SINGAPORE: The MySkillsFuture.sg portal was launched on Sunday (Oct 29) aiming to guide Singaporeans, starting from those in school, in charting their learning and career paths.
At the SkillsFuture roadshow in Bedok North, Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam also unveiled SkillsFuture Advice, a series of free workshops conducted in venues such as community centres.
This is the third initiative launched under the SkillsFuture umbrella this month. A national programme to train workers in basic digital skills was launched in early October. Just this week, a S$70 million project was announced to deliver courses in sectors central to Singapore’s future economy.
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, who attended the event, said the initiatives will better support Singapore’s workers by giving them the confidence to navigate the new economy.
“Technology is upon us,” said Mr Ong. “It’s not something that as Singapore, we can stop or regulate. When it comes to technological advancements, it’s a global thing.
“We’re really price-takers and the faster we can adopt, the better it will be for our long-term.”
Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr Ong Ye Kung at a SkillsFuture Advice session. (Photo: Chan Luo Er)
The portal allows users to personalise their learning needs by assessing their interests and matching them to the type of training they will have to go through to embark on their desired career path.
It has targeted offerings for the different age groups. For example, adults and tertiary students will be able to use self-assessment tools to build a portfolio of skills. They will also be able to tap on resources such as industry insights, career-related articles and job listings, as well as apply for SkillsFuture Credit courses.
The website can be used to support education and career guidance for students from Primary 5 to pre-university. It will remain accessible even after they graduate, unlike the current MOE e-career portal it replaces. The aim is for MySkillsFuture.sg to follow the students through life.
Prior to entering junior college, 17-year-old Venkatesh Babu Dakshitaa wanted a career in environmental sciences. However, she realised that biology was not her cup of tea, she said.
“I did the test on the portal and it said I was more of a design person, like product design… and it suggested architecture,” said the Temasek Junior College student.
She has since applied for and will undergo a three-week internship in architecture during the coming school holidays to learn more about the field.
MySkillsFuture.sg has received more than 400,000 visitors since it went live on Oct 2. It builds on a nine-month pilot in 2014 called the Individual Learning Portfolio, which had 20,000 people try out a career analysis and job-matching tool.
In addition to the portal, there will also be offline support in the form of the SkillsFuture Advice workshops by SkillFuture SG and the Community Development Councils.
These hour-and-a-half sessions are held for groups of up to 30 people and can be conducted in four languages. Residents can pick up information on key work trends and workplace skills, as well as develop a personal skills upgrading plan. They will also learn how to use MySkillsFuture.sg.
About 1,000 Singaporeans have taken part in the workshops since they were piloted in July this year. A total of 80,000 Singaporeans are expected to take part over three years.
