WHY THE FOCUS ON DIPLOMAS?
Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Friday that Singaporeans aged 40 and above will benefit from a new SkillsFuture programme that includes a S$4,000 (US$2,970) top-up in credits in May.
The measures also include subsidies for another full-time diploma at polytechnics, Institutes of Technical Education and arts institutions from the 2025 academic year, and monthly training allowances for those who enrol in selected full-time courses.
When asked why the new measures focus on getting a diploma, as opposed to a degree, Ms Indranee said it is because the university pathway is usually more academic in nature, but diplomas are skills-based.
“The assumption here is that you’ve spent your working life doing something and it could have been on the back of a university degree, it could have been on the back of a diploma,” she said.
Ms Indranee, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, said that the measures will help mid-career workers add to an existing educational foundation and working experience.
“Going forward, as you look to the next chapter, skills are going to become really important because don’t forget, you’ve already got all the foundation that the degree and the first diploma gave you. What you’re trying to do now is you’re trying to add to that,” she said.
“Some may wish to go into social work. Some may wish to go into the childcare industry. Some may want to become life coaches. You don’t need another degree for that, but you may find diplomas that touch on the topics that you’re interested in helpful. So, see it sort of as a layering. It’s not that what you learned before doesn’t matter anymore,” she added.
Explaining the “philosophical underpinnings” of the measures, Ms Indranee said the world has changed and that learning has become continuous. This means needing to continue to upgrade even after leaving school.
She added that the schemes set the foundation for workers to continue to be able to provide value beyond retiring from their jobs.