Singapore's refreshed training and adult education Industry Transformation Map to improve workers' employability

The ITM will focus on four strategies, including improving industry relevance and market responsiveness, and investing in adult educators and sectoral capabilities.

Singapore's Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang has launched the enhanced Training and Adult Education (TAE) Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025 at the inaugural TAE Conference on 2 February 2023. 

Following its initial launch by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) in 2018, this refreshed ITM seeks to position the TAE sector as a relevant and responsive partner in workforce development and enterprise transformation, to employers across all industries. Since then, the sector has made good progress in:

1. adopting business and pedagogical innovation, including the use of blended and online learning;
2. raising productivity, such as through the use of administrative IT systems;
3. establishing the training quality and outcomes management (TRAQOM) system to gather timely learner feedback; and
4. improving the career and skills progression pathways for adult educators, such as through the adult education professionalisation (AEP) initiative.

Building on this progress, the TAE ITM 2025 lays out four key strategies for the sector’s next phase of transformation.

Improving industry relevance and market responsiveness

For the TAE sector to effectively support transformation of other sectors, training must closely match industry needs and demand. With support from SSG, the sector will deepen partnerships with industry, and introduce new collaborative models between training providers and enterprises. At the ecosystem level, skills recognition and skills credentialling will be promoted through greater involvement by companies, unions, trade associations and professional bodies. 

Innovating and digitalising at scale

The sector will develop innovations in the delivery of adult learning, so that learning is better contextualised to the circumstances of adult learners. To this end, the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) as the National Centre of Excellence for Adult Learning, will intensify both research and research translation in andragogy.

SSG will support training providers in the development and adoption of innovative learning approaches. It will also promote process digitalisation to help training providers reduce the burden of training administration and improve customer service, as part of the continued effort from the ITM.

Investing in adult educators and sectoral capabilities.

There will be better use of online learning and continual development programmes to uplift the capabilities of adult educators. In view of emerging skills required by the TAE sector, the ITM recognises that training providers will need to invest in building a strong and skilled TAE workforce.

To start, the Workforce Skills Qualifications Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance has been revamped to equip aspiring adult educators with foundational skills in a shorter time. Capabilities in skills identification and development will also be strengthened across the ecosystem, for example, with the Skills Development Partners programme.

Internationalising to strengthen sector resilience

Prepared training providers will be supported by SSG and partner agencies to export continuing education and training (CET) to overseas markets. This is so that the sector may, as a whole, gain experience and acquire a broader perspective in the effective delivery of CET. Internationalisation will enable the TAE sector to diversify its provisions and test its capabilities in overseas market.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Huang added: "The ITM 2025 seeks to raise the industry relevance and market responsiveness of adult training in Singapore, so as to improve individual worker’s employability and support enterprise transformation across industries. We will do this by deepening partnerships with enterprises and sectors, and through leveraging technology and innovation. But to realise the ITM, employers too need to take strong ownership of the upskilling of their workers.”

Euleen Goh, Co-Chair of the FEC Human Health & Potential Cluster, affirmed the message around the TAE sector needing to transform to keep pace with the rapidly changing training demands and needs of employers and the workforce.

Sharing that the TAE sector plays a major role in raising the employability of Singaporeans and the capabilities of enterprises, Tan Kok Yam, Chief Executive of SSG, said SSG will do its part to realise the ITM strategies and help its training partners succeed. 

Lead image / Minister Gan Siow Huang Facebook