"In our next wave of development, we will build a first-rate system of continuing education and training: learning throughout life.
It will intertwine education and the world of work in ways that strengthen and enrich both.
It will make the workplace a major site of learning. It will enable every Singaporean to maximise his or her potential, from young and through life. It will build an advanced economy and ensure us of a fair society."
– Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Finance and Chairman of the SkillsFuture Council
SkillsFuture is a national movement to provide Singaporeans with the
opportunities to develop their fullest potential throughout life,
regardless of their starting points. Through this movement, the skills,
passion and contributions of every individual will drive Singapore's
next phase of development towards an advanced economy and inclusive
society.
No matter where you are in life – schooling years, early career,
mid-career or silver years – you will find a variety of resources to
help you attain mastery of skills. Skills mastery is more than having
the right paper qualifications and being good at what you do currently;
it is a mindset of continually striving towards greater excellence
through knowledge, application and experience. With the help of the
SkillsFuture Council, education and training providers, employers,
unions – you can own a better future with skills mastery and lifelong
learning. Your skills. Your asset. Your future.
Everyone is part of Singapore's SkillsFuture journey. The choices you make or guide others to make in education, jobs or careers should lead to opportunities to maximise one's potential and develop a mastery of skills. To meet challenges and achieve success, chart your own paths through lifelong learning and skills mastery. Every Singaporean, every job, at every stage of life, counts.
CET is increasingly important, given our rapidly changing economic and industry needs.
Our polytechnics and ITE are quality providers for CET through the provision of subsidised part-time NITEC/Higher NITEC, part-time diploma and Advanced Diplomas/Specialist Diplomas programmes.
To strengthen support for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) to upgrade themselves, MOE will enhance subsidies for CET programmes, and expand the number of CET places in Part-time Diploma, Advanced Diploma and Specialist Diploma programmes at the polytechnics by 60%, from 6,400 to 10,100 places, by 2015.
In addition, we will work with the polytechnics and ITE to make their CET courses more compact and modular, so as to provide greater flexibility for adult learners to customise their pace of learning. The high quality standards that our institutions are known for will be maintained.
To find out more about the Ministry of Education and our initiatives, please visit our website.
The CET Qualification Award (CQA) aims to encourage workers to attain full qualifications that will equip them with a more comprehensive skills set. This will be especially beneficial for those who may have missed out on formal qualifications, those seeking a career change or those for which a formal qualification is beneficial to their career progression or job search.
Singapore Citizens who successfully complete and are awarded a subsidised part-time Diploma at the Polytechnics or a WSQ Diploma/Specialist Diploma are eligible for a CET Qualification Award (CQA) of $1,000.
Singapore Citizens who successfully complete and are awarded a WSQ Certificate/Higher Certificate/Advanced Certificate or a part-time NITEC/Higher NITEC are also eligible for a CET Qualification Award (CQA) of $200.
To download a brochure on the CET Qualification Award (CQA), please click here.
A Singapore Citizen is eligible for the CET Qualification Award (CQA) on his first attainment of a WSQ full qualification from 1 March 2011. The award will be computed separately for WSQ full qualifications and part-time NITEC/Higher NITEC/Polytechnic CET Diplomas.
For WSQ Qualification Holders:
If you have already obtained a WSQ full qualification before 1 March 2011, you will not be eligible for the award even if you have obtained a WSQ full qualification after 1 March 2011 at the same level. However, if the subsequent WSQ full qualification (e.g. WSQ Diploma) is at a different level from the first WSQ full qualification (e.g. WSQ Advanced Certificate), you will be eligible for the CET Qualification Award (CQA).
For example, if you had obtained a WSQ Certificate prior to 1 March 2011 and subsequently complete a WSQ Advanced Certificate after 1 March 2011, you will not be eligible for the CET Qualification Award (CQA). However, you will be eligible for the award if you complete a WSQ Diploma for the first time after 1 March 2011 ($1,000). The award for WSQ qualification shall be given regardless of whether you hold an existing Polytechnic CET Diploma or ITE NITEC/Higher NITEC qualification.
For Part-Time Polytechnic CET Diplomas and ITE NITEC/Higher NITEC Holders:
If you had already obtained a full qualification before 1 March 2011, you will not be eligible for the award even if you obtain a full qualification after 1 Mar 2011 at the same or lower level. However, if the subsequent qualification is at a higher level from the first, based on MOE's policy, you will be eligible for the CET Qualification Award (CQA).
For example, if you had obtained a part-time Diploma from a Polytechnic prior to 1 March 2011 and subsequently complete a NITEC after 1 March 2011, based on MOE's policy, you will not be eligible for the CET Qualification Award (CQA).
To find out more on the CET Qualification Award (CQA), please click here
C.16. The next stage concerns what happens after we graduate from school and tertiary education. We will invest continually in Singaporeans, throughout their careers.
C.17. We will create a SkillsFuture Credit for all Singaporeans. NTUC and several Members of Parliament have previously suggested a scheme of this nature.
C.18. Each Singaporean 25 years old and above will receive an initial credit of $500 from 2016. We will make further top-ups to their SkillsFuture Credit at regular intervals. These credits will not expire, but can only be used for education and training.
C.19. We have decided to spread out the top-ups over the course of a person’s life for two reasons.
a. First, there is no need for anyone to rush to use their credit. While some may use their initial $500 immediately for a short programme, others may want to accumulate credits to engage in more substantial training later in their career.
b. Second, we need time to develop quality offerings in our SkillsFuture landscape that are relevant to jobs and individuals’ future careers. We must go for quality training which will open up career possibilities for individuals, and that employers find relevant.
C.20. The SkillsFuture Credit can be used for a broad range of courses supported by government agencies. These will include courses offered by our Institutes of Higher Learning and accredited education and training providers, as well as a range of courses that are funded by the WDA.
C.21. To complement this, every Singaporean will be given an online Individual Learning Portfolio – a one-stop education, training, and career guidance resource to help them plan their learning starting from their time in secondary school.
C.22. To cater to fresh graduates from our Polytechnics and ITE, we will launch a SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme in 2015. It will give them a head start in their careers.
C.23. The graduates will be matched with suitable employers. They will start working and undergo structured on-the-job training and mentorship, while they study for an industry-recognised qualification.
C.24. Both trainees and employers who sign up for this programme will receive substantial support from the Government. This will be done in a phased way, eventually covering up to one in three polytechnic and ITE graduates.
C.25. We will enhance subsidies for mid-career Singaporeans.
C.26. First, education and training subsidies for all Singaporeans aged 40 and above will be enhanced to a minimum of 90% of training costs for courses funded by MOE and WDA.
C.27. This additional support from the Government recognises the opportunity costs that mid-career Singaporeans face when they go for education and training.
C.28. These subsidies are significant:
a. For a part-time undergraduate course such as a Bachelor of Engineering, which is already subsidised, the total fees payable by a student will be reduced by 60%, from about $17,000 to $6,800.
C.29. Second, Singaporeans will now be able to enjoy multiple subsidies from MOE for modular courses – at all levels, and regardless of age. This flexibility of modular, continuous learning will help individuals, who will often have to balance family and career together with their learning. Many individuals may prefer to go for several bites of short courses, rather than to go for a long course.
C.30. We will implement these enhanced subsidies later in the year.
C.31. Beyond the SkillsFuture Credit and these broad-based subsidies, we will provide special support for Singaporeans seeking to develop deep skills in particular fields.
C.32. First, we will introduce SkillsFuture Study Awards. They will support individuals who wish to develop the specialist skills required for our future growth clusters. For example, they may include software developers, satellite engineers or master craftsmen. The awards can also support those who already have deep specialist skills and wish to develop other competencies such as business and cross-cultural skills. At this stage, we are not setting a cap on the number of awards, but it should eventually be about 2,000 study awards per year. We will introduce the SkillsFuture Study Awards in phases, starting this year.
C.33. Second, we will introduce SkillsFuture Fellowships, to develop Singaporeans to achieve mastery in their respective fields. We will award about 100 fellowships a year, which can be used for a range of education and training options, in both craft-based and knowledge-based areas. It will be funded from the SkillsFuture Jubilee Fund, which will be financed by voluntary contributions from employers, unions, the public and the Government. This broad-based involvement signifies everyone being a stakeholder. The SkillsFuture Fellowships will be introduced from 2016.
C.34. The SkillsFuture Study Awards and Fellowships will be mainly used to develop deep skills and mastery in the growth clusters of the future. But we will be open to those who want to develop themselves in fields that they are really passionate about, that may not be in these growth clusters. Take individuals like Edwin Neo, for example. He was trained in interior design, but developed a passion for making high quality European-style shoes. He went to train under a master shoemaker in Budapest and came back to found his own company. He is doing well, selling both ready-to-wear shoes and upmarket bespoke creations.
C.35. Finally, we will work with companies to grow Singaporean corporate leaders under the SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative. This initiative will provide support for companies who commit to developing a pipeline of Singaporeans to take on corporate leadership roles and responsibilities in the future. This too is important.
It may be better for you to take a specialist diploma in a polytechnic or go to eg. MDIS, PSB or SIM university if it is possible for you.