28 May 2017
The government is trying to instil a culture of lifelong learning. Ministers have spoken about it, and local universities have implemented policies and introduced new curricula to promote it.
For example, the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) will be a champion of lifelong learning, and in fact has been providing quality education to adult learners for years. The university will also expand its number of places for popular courses, such as early childhood education, and add more social science-related degrees. It will continue working with SkillsFuture Singapore Agency to develop courses to support industry.
At polytechnic graduation ceremonies held recently, the term “lifelong learning” was also mentioned in many speeches.
If Singaporeans do not adapt, the mismatch between jobs and skills will widen, Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said at Republic Polytechnic. He added that graduation marks the beginning, not the end, of one’s lifelong learning journey.
Technological advancements have changed the nature of the economy and the jobs created. These jobs require a new set of proficiencies and a willingness by the workforce to acquire them, said Mr S. Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry), at Singapore Polytechnic.
National movements, such as the SkillsFuture drive, seek to motivate Singaporeans to learn deep skills and embrace new job roles. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education Faishal Ibrahim said at Ngee Ann Polytechnic that many options are available to Singaporeans to do precisely that. These include furthering learning in a university, or “learning by doing in the workplace”.