SINGAPORE: A SkillsFuture initiative that provides an allowance to mid-career workers aged 40 and above taking up training courses has not been extended to postgraduate programmes as most jobs in Singapore do not require such qualifications, said Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary in parliament on Thursday (Sep 25).
The authorities are “also careful not to inadvertently perpetuate a paper chase at the master's level”, said Dr Janil in response to questions from Members of Parliament Hamid Razak (PAP-West Coast-Jurong West) and Kenneth Tiong (WP-Aljunied) on extending SkillsFuture programmes to support postgraduate studies.
The training allowance, first announced in 2024 as part of the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme, helps to partially offset income loss during full-time training. This supports training programmes up to the undergraduate degree level.
That said, mid-career Singaporeans can use their S$4,000 (US$3,100) top-up of SkillsFuture credits to offset the out-of-pocket training fees for selected postgraduate master’s programmes offered by the autonomous universities.
“Individuals need to decide about the need for investment in a master’s degree. It is potentially a higher cost and has a potentially higher return, however this applies to a small number of jobs in Singapore,” said Dr Janil.
“We will continue to monitor the needs for postgraduate upgrading in emerging sectors and potentially adjust our level of support accordingly.”
While a master's degree has long been seen as one that can help employees open doors to better job opportunities and higher pay, the reality can be less straightforward, based on a recent report by CNA TODAY. Those interviewed said they have not necessarily achieved the employment edge that they were hoping to get.
Rising to seek clarifications, Mr Tiong referred to a speech by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong who highlighted precision medicine, artificial intelligence and green economy as among the key growth areas for Singapore’s economy.
These are sectors with a “strong research and development (R&D) component”, and data suggests that most of these R&D jobs do require postgraduate degrees, said the first-time MP.
He added that it also appeared that postgraduate degrees are required for 30 to 40 per cent of jobs in these industries.
In his response, Dr Janil replied that the government is open to considering the matter.
“The issue is whether today, the supply of people with appropriate qualifications in order to drive the development of those areas is constrained by the type of training that's provided, and (it) does not appear to be a direct indication at this point in time,” he told the House, while reiterating that the government does not want to create a paper chase.
Overall, Dr Janil said the take-up of the Level-Up programme has been positive.
More than 36,000 Singaporeans have used their S$4,000 SkillsFuture Credit top-up during the scheme’s first year of implementation between May 2024 and Apr 2025, with claims amounting to over S$24 million over the same period.
Claims data showed a near six-time increase in the number of individuals opting for the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes – from around 1,500 to around 8,500, compared to the same period in the year before.
These career transition programmes provide training for up to 12 months and employment facilitation. Since the launch in June 2022 to end-2024, about 55 per cent of almost 4,300 trainees secured employment within six months of completing their training.
As of July, there are about 330 such programmes offered in 21 sectors with “good hiring opportunities”, such as information and communications, professional services and food services, Dr Janil told the House.
Meanwhile, those who used their SkillsFuture Credit for full qualifications increased from around 3,000 to about 7,000.
Within the first three months of implementation, more than 3,200 Singaporeans were successful in their training allowance applications for full-time long-form training, with over S$30 million in claims committed as at end-July.
The Level-Up programme will be expanded to include part-time training programmes from early next year, alongside the addition of more career transition programmes to meet emerging skills needs.
“We will continue to monitor the training needs of adult learners over their life stages, as we expand the SkillsFuture Level-Up programme,” said Dr Janil.
Responding to suggestions for the initiative to also cover younger workers, Dr Janil said younger workers are supported by other broad-based training support offered by the SkillsFuture initiative.
From early 2026, lower-wage workers in their 30s will also receive a monthly training allowance when they pursue eligible long-form training, similar to the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme.
The Government is also prioritising support for those over 40 because they may face higher risk of skills obsolescence after having earned their qualifications many years ago. Given their family and work responsibilities, they also face higher opportunity costs in pursuing upskilling and reskilling, added Dr Janil.
He added that the government welcomes feedback and will continue to monitor the employment outcomes from the increased training take-up.
The success of the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme “ultimately must be measured by how confident mid-career Singaporeans are in using these newly acquired skills to navigate the disruptions in the economy ahead”, Dr Janil told the House.
“The outcomes cannot just be measured by employment outcomes alone, since training alone cannot guarantee jobs and may not lead to immediate employment gains.”
Mr Vikram Nair (PAP-Sembawang) then
He asked if the ministry sees this as a problem and what could be done.
In response, Dr Janil urged all, including MPs, to utilise these expiring credits. Beyond that, there are additional credits that do not have an expiry date and would help individuals to figure out the type of training they need over the longer-term.
“We do want to encourage people to take a few courses … get into the habit of understanding what does lifelong learning look like? What does it mean to take a course while you are working, if you haven’t done something like this before.”
He added: “In general (for) most of the SkillsFuture credits, there is no rush and you can sort of start to sample and set yourself up for the future.
“But for one particular tranche, I would encourage all members, and also as you go and visit your constituents, to remind them that this S$500 of SkillsFuture credit is expiring by Dec 31, 2025.”
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The authorities are “also careful not to inadvertently perpetuate a paper chase at the master's level”, said Dr Janil in response to questions from Members of Parliament Hamid Razak (PAP-West Coast-Jurong West) and Kenneth Tiong (WP-Aljunied) on extending SkillsFuture programmes to support postgraduate studies.
The training allowance, first announced in 2024 as part of the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme, helps to partially offset income loss during full-time training. This supports training programmes up to the undergraduate degree level.
That said, mid-career Singaporeans can use their S$4,000 (US$3,100) top-up of SkillsFuture credits to offset the out-of-pocket training fees for selected postgraduate master’s programmes offered by the autonomous universities.
“Individuals need to decide about the need for investment in a master’s degree. It is potentially a higher cost and has a potentially higher return, however this applies to a small number of jobs in Singapore,” said Dr Janil.
“We will continue to monitor the needs for postgraduate upgrading in emerging sectors and potentially adjust our level of support accordingly.”
While a master's degree has long been seen as one that can help employees open doors to better job opportunities and higher pay, the reality can be less straightforward, based on a recent report by CNA TODAY. Those interviewed said they have not necessarily achieved the employment edge that they were hoping to get.
Rising to seek clarifications, Mr Tiong referred to a speech by Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong who highlighted precision medicine, artificial intelligence and green economy as among the key growth areas for Singapore’s economy.
These are sectors with a “strong research and development (R&D) component”, and data suggests that most of these R&D jobs do require postgraduate degrees, said the first-time MP.
He added that it also appeared that postgraduate degrees are required for 30 to 40 per cent of jobs in these industries.
In his response, Dr Janil replied that the government is open to considering the matter.
“The issue is whether today, the supply of people with appropriate qualifications in order to drive the development of those areas is constrained by the type of training that's provided, and (it) does not appear to be a direct indication at this point in time,” he told the House, while reiterating that the government does not want to create a paper chase.
Related:
POSITIVE TAKE-UP
Overall, Dr Janil said the take-up of the Level-Up programme has been positive.
More than 36,000 Singaporeans have used their S$4,000 SkillsFuture Credit top-up during the scheme’s first year of implementation between May 2024 and Apr 2025, with claims amounting to over S$24 million over the same period.
Claims data showed a near six-time increase in the number of individuals opting for the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes – from around 1,500 to around 8,500, compared to the same period in the year before.
These career transition programmes provide training for up to 12 months and employment facilitation. Since the launch in June 2022 to end-2024, about 55 per cent of almost 4,300 trainees secured employment within six months of completing their training.
As of July, there are about 330 such programmes offered in 21 sectors with “good hiring opportunities”, such as information and communications, professional services and food services, Dr Janil told the House.
Meanwhile, those who used their SkillsFuture Credit for full qualifications increased from around 3,000 to about 7,000.
Within the first three months of implementation, more than 3,200 Singaporeans were successful in their training allowance applications for full-time long-form training, with over S$30 million in claims committed as at end-July.
The Level-Up programme will be expanded to include part-time training programmes from early next year, alongside the addition of more career transition programmes to meet emerging skills needs.
“We will continue to monitor the training needs of adult learners over their life stages, as we expand the SkillsFuture Level-Up programme,” said Dr Janil.
Responding to suggestions for the initiative to also cover younger workers, Dr Janil said younger workers are supported by other broad-based training support offered by the SkillsFuture initiative.
From early 2026, lower-wage workers in their 30s will also receive a monthly training allowance when they pursue eligible long-form training, similar to the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme.
The Government is also prioritising support for those over 40 because they may face higher risk of skills obsolescence after having earned their qualifications many years ago. Given their family and work responsibilities, they also face higher opportunity costs in pursuing upskilling and reskilling, added Dr Janil.
He added that the government welcomes feedback and will continue to monitor the employment outcomes from the increased training take-up.
The success of the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme “ultimately must be measured by how confident mid-career Singaporeans are in using these newly acquired skills to navigate the disruptions in the economy ahead”, Dr Janil told the House.
“The outcomes cannot just be measured by employment outcomes alone, since training alone cannot guarantee jobs and may not lead to immediate employment gains.”
Related:
EXPIRING SKILLSFUTURE CREDITS
Mr Vikram Nair (PAP-Sembawang) then
He asked if the ministry sees this as a problem and what could be done.
In response, Dr Janil urged all, including MPs, to utilise these expiring credits. Beyond that, there are additional credits that do not have an expiry date and would help individuals to figure out the type of training they need over the longer-term.
“We do want to encourage people to take a few courses … get into the habit of understanding what does lifelong learning look like? What does it mean to take a course while you are working, if you haven’t done something like this before.”
He added: “In general (for) most of the SkillsFuture credits, there is no rush and you can sort of start to sample and set yourself up for the future.
“But for one particular tranche, I would encourage all members, and also as you go and visit your constituents, to remind them that this S$500 of SkillsFuture credit is expiring by Dec 31, 2025.”
Continue reading...