SkillsFuture is an initiative that allows Singaporeans and permanent residents to acquire new skills or upgrade existing ones, whether you are making the transition between industries or simply picking up a new skill.
SkillsFuture courses are designed to benefit people of Singapore at all stages of their lives ranging from fresh graduates, postgraduates, job seekers, employees, leaders, managers, small and medium enterprises, transitioning employees, etc.
SkillsFuture Credits works like cash, except you, cannot cash out on it. If you are a Singaporean at or over the age of 25, you are given five hundred dollars opening credits for use on courses from the SkillsFuture Credit Course Directory.
Last October, all Singapore residents were given another five hundred dollar top-off. These additional credits will expire in Dec 2025, however, the opening credits of five hundred dollars will not.
This means that you will have thousand of dollars of credits to undergo courses till 2025, including career transition programs under selected continuing education and training centers.
If you are between 40 to 60 years old, you have an extra five hundred dollars in addition to the existing top-up, which means the total credits in your account is fifteen hundred dollars; however, the excess of five hundred dollars can only be used on select re-skilling programs.
To redeem your credits, you have to log in to the official SkillsFuture portal while signing up for your course. For this, you would need proof of payment from your provider, an official invoice, or receipt.
After logging in, select the course you have enrolled in and indicated SkillsFuture credits you want to use. After this, you will need to submit supporting documents and claim and the credits will be deducted.
Before you jump in and sign up for the first course you see, think about what you really want. After that, you can narrow down your choices Skills Future course directory, where you can search according to the type of training and providers.
Then, check if you meet the conditions of the course and if you will be able to commit to its duration. You do not want to waste your credits, as some programs require minimum attendance.
If you working, you may also want to consider whether your company offers additional grants for certain courses that are relevant to your field of work.
Trusted training providers can be difficult to identify. For this reason, you should choose well-established companies such as the Achieve group that provides leadership and management courses.
SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore have been quite successful in weeding out questionable training providers, but it is always best to do your own research. Once you have narrowed down your choices, simply follow the steps to redirect to the training provider’s page and redeem your credits.
If you are a working professional a few days crash course can be great. There is no need for weekly evening classes. However, you will probably have a hard time retaining that knowledge. Unless there is a basic foundation for the course you choose, it is up to you to relearn and practice what is taught, even after the course.