug 14, and is themed Be Future Ready through Upskill Learning & Career Planning.

Mr Fahmi said: "I hope that attendees will be able to pick up a trade and skill that will be useful first on a personal level, and thereafter, turn it into a career or a part-time job."