Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Dr Hamid Razak, West Coast-Jurong West GRC
Question
To ask the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will provide greater granularity in reporting employment outcomes of adult learning programmes such as the SkillsFuture Career Transition and Work-Study Programmes including the provision of sectoral breakdowns in growth areas like artificial intelligence, healthcare and social services, so as to assess the effectiveness of these programmes more clearly.
Response
1. MOE and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) adopt a variety of quality and outcome metrics to assess the effectiveness of SkillsFuture-funded Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes.
2. Employment outcomes including wage changes and placement rates provide a quantitative measure on the impact of learning, including the industry relevance of skills training. Today, we track and report employment outcomes via administrative data, programme-specific surveys and econometric studies.
3. For example, as of December 2024, about 55% of almost 4,300 trainees who were unemployed at the start of the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes found new jobs within six months of course completion.
4. Last year, the Ministry of Trade and Industry published findings from its Work-Study econometric study, showing that ITE and Polytechnic graduates who upgraded via Work-Study Programmes enjoyed wage premiums of around 6% to 11% compared to those who transited straight into employment. Every year, the Polytechnics and ITE also administer the Work-Study Programme Outcomes Survey to work-study graduates. The findings are generally positive, with more than 90% of trainees employed and enjoying higher median salaries, compared to at the start of the training.
5. We will review the Member's suggestion on how better to report employment outcomes to guide individuals' training decisions. Where the studies are conclusive such as the MTI's econometric studies, we have published them. A more granular breakdown by sector is not always possible due to sample size limitations. Some programmes also equip learners with horizontal skills, such as data analytics and AI-related skills, that can be applied to job roles across multiple sectors.
6. Furthermore, wage and employment outcomes do not tell us the full picture. For example, reskilling could have helped workers, who are at risk of displacement, keep their jobs, or take on new job roles in a growth sector, albeit with an initial pay cut. Some workers might also learn new skills in anticipation of new or upcoming requirements – for example, an automotive mechanic learning how to maintain electric vehicles. In such cases, wage effects may be hard to quantify. Therefore, MOE and SSG take a broader view of the impact of the SkillsFuture movement.
7. To complement the employment outcomes reporting, SSG administers the Training Quality and Outcomes Measure (TRAQOM) survey to learners who take up SSG-funded programmes to rate the programme quality and perceived outcomes. This includes whether the training has helped them to be more effective at their jobs, improve their work performance or allow them to take on enhanced responsibilities at work. The TRAQOM ratings of each course are published on MySkillsFuture portal and can guide learners on suitable training programmes.
8. Other than employment outcomes, SSG also studies job posting data to monitor how job roles and skills needs of the labour market are evolving. Such jobs-skills insights are published regularly to inform the training market. For example, SSG's annual Skills Demand for the Future Economy report highlights changes to the in-demand skills in the Digital, Care and Green economies. SSG also makes available jobs-skills tools and resources under the Jobs-Skills Portal to help companies and training providers focus on building up relevant skills for their workers and trainees.