Around the world, workers are racing to keep pace as technology reshapes jobs faster than anyone expected. Despite the global push to reskill, Singapore’s numbers tell a different story. Singapore’s training participation rate fell to a nine-year low of about 40.7 per cent in 2024. In many countries, unions often lobby for training and upskilling, but in Singapore, NTUC and the government take a proactive role - backing its people with lifelong learning through its Continuing Education and Training (CET). This should give workers a rare advantage.
With 60.3 per cent of Singapore's resident workers holding tertiary qualifications, and over 40 per cent holding degrees, we undoubtedly have a highly educated workforce. But does that education end when we leave school? Does a highly educated workforce equate to a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce? As the global economy outlook remains uncertain, what we can do now increasingly matters more than qualifications we hold. A new movement is gaining momentum: one that put skills first.
Today, CET remains critical in a volatile economic landscape. As more Singaporeans attain degrees and diplomas; and non-traditional work models like freelancing, digital nomadism, and side hustles are on the rise, traditional paper qualifications are no longer sufficient proof to employers that jobseekers or workers can contribute, be productive, and solve problems. At the same time, individuals are exploring more frequent job changes and non-linear career paths, which shows that skills can be developed, demonstrated, and valued through diverse avenues.
In August, I hosted a timely roundtable discussion at NTUC Centre, jointly with the new Office for Skills-First Practices at the Singapore University of Social Sciences–Institute for Adult Learning (SUSS-IAL) on Skills-First, a new approach that recognises skills first and qualifications second in learning, hiring, and career progression. Over 200 in-person and virtual stakeholders from across the career development ecosystem, including policymakers, educators, employers, and researchers, participated in the discussion.
Participants concurred that “Skills-First” holds immense potential for diversity and inclusion. Skills-First is about prioritising skills and competencies over traditional qualifications, such as degrees and diplomas and even minimum years of work experience. By focusing on Skills-First, we open doors for diverse groups of talent. This includes caregivers looking to return to work, persons with disabilities, older workers, and first-time workers like young graduates, while offering employers access to a more adaptable and agile workforce.
However, the extent of Skills-First’s success will depend on close collaboration among workers, learning providers, especially Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), and employers, who could adopt what I call the 3 ‘C’s: Chart career pathways, Certify skills, and Champion skills-based practices.
Chart Career Pathways to Enhance Workers’ Employability and Competitiveness
As career pathways become less linear and more self-directed, and career transitions become more frequent, workers must take greater ownership of their skills and professional growth to remain competitive. This means regularly reviewing their skills portfolio and actively seeking resources to chart and propel their career journey.
One obstacle to Skills-First is that workers might be unaware of their productive assets and thus, habitually resort to relying on employers to direct their skills and career development rather than proactively seeking opportunities and practicing mindful career planning. Although workers’ upskilling may align with their company’s business goals, it may still fall short in advancing personal career aspirations or growth.
In support of our workers, the NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) offers job matching, career coaching, skills upgrading, and other resources to help individuals make informed career decisions based on their skills. For instance, e2i offers virtual, personalised career coaching that leverages labour market data to analyse individuals’ resumes and personal profiles, helping individuals identify and chart their career and training pathways, enabling them to navigate their professional development with confidence.
When workers' embrace Skills-First and position their skills and competencies, they enhance their employability and competitiveness by increasing the number of career pathways and job opportunities they can pursue beyond their background and qualifications. This means that a student majoring in History but has demonstrated coding skills through relevant work experiences or winning multiple hackathons should feel confident in applying for an entry-level Programmer position.
Skills-First therefore also helps to level the playing field for every worker, especially those who have gained their skills through non-conventional avenues.
Certify Skills Formally
Interdisciplinary and adaptable knowledge and skills are increasingly valued by employers and in today’s economy. However, skills can be difficult to define and validate. A Skills-First approach will therefore require a robust and centralised skills accreditation and validation system that credibly recognises skills in tandem with academic qualifications.
One of the ways in which learning providers, including schools and IHLs, could take the lead to close this gap is to go beyond validating the user’s education and partnering with relevant partners or other training providers to offer integrated skills validation or virtual certifications on existing platforms, such as SkillsFuture Singapore’s (SSG) Career and Skills Passport (CSP).
This creates new capacities and responsibilities for schools and IHLs within the realms of lifelong learning, while also helping them more seamlessly adapt their curricula to meet the evolving and in-demand skills students will need to become workforce-ready.
By prioritising Skills-First, schools and IHLs act as important partners in workforce development while opening the doors to non-traditional learners, such as mid-career workers undergoing a career transition, older workers updating their digital skills, and freelancers or self-employed persons interested in widening their skills portfolio.
Champion Skills-Based Practices in Workplaces
Prioritising skills creates win-win opportunities with flexible, diverse career pathways for individuals, as well as a wider, more agile talent pool for employers to tap into. Employers can lead the way to advancing Skills-First by championing skills in hiring and promoting decisions via transparently listing the necessary skills required in job descriptions and reviewing jobseekers and workers holistically, including through certifications or proof of skills and competencies through skill assessments, testimonials, performance appraisals, awards, and leadership experiences outside work.
I am heartened that some employers, such as OCBC, are progressive in embracing Skills-First. For instance, OCBC uses an AI-powered platform, MOBI, to match workers with their career interest area based on their skills. One initiative known as Vibes also provides short-term project-based apprenticeships, which has enabled OCBC employees to acquire new skills and strengthen existing ones. These efforts have helped OCBC uncover a hidden talent pool and maintain a skilled workforce, resilient and adaptable to changing market conditions.
Employers who continuously invest in training their workers will benefit from a highly-skilled workforce, driving greater productivity, innovation, and business resilience. NTUC’s Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant can support employers with up to 70% funding support to drive business and workforce transformation, for training and job redesign initiatives that benefit both companies and workers.
Mindset and Cultural Change
Skills-First is a mindset shift to fostering a more resilient, inclusive, and competitive workforce. Its success, however, requires the active support and buy-in of IHLs, workers, and employers. By embracing this 3 ‘C’s approach, all stakeholders can harness the benefits of Skills-First and adapt to the dynamic labour market more easily. Employers play a pivotal role in leading this mindset shift. While employers may recognise the importance of a Skills-First approach, findings from Singapore Business Federation’s National Business Survey 2025 of 555 businesses across all key industries revealed that only 18 per cent of employers actively practice it. I thus encourage employers to take the lead in championing Skills-First principles, placing skills at the forefront of hiring and promotion decisions to build a more inclusive, agile and future-ready workforce.
Skills-First challenges us to re-imagine and re-think the meaning, mode, and outcomes of learning and work, from means to an end to something more closely aligned with personal growth and fulfilment. Strong academic qualifications will no longer be the sole road to success, but rather one of multiple pathways that Singaporeans can pursue, depending on their strengths, interests, and aspirations.
