SINGAPORE – The intensifying push to recognise skills on the job and not just academic credentials took centre stage at a training conference on Aug 21, with a range of new and expanded schemes unveiled to keen employer interest.

For one thing, workers in the built environment sector as well as infrastructure with at least six years of relevant experience will, from the first quarter of 2025, get to pursue accreditation as chartered engineering technologists from the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES).

This brings the number of sectors covered by this skills-based pathway to three, following the land transport sector in 2021.

The move was among several announcements Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang made at the SkillsFuture Human Capital Conference held at Suntec City Convention Centre.

The conference, which was organised by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and supported by SkillsFuture Singapore and the Lifelong Learning Institute, caps off the six-week SkillsFuture Festival 2024 that began on July 9.

Ms Gan told the event that she hoped the changes would not just ensure Singaporean workers stay competitive, but also realise their aspirations in time to come.

She also outlined the role of employers, intermediaries like industry bodies, as well as human resource practitioners, in working towards the goal of spurring training that is relevant to industry needs.

Ms Gan, who is also Minister of State for Education, said: “Employers play a key role in identifying skills gaps in their workforce and investing in appropriate, targeted training to block the gaps.”

She added that the Government aims to help employers identify skills gaps and choose the right training programmes to invest in.

Ms Gan noted the recent revamp of the SkillsFuture for Business portal, which now provides “sharper search results” to employers seeking quality training.

Meanwhile, she said intermediaries should not just support employers in identifying skills gaps and suitable training programmes, but also help them recognise workers who hold the required skills for jobs.

HR professionals play “a critical role in enabling skills transformation and recognition”, Ms Gan said.

Aspiring chartered technologists will be assessed through both theory and practical tests, said IES vice-president Danny Lee.

Candidates will be assessed at a new skills assessment centre IES set up alongside Singapore Polytechnic that recognises informal learning acquired on the job.

Mr Lee said IES hopes to get 250 technologists certified by the end of 2025.

“The recognition of their skills by employers would help reduce the leakages (of workers to other sectors) and also bring in good people,” he added.

The Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) will roll out two “role badges” as part of its role in the push to recognise and reward skills.

The badges are meant to distinguish those who have learnt, through formal training or on the job, how to put in place workplace learning processes at their companies.

One badge will be issued in collaboration with the Institute for Adult Learning, which is the National Centre of Excellence for Adult Learning.

The other will be offered in a partnership with Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), which leads the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning.

More broadly, Ms Gan provided an update on the uptake of the Workplace Skills Recognition programme, which was rolled out in June 2023 to allow the skills employees learn on the job to count towards skills certifications.

She said over 110 enterprises across 22 sectors have registered interest in the programme, with 15 enterprises having attained the Workplace Learning Ready Mark certification that lets employers fast-track the skills assessment process for workers’ certifications.

Ms Gan also announced the appointment of food products wholesaler FoodXervices Inc as a SkillsFuture Queen Bee for the wholesale trade sector.

The firm is the 36th Queen Bee appointed overall. Queen Bees are industry leaders that help with the training needs of not just their own staff but also those of peers, suppliers and customers.

SkillsFuture Singapore chief executive Tan Kok Yam told The Straits Times that one of the reasons the firm was appointed was its total reach of over 4,000 customers, that goes beyond what the agency can reach.

He also noted that the sector is one of the more diverse ones, with generally smaller companies with a wide range of activities, adding: “I think this addition of (FoodXervices) into the fold will really help us better aggregate the skills and training needs of what is quite a diverse sector.”

SBF also signed three memoranda of understanding with IHRP, NYP and Republic Polytechnic at the event that touched on various issues, including reskilling and progressive employment practices.