SkillsFuture: Reaching Out to Communities

The year 2016 has not been a good year economy-wise in Singapore. Because of the slowing down of the country’s economy, many leading companies saw it fit to lay off thousands of employees to cut down on costs. Now without jobs, these workers are in a haze of confusion, uncertain of which direction to take in their careers.

Thankfully, SkillsFuture Singapore is reaching of to these retrenched workers and other jobless individuals in the communities through two new initiatives, namely SkillsFuture Engage and SkillsFuture Network. And their message is simple – “There are many jobs out there; you only need to learn and develop new skills.”

What is SkillsFuture Engage?

SkillsFuture Engage is the initiative that seeks to reach out to Singaporeans in their various communities. It hopes to create Community Development Councils (CDCs) and Self-Help Groups with advisers who are trained in providing advice and various resources so that Singaporeans will be able to make well-informed decisions about education, training, their chosen career and possible alternative career opportunities.

Part of the SkillsFuture Engage initiative is to guide the public in the use of their SkillsFuture credit. Singaporeans will also be guided on how to access the SkillsFuture courses list and help them to determine which specific courses they will need to take in order to stay upgraded in their current jobs or start a new career entirely. Perhaps the most important of all, Singaporeans will be directed to job search resources so that they will be able to find the career they have long wanted.

What is SkillsFuture Network?

SkillsFuture Network is similar to Engage in that it is an advisory and guidance initiative. While Engage holds a supervisory position over all community groups in the country, SkillsFuture Network is specifically based within a single community alone.

The initiating community for the Network initiative is the South West Community Development Council. Called SkillsFuture Network @ South West, the group plans to reach out to all members in their community. Not only will they provide them with advice on education and career choices through the SkillsFuture programme. They will also direct individuals, particularly women and seniors who wish to be productive and earn a living, to work opportunities that are within reach of their own homes. Such an initiative is very helpful to people who see a large percentage of their salaries going to transportation and commuter costs.

But SkillsFuture Network has a much larger goal in mind. By providing residents with education and job opportunities within their respective neighbourhoods, they will essentially contribute to the progress and development of their communities, ensuring jobs for future generations.

Indeed, SkillsFuture’s community initiatives, Engage and Network, should be best emulated by the rest of the world who wish to see their citizens become productive, financially stable and happy in their chosen careers.