Debated in Parliament on 2 Apr 2024.
Mr Mark Lee asked the Minister for Education (a) whether the Ministry will consider a classification framework for SkillsFuture courses, featuring a dual-index system with (i) a Mobility Index to assess the potential for career advancement of these skills within and across industries and (ii) an Industry Heat Index to gauge hiring trends in booming sectors; and (b) if so, whether the Ministry can collaborate with trade associations to ensure these indices accurately reflect industry demands, and integrate it into the MySkillsFuture portal for users to make informed choices.
Mr Speaker, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) works closely with industry partners, such as queen bee companies, trade associations and professional bodies, to analyse market trends in high-growth sectors and translate them into job and skills insights. These are published regularly so that individuals can make use of the information. For example, the annual Skills Demand for the Future Economy report identifies the priority skills for the green, digital and care economies.
In relation to the Member’s suggestion of a Mobility Index, the Skills Demand for the Future Economy report provides information on career transition pathways to help individuals with relevant skills pivot to job roles in these growth sectors. Information on hiring demand for these priority skills, in terms of the number of job postings and types of jobs that require these skills, is also provided within the report and as an accompanying Jobs Skills Dashboard, which is similar in intent to the Member’s suggestion of an Industry Heat Index.
We welcome partnerships with the industry and trade associations, including the Singapore Business Federation, to further improve the signposting of SkillsFuture courses to individuals seeking to upskill.
Mr Mark Lee.
I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive reply. I was wondering because if you read the newspaper article on TODAY, there are certain sectors that are saying that there is a large skills mismatch, especially for the tech sector. Perhaps we can work more closely with the business community to ensure that there is more transparency and more signposts for individuals to understand what skills are required within certain specific industries. The trade associations are wanting to work hand-in-hand with you. And maybe there would be a requirement for higher subsidies for maybe the hottest skills that are needed and less for skills that are currently in less demand.
I thank the Member for his suggestion. In fact, SSG welcomes more partnerships with the business associations and trade associations. Just for information, we work very closely with the sector agencies to identify suitable groups that we can work with so that the information on jobs and skills can be made more responsive and available to Singaporeans who are looking for jobs and skills training opportunities.
PAPERCUTS