Speech by Dr Maliki Osman, Second Minister for Education, at the SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

1.Good afternoon to all of you. It is my great pleasure to be here to be with you for the SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair, a key event of the SkillsFuture Festival.

2.As you saw, the tagline is "Go for the win with Work-Study Programme". I want to add the word "sure": "Go for the sure win", because I can assure you, it is a sure win if you go with the Work-Study Programme.

3.We introduced SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes in 2015, almost nine years now, as a unique upskilling pathway that combines classroom learning and structured on-the-job training.

1. Individuals can deepen their skills and attain a higher-level qualification while working. This really meets the needs of some of our students.
2. The Work-Study Programmes provide an alternative upskilling pathway to academic qualifications, where the training is delivered by the institutions only.
3. Such an apprenticeship model involves the industry in curating and delivering the skills as well as the competencies that learners require to thrive at the workplace.

4.Over the years, the Work-Study Programmes have expanded significantly.

1. In 2015, when we launched this work-study pathway, we only had 15 programmes covering 12 sectors. Today, that is nine years later, we have more than 160 programmes covering 40 sectors, at the diploma, post-diploma, and degree levels.
2. To date, more than 13,000 students have participated in Work-Study Programmes, and over 3,000 companies have come onboard as partners to participate in the programme.

5.Indeed, the impressive growth is made possible by win-win partnerships between Institutions, Individuals, and the Industry.

6.Let me share more about how each of them contributes to and benefits from the Work-Study Programme.

7.First, let me talk about the win for our institutions. These institutions are key in meeting both the individuals' and industry's needs and facilitating a match in their interests.

8.Our Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs), the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), the Polytechnics and the Universities, have to make key shifts for employers to deliver a significant portion of the work-study curriculum via on-the-job training. For example, they work closely with the partner companies to:

1. First of all, understand their business operations, work processes and skills needs;
2. They also map out the skills and competencies required for the work processes against the curricular requirements; and
3. They build training structures and on-the-job training capabilities to ensure that the company's mentors can impart those skills to their trainees.

9.This is a lot of work by our institutions, but they are all ready, and have already been implementing it.

10.As curriculum specialists, our institutions advise companies on which skills and competencies are better acquired on the job compared to via formal training. They also ensure that the overall training programme delivered is of high quality and, of course, rigour.

11.The overall time and effort spent in consulting with companies is significant but proves to be a worthwhile investment.

12.It allows our IHLs to develop a tighter nexus with industry and understand their evolving skills needs. This can then translate into more relevant, up-to-date, and customised work-study curriculum, greater buy-in from companies and certainly greater confidence for our trainees to take up these programmes.

13.Next, for individuals. We look at the trainees who contribute to their companies through their work, but also benefit tremendously from the Work-Study Programmes.

14.Trainees in the place-and-train Work-Study Programmes are hired by these companies and salaried. They are paid, while they are sponsored by their companies to upgrade to a higher qualification.

15.And your salary is based on the qualification that you already have, so you do not have to worry about getting lower salaries. You will get salaries based on whether you have a diploma, whether you have an ITE certification, and subsequently, get salaried for the qualification.

16.You will also then meet the manpower needs of the respective companies.

17.The programme structure allows these students to put the knowledge that they acquired in the classroom directly into practice at work.

18.Across all place-and-train Work-Study programmes, graduates have enjoyed good employment outcomes. That is the reason why we want to promote that we know that it is a "sure win".

1. Within six months after completing the programme, more than 9 in 10 graduates were employed, and most stayed with the company that sponsored them for the programme.
2. Many said that the programme equipped them with skills and competencies for larger or higher job roles, which were reflected in their salaries.
3. Six months after completing the programme, on average, graduates were earning 33% more than at the start of the programme.

19.The Ministry of Trade and Industry conducted a recent study on the wage outcomes of Work-Study Post-Diploma graduates, that means the ones who already have got their diplomas and go on to their Post-Diploma programmes, from 2018 to 2021.

1. The study showed that those who completed the Work-Study Post-Diploma programmes earned more during the one-year or one and a half-year programme, compared to their peers who went straight to work.
2. Second, we also noticed that this positive wage premium continued after programme completion, averaging about 9% one to two years after programme completion and 6% in the subsequent two years.
3. This is a good indication that the market recognises the value of the Work-Study Programmes.

20.In addition to the positive employment outcomes, the Work-Study Programmes also provide a good solid foundation of knowledge and skills that allow graduates to articulate to further qualifications.

1. An example of a beneficiary is Mr Aqil Hidayat Bin Ali.
2. Driven by his passion for learning, Aqil took up a Work-Study Specialist Diploma in Cloud Architecting and Management at Republic Polytechnic and was employed as a Solutions Engineer at PointStar Pte Ltd.
3. Upon graduation, Aqil was promoted to Cloud Solutions Engineer to implement cloud solutions for clients, and appointed as a Team Lead to support clients who are adopting on-premise solutions.
4. While working, Aqil is now pursuing a part-time Bachelor of Science in Information & Communication Technology course at the Singapore University of Social Sciences to deepen his knowledge and technical expertise.

21.Finally, let me talk about the other stakeholder, which is the industry. A win, for the industry, too.

22.Participating companies are critical to the success of the Work-Study Programmes, because they are really the key partners.

1. The Work-Study Programmes require employers to shift away from hunting for the perfect talent who can plug-and-play.
2. Instead, they have to hire employees with potential, and commit to training them to a higher level of skills and competencies.
3. Rather than outsourcing the training to our institutions, companies co-develop the curriculum and co-deliver part of the training.
4. While on-the-job training requires a significant step-up in employers' involvement and resourcing, it reduces the time that employees take away from their work for formal training.

23.Companies also speak highly of the value-add that work-study trainees bring.

1. For example, Ms Ong Jia Wen, who pursued a Work-Study Specialist Diploma in Information Systems Development at Nanyang Polytechnic. She was hired by Accenture. She was able to apply the skills learnt to develop a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) workflow using UiPath for a client, automating the data entry of over 400,000 COVID-19 relief grant applications. This helped her client to improve the application processing cycle time and reduce the manual workload.
2. Accenture finds that participating in Work-Study Programmes enables them to gain access to the innovative perspectives and fresh insights of young talents. Their new ideas and enthusiasm foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, and help Accenture stay ahead in a competitive market.

24.Today, we will be recognising 12 companies for their support and contribution to the Work-Study Programmes. I hope their testimonials can spur more companies to come onboard this rewarding, win-win partnership.

25.Building on this success, the Polytechnics will be launching 10 new Work-Study Programmes this year, including courses in the growing Digital, Green, and Care economies. This will expand the range of training opportunities for our students.

26.SkillsFuture Singapore and the IHLs will continue to assess the demand for new Work-Study Programmes from companies and students and offer new programmes to meet such needs.

27.The growth and positive impact that we have achieved through the Work-Study Programmes was only possible with everyone stepping forward.

1. The IHLs have worked tirelessly to establish this alternative upgrading pathway for learners who learn best through a combination of classroom learning and structured on-the-job training.
2. Trainees, on the other hand, who are committed to the programme not just as students pursuing a higher-level qualification but also as employees, eager to contribute to their companies and gain a headstart in their careers.
3. Third, companies who stepped up to design and deliver the Work-Study Programmes with our institutions, harnessing it as a key manpower pipeline and talent development scheme.

28.May such win-win partnerships continue to deepen, and I look forward to seeing more students and companies participate in Work-Study Programmes, and of course, more programmes being offered.

29.Let me conclude by thanking Republic Polytechnic for organising this year's SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair. I wish everyone a pleasant afternoon seeing the exhibitions, and have a fruitful Work-Study Fair.

30.Thank you.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.