Singapore – The intensification of efforts to recognize skills at work and not only the academic references took the scene at a training conference on August 21, with a range of new and enlarged projects revealed to a lively interest of the employer.
For One thing, workers in the built environment sector as well as infrastructure with at least six years of relevant experience, from the first quarter of 2025, will be able to continue accreditation as approved engineering technologists of the Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IE).
This brings the number of sectors covered by this route based on skills to three, according to the land transport sector in 2021.
This decision was one of the several announcements, the Minister of State at the Manpower Gan Siow Huang, made at the Skillsfuture Human Capital conference held at Santec City Convention Center.
The conference, which was organized by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and supported by Skillsfuture Singapore and the Lifelong Learning Institute, bursts from the Skillsfuture festival six weeks 2025 which started on July 9.
Ms. Gan told the event that she hoped that changes would not make sure that Singaporean workers will remain competitive, but would also carry out their aspirations in the time to come.
She also underlined the role of employers, intermediaries such as industry organizations, as well as human resources practitioners, in work towards the objective of stimulating training which is relevant for the needs of the industry.
Ms. Gan, who is also Minister of State for Education, said: “Employers play a key role in identifying skills in their labor market and investing in appropriate and targeted training to block gaps.”
She added that the government aims to help employers identify skills gaps and choose the right training programs in which invest.
Ms. Gan noted the recent overhaul of the Skillsfuture for Business portal, which now provides “sharper research results” to employers looking for quality training.
Meanwhile, she said that intermediaries should not only help employers identify the appropriate skills and training programs, but also help them recognize workers who hold the skills required for jobs.
HR professionals play “an essential role in the transformation and recognition of skills,” said Ms. Gan.
Hispired technologists will be assessed both by theory and practical tests, said Vice-President of the IES, Danny Lee.
Applicants will be assessed in a new skills assessment center set up alongside Singapore Polytechnic which recognizes the informal learning acquired at work.
Lee said the IES hope to obtain 250 certified technologists by the end of 2025.
“Recognition of their skills by employers would help reduce leaks (workers to other sectors) and also bring good people,” he added.
The Institute for Human Resource Professionals (IHRP) will deploy two “role badges” as part of its role in the push of recognizing and rewarding skills.
Badges are intended to distinguish those who have learned, thanks to formal training or work, how to set up learning processes in the workplace in their companies.
A badge will be published in collaboration with the adult learning institute, which is the national center of excellence for adult learning.
The other will be offered in partnership with Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), which runs the National Center for Excellence for Labor Apprenticeship.
More broadly, Ms. Gan has provided an update on the adoption of the workplace recognition recognition program, which was deployed in June 2025 to allow the skills that employees learn about work to count the skills certifications.
She said that more than 110 companies in 22 sectors have recorded an interest in the program, 15 companies that have reached the certification of Workplace Learning Ready Mark which allows employers to take up the skills assessment process for workers' certifications.
Ms. Gan has also announced the appointment of the Foodxervices Inc Food products wholesaler as Queen Bee skills for the wholesale trade sector.
The company is the 36th queen of bees appointed overall. Queen Bees are industry leaders who help training needs not only of their own staff, but also those of peers, suppliers and customers.
Skillsfuture Singapore, director general Tan Kok Yam, told Times Straits that one of the reasons why the company was named was its total range of more than 4,000 customers, which goes beyond the agency can reach.
He also noted that the sector is one of the most diverse, with generally smaller companies with a wide range of activities, adding: “I think that this addition of (foodxervices) in the fold will really help us to better aggregate the skills and training needs of what is a fairly diverse sector.”
SBF also signed three memorandums of understanding with the IHRP, the NYP and the Polytechnic Republic during the event which addressed various questions, in particular reskulling and progressive employment practices.
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