Take-up Rates and Usage Patterns for $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid Career) Top-up

14 Mr Neil Parekh Nimil Rajnikant asked the Minister for Education (a) what has been the take-up rates and usage patterns for the recently announced $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (SKC) top-up for Singaporeans aged 40 and above; and (b) beyond the existing measures, what new initiatives is SkillsFuture Singapore planning to implement to ensure that the course offerings remain relevant to emerging economic trends and industry needs, and to boost the usage of SKC.

15 Ms Foo Mee Har asked the Minister for Education (a) how many individuals have benefited from the SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up under the new SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme since its commencement on 1 May 2024; and (b) what is the breakdown of the types of courses or disciplines pursued by beneficiaries under this programme since its inception.

16 Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan asked the Minister for Education (a) how many individuals have tapped on the SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up under the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme since its commencement on 1 May 2024; and (b) what is the breakdown of the types of courses and training providers of the courses enrolled in by the applicants since the inception of the programme.

The Minister of State for Education (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Education): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 14, 15 and 16 together?

Mr Speaker: Please go ahead.

Ms Gan Siow Huang: Since receiving the $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up on 1 May 2024, more than 25,000 Singaporeans aged 40 and above have utilised the credit as of 30 November 2024. The top area of training in these first seven months was in information and communication technologies, covering skills such as digital marketing and data visualisation. Other popular areas of training include security and investigation, and wholesale and retail trade. The top training providers include both the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and private training providers, such as NTUC LearningHub.

SkillsFuture Singapore, or SSG, will continue to work with partners to raise awareness of the scheme. For instance, SSG works with the Community Development Councils and our unions to expand outreach efforts so that more people will be aware of the scheme – how to use it and what are the courses available. These are done through workshops and roadshows.

Individuals can use the MySkillsFuture portal to find eligible courses and tap on SSG’s free Skills and Training Advisory services for personalised guidance to identify suitable courses. There is no expiry date for the $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career). We encourage Singaporeans to be deliberate in considering their training options and their training needs, and to be committed to the training once enrolled.

Today, over 7,000 courses that support substantive training are eligible for the $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career). SSG will work closely with sector agencies, industry partners and also training providers to refresh these courses and ensure they support our economic and manpower needs.

Mr Speaker: Ms Foo Mee Har.

Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast): Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for the details. I am encouraged to hear the usage but I would like to ask the Minister of State two follow-up questions.

First, what mechanisms are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of courses eligible for SkillsFuture Level-Up Credit, the thousands that the Minister of State quoted just now, particularly in addressing the unique learning needs of the mid-career working adults and how does the Ministry review these programmes to ensure they deliver maximum impact and relevance over time?

And the second supplementary question relates to how does the Ministry ensure the credentials accredited or awarded under the programme are both industry recognised and valued by employers? So, it is good that they used it, but what is the tangible improvement in employability and job performance for participants? How do you evaluate that?

Ms Gan Siow Huang: Indeed, Mr Speaker, the intention of the SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) is to focus on enabling Singaporeans who are 40 years and above to be able to go for longer-form courses that are recognised by the industry. That is why there is very close consultation with the sector agencies, industry partners and also training providers to understand what are the needs – both the current, as well as the emerging ones.

How do we evaluate the effectiveness? The number of courses that have been curated is about 7,000 at the moment and we have been quite careful in curating them. These are the ones that have been known to provide better employment outcomes in getting jobs. And also through feedback from the employers as well as the people who went for the courses, that they have been helpful for them to be able to advance in their careers through better skills obtained.

As to the credentials, as I have mentioned earlier on, we have been very careful in curating the courses, precisely because we want to make sure the credentials that individuals obtain through attending these courses will be useful. In fact, there have been requests for us to expand the list. We will do so carefully and also in consultation with our industry partners and sector agencies.