09 October 2018
At the triennial Singapore International Technical and Vocational Education and Training Conference, Education Minister Ong Ye Kung spelt out how the SkillsFuture movement was transforming higher education, lifelong learning, and preparing Singaporeans for the future.
To survive in the 21st century, Singaporeans must go beyond academic qualifications and add skills to their repertoire.
Even academics now need skills to deliver research impact and craftsmen must internalise the science behind their work.
Hence, there have been major changes in the education landscape in recent years, including the up-skilling of adults, and the introduction of school admissions based on aptitude rather than grades.
To prioritise those who are passionate about a subject, polytechnics introduced the Early Admissions Exercise to allow students to gain conditional admission to a course based on their aptitude and talent even before their qualifying final exams.