Debated in Parliament on 5 Feb 2018.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked the Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) how successful has the SkillsFuture initiative helped (i) recent university graduates in securing employment that they have stayed in for at least one year, (ii) older university graduates aged at least 35 in 2017 and who had left their jobs or been retrenched to secure employment thereafter, in the same industry they were in and in a different industry respectively.
The employment outcomes for our university graduates have been good. Over the past 10 years, around nine in 10 university graduates who entered the labour market each year found employment within six months after their final examinations. This is achieved by ensuring that university courses are relevant and of good quality and produce graduates with degrees valued by the market. In addition, and also most importantly, we have to ensure that the Singapore economy remains diverse and dynamic.
Under the SkillsFuture movement, our autonomous universities have taken further steps to ensure that graduates identify their strengths and interests, possess the right skills and knowledge to practise their crafts, and achieve mastery through lifelong learning. We have enhanced our Education and Career Guidance system, opened up more educational pathways, and introduced more opportunities for internships and overseas attachments. Students can also use the MySkillsFuture portal to help them make informed education and career choices. We have also launched new SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree Programmes, where Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and industry collaborate to deliver undergraduate courses. The IHLs have also banded together to deliver the SkillsFuture Series of courses to help their graduates keep their skills and knowledge up to date.
We work closely with the Ministry of Manpower and Workforce Singapore to support and assist mature graduates seeking new employment. For example, the Professional Conversion Programmes help professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) undergo training and move into new occupations with good prospects and progression. Workforce Singapore also runs the Career Support Programme to encourage employers to hire experienced, mature PMETs, especially the longer-term unemployed, by providing them with salary support.
As our economy continues to adapt to new challenges, there will be no let-up in our efforts to enhance the opportunities of learning and reskilling that our workers can gain through SkillsFuture.
PAPERCUTS