Never too young to learn at new portal
Online portal MySkillsFuture aims to help not just adults but also kids as young as 11 develop skills and plan careers
New online portal MySkillsFuture is unique.
In addition to helping adult Singaporeans get jobs or upgrade, it will also help those as young as 11 develop skills and plan their careers.
Officially launched by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday, it takes the place of two other Government initiatives: a career guidance portal for students and the Individual Learning portal that previously served working adults.
The portal, which was soft-launched earlier this month, was developed by SkillsFuture, Workforce Singapore and the Ministry of Education.
"What we want is a single portal where all learners can come together, whether you are a student who is going through the education system or you're an adult going through continual education and training," said Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung, who attended the launch at Bedok North yesterday.
According to a media release, every student from Primary 5 to pre-university will be given accounts to access the portal to "explore and discover different industry sectors and education pathways through interactive tools".
The landing pages are different for students of each educational level and will feature different tools catered specifically for that age group.
Students have been given access to MySkillsFuture since August and the initial feedback has been "positive".
Temasek JC student Venkatesh Babu Dakshitaa, 17, had her sights set on a career in the sciences, but realised biology was not for her. She said: "The portal helped me think about what else I could do and gave me the encouragement to try out architecture and design..."
Adults looking to upgrade can use their SingPass accounts to log in to the one-stop website. They can access features that include a self-assessment tool to narrow down applicable skills, a compilation of industry insights and the ability to build their own portfolio of skills - all with the aim of improving their employability.
The Training Exchange, formerly known as the SkillsFuture Credit course directory, and the National Jobs Bank can be accessed through it as well.
The portal also allows users to access the SkillsFuture Series courses launched on Saturday. The some 400 modular courses aim to equip working adults with skills needed across eight priority, emerging sectors and are tiered across three proficiency levels.
Mr Ong said initiatives like the portal and the SkillsFuture Series will help workers navigate a new, more unpredictable economy.
He said: "Technology is upon us. We are really prize-takers and the faster we can adopt (it), the better it will be for our long term."
Since Oct 2, about 150,000 users have logged into the MySkillsFuture portal.
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