SINGAPORE: Working adults may get more opportunities to pursue a degree as the Ministry of Education (MOE) embarks on a study to increase the “lifetime cohort participation rate”, said Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing on Monday (Mar 7).
Cohort participation rate refers to the percentage of a cohort who are given places in MOE-funded degree programmes.
Singapore currently has a 40 per cent cohort participation rate for fresh school leavers, and an additional 10 per cent allowance for adult learners, said Mr Chan at his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate.
“As we increasingly move towards interspersing working and learning throughout life, we should look beyond the proportion of each cohort that goes to university before starting work. We should focus instead on ensuring that Singaporeans can up-skill continually, according to their needs and aspirations,” he added.
Increasing the lifetime cohort participation rate will give working adults more opportunities to pursue a degree at a “suitable point” in their life and support key growth areas in Singapore’s economy, said Mr Chan.
“MOE together with MTI and MOM will further study the mix of the increase in places to better cater to the needs of our learners and the economy.”
A new SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) will replace the SGUnited Skills and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways - Company Training programmes, which were introduced during the pandemic to help mid-career workers move to new sectors or job roles.
Describing SCTP as a “permanent feature” of Singapore’s training and placement ecosystem, Mr Chan said courses under the programme will be highly subsidised.
“It will support the career transition needs of Singaporeans with industry-relevant training involving potential employers and employment facilitation into sectors with good hiring opportunities,” said Mr Chan.
Beyond these changes, MOE and other ministries are studying how to enhance structural support for Singaporeans in their 40s and 50s who may need significant re-skilling to “provide a second wind to their careers”, said Mr Chan.
“We must take a holistic look at accessibility and the different types of support that adult learners need, to help every Singaporean enhance their career resilience by refreshing their skills throughout life.”
Continue reading...
Cohort participation rate refers to the percentage of a cohort who are given places in MOE-funded degree programmes.
Singapore currently has a 40 per cent cohort participation rate for fresh school leavers, and an additional 10 per cent allowance for adult learners, said Mr Chan at his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate.
“As we increasingly move towards interspersing working and learning throughout life, we should look beyond the proportion of each cohort that goes to university before starting work. We should focus instead on ensuring that Singaporeans can up-skill continually, according to their needs and aspirations,” he added.
Increasing the lifetime cohort participation rate will give working adults more opportunities to pursue a degree at a “suitable point” in their life and support key growth areas in Singapore’s economy, said Mr Chan.
“MOE together with MTI and MOM will further study the mix of the increase in places to better cater to the needs of our learners and the economy.”
A new SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) will replace the SGUnited Skills and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways - Company Training programmes, which were introduced during the pandemic to help mid-career workers move to new sectors or job roles.
Describing SCTP as a “permanent feature” of Singapore’s training and placement ecosystem, Mr Chan said courses under the programme will be highly subsidised.
“It will support the career transition needs of Singaporeans with industry-relevant training involving potential employers and employment facilitation into sectors with good hiring opportunities,” said Mr Chan.
Beyond these changes, MOE and other ministries are studying how to enhance structural support for Singaporeans in their 40s and 50s who may need significant re-skilling to “provide a second wind to their careers”, said Mr Chan.
“We must take a holistic look at accessibility and the different types of support that adult learners need, to help every Singaporean enhance their career resilience by refreshing their skills throughout life.”
Continue reading...