(3 January 2016, Sunday) The new year will present Singaporeans with more choices and learning opportunities – from kindergarten to university education and beyond, and whether they want to hone their work skills or delve into research. This month, all Singaporeans aged 25 and above will receive a letter on how to activate their SkillsFuture Credit accounts. It will include a step-by-step guide on how to use their initial $500 worth of credit.
There is no cut-off date for when the money has to be used by, and there will be periodic top-ups, so people can save up to pay for more expensive courses. It can also be used on top of other government subsidies. More than $1 billion has been set aside by the Government to fund this scheme in a bid to encourage Singaporeans to continue learning through their lives.
The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), a key avenue for polytechnic graduates to earn a degree, will launch six new courses and raise its intake by another 300 places this year, bringing the total to 2,400.
The credits can be used for approved courses in several areas, from aerospace to sports to healthcare. Singaporeans are free to opt for any course. So far, the directory of courses launched by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) already lists 10,000 courses – from financial literacy to photography and cooking.
They are offered by more than 500 providers, such as the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore Institute of Management and Nanyang Technological University.
Media: The Sunday Times, Insight, Page B4
Full article here:
http://www.nafa.edu.sg/media/2015/TheSundayTimesInsight03Jan16.pdf
南洋艺术学院 Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
http://www.fsi.com.my/nafa/
