Opening Address by Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Second Minister for Education, at the Workplace Learning Conference 2023, Suntec Convention Centre

"Making Workplace Learning a Part of Your Business"

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

1. A very good morning. It is my pleasure to join you at the second Workplace Learning Conference. I am heartened to see so many supporters and advocates of workplace learning gathered here today to advance our thinking and practice in this field.

2. I thank the NACE centres for their commitment to organise this conference annually. It provides a platform for us to take stock of our progress in workplace learning, recognise companies for their exemplary practices, and exchange knowledge and good practices.

Workplace Learning – A Key Enterprise Strategy

3. Enterprises have a role, and a very key role at that, in developing our workforce. In a tight labour market, like the one that we are in today, we must collectively invest in upskilling and reskilling so that we can strengthen our overall talent and manpower capabilities.

4. Where new capabilities are required, instead of recruiting new ones, businesses can and should always consider investing in upskilling existing workers first.

1. When companies do so, we avoid a zero-sum game where companies look only to bring in fresh graduates to meet new skills needs or poach employees with the right skillsets from their competitors.

5. For both employer and employee, workplace learning is not just a convenient alternative to formal classroom learning that often requires them to take time off from their work. It is also the best way to contextualise the knowledge and skills acquired to the actual tasks at the workplace.

1. Many enterprises recognise the value of workplace learning. A study by NTUC LearningHub last year showed that the top reasons for employers' investment in Learning and Development programmes at the workplace include increased employee productivity, stronger talent development pipeline, as well as better employee retention.
2. Indeed, through investment in workplace learning, employers can demonstrate their commitment to their employees' professional growth. This in turn creates a unique value proposition for companies to attract and retain talent.
3. With more companies adopting effective workplace learning practices, at the national level we can collectively raise the productivity, adaptability and resilience of our workforce.
4. From the worker's perspective, workplace learning is about empowerment and control over one's own learning development, which will lead to greater job satisfaction.
   1. One such example is Ms Cao Lijie, who started her career at Singapore Pools as a part-time counter staff. With clear career progression and training pathways that Singapore Pools developed for employees, Lijie was able to identify relevant certifications that equipped her with digital literacy and service excellence skills. This gave her the opportunity to transit to become a full-time employee and take up a larger job scope as a Customer Experience Officer to engage and serve customers.
   2. I am heartened to learn that Lijie is on track to receive a Certified Service Professional certification that is jointly issued by Singapore Pools and Singapore Polytechnic, and that this will open doors to more career options for her.

6. So where are we today?

1. We have made good progress in workplace learning. Since its inception in 2018, NACE has:
   1. Supported more than 2,000 enterprises and
   2. Trained more than 3,400 workers, equipping them with skills to design on-the-job training, conduct skills gap analysis and become effective workplace coaches and mentors. This allows the trained employees to catalyse the internal transformation of their workplace, as they can bridge the skills gaps they see and raise the competence of their colleagues.
2. This is not just the effort of NACE alone, but the combined efforts of other intermediaries and aggregators in the whole ecosystem. For example, the SkillsFuture Queen Bees have reached out to more than 2,300 companies, including SMEs that can find it more challenging to come on board workplace learning given the high opportunity costs.
3. To be more effective and targeted, we are also taking a sectoral approach.
   1. At this year's Committee of Supply debate, we announced that SSG and NACE will initiate a Workplace Skills Recognition pilot, starting with the Retail and Food Services sectors.
   2. AThis pilot helps to recognise skills acquired at the workplace towards relevant certifications, reducing the need for employees to take time off for external training.
   3. AI am glad to hear that 40 enterprises have expressed interest thus far and the Workplace Learning Ready Mark will be awarded for the first time to eligible companies by November 2023.
   4. ARiding on the success of the pilot, we will expand Workplace Skills Recognition to more sectors, benefitting more enterprises.

Three Key Enablers

7. The ten enterprises who will be conferred the National Workplace Learning Certification today bear testimony to the progress that we have made.

1. Please join me in congratulating the ten award winners.
2. They have been exemplary in their commitment to adopt best workplace learning practices and cultivate a thriving workplace learning culture.
3. As we celebrate their success, I would also like to encourage more companies to come on board workplace learning.
4. We estimate that there are some 54,000 companies whose annual revenue is sizeable but below 100 million, and whose workforce is big enough to benefit from systematic workplace learning. Unlike large companies and multi-national companies, they may require a little assistance to implement On-the-Job Training frameworks. SSG, with NACE and other industry partners, will endeavour to reach out to as many of them as possible.

8. From the award recipients' examples and ongoing work by the NACE centres, I see three key enablers to the adoption of workplace learning:

1. First, integrate workplace learning and upskilling into the company's business processes and transformation plans;
2. Second, use technology to make learning accessible; and
3. Third, learn from one another through research.

9. First, on the integration of workforce upskilling to a company's business processes and transformation plans.

1. Progressive enterprises have incorporated Learning and Development into their HR systems.
   1. One such example is RMS Marine & Offshore Service (Singapore), who worked with NACE Led by NYP on their On-the-Job Training (OJT) Blueprint consultancy project to codify their warehouse operations competencies. This helped RMS to create a systemic process to map out the tacit skills and knowledge of their employees.
   2. RMS also drives workplace learning by facilitating inter-department transfers for their employees, allowing them to expand their skillsets through on-the-job experiences and preparing them for future career and talent development opportunities.

10. Beyond their HR processes, enterprises should also systematically identify skills needed to support their business ambition and transformation plans, and then systematically close the gaps.

1. To support this, SSG has partnered JobKred, a HRtech company, to roll out the Skills Profiler digital tool. The tool can serve as a real-time skills inventory, equipping businesses with the ability to identify skills gaps so that both employers and employees can be more targeted in their upskilling.
2. The pilot has been well received. To date, more than 350 SMEs have registered for the Skills Profiler since its launch in May this year.
3. When companies put in place skills-based HR practices and provide a clear OJT blueprint, employees will have greater confidence that their upskilling can lead to growth opportunities and are more likely to stay with their companies. This presents a win-win for employers who can benefit from higher retention of home-grown talent.

11. Second, we need to better leverage technology to make workplace learning more accessible for our employees.

1. Technology can make learning more accessible and personalised, allowing employees to learn anytime, anywhere, and at their own pace, catering to the diverse needs that different employees may have.
   1. An example of a company that has leveraged the power of educational technology is Vopak Terminal Singapore. The company invested in a Learning Management System to support their in-house training, allowing employees to access self-directed e-learning programmes and track their learning progress.
   2. Employees can also use the system to provide feedback to one another. This encourages cross-team sharing and collaboration.

12. Third, we need to learn from one another to innovate new workplace learning approaches that will be contextualised to our local ecosystem.

1. We have seen how successful economies like Germany and Switzerland have successfully implemented workplace learning by adopting a 70-20-10 model. The model advocates that 70% of our learning comes from experiences, 20% from social interactions, and 10% from formal learning settings.
2. NYP has worked with several Swiss and German organisations to develop and implement our National Workplace Learning Framework, which sets the foundation for NACE. There is still much that we can learn from these countries.
3. In this regard, Temasek Polytechnic has recently signed an MOU with the Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training (SFUVET) to promote knowledge exchanges through overseas learning trips in Switzerland, focusing on areas such as Sustainability, Digitalisation and Technology.
4. At the same time, we also need to develop solutions more relevant to the psyche of our workers and the mix of jobs in our economy.
5. For example, the SkillsFuture Queen Bees reach out to companies in their field or value chain to contextualise the learning for these companies. They have different strategies in outreach, content creation and content delivery that can enrich our collective understanding of workplace learning.

Conclusion

13. Once again, I would like to congratulate all ten recipients on receiving the well-deserved award, and for stepping up as role models in workplace learning.

14. I would also like take this opportunity to thank the National Workplace Learning Certification Award Committee for their effort in identifying the role models among us.

15. To all the participants here today who have joined us to learn more about implementing workplace learning in your companies, I hope that you will reap useful insights and put these into action.

16. To our NACE partners, continue the good work you have put in, and I ask that you do more, work as a team, develop innovative practices and solutions to make workplace learning pervasive across all companies, to benefit all our workers.

17. Let us all work together to make workplace learning a part of our business operations in Singapore. I wish everyone a fruitful conference.