SkillsFuture Festival @ South West 2022 - Stronger partnership to future proof our nation

This year’s heartland-based SkillsFuture Festival @ South West 2022, brought to you by the South West Community Development Council (CDC) and supported by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), will resume its physical presence and run from 22 to 23 July 2022. Themed “Discover the New Future” the focus this year will revolve around the three key growth areas, namely Digital, Green and Care; and highlight learning and job opportunities to better prepare our residents for the future.

2        Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Trade and Industry is the Guest-of-Honour for the event.  Minister will be joined by Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Trade and Industry and Mayor of South West District.  At the event, the 10 TACs, namely, Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA), Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI), Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS), SAPTCO Singapore (SAPTCO), Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association (SFMA), Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC), Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), Singapore Logistics Association (SLA), Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) and Specialists in Wellness Association Singapore (SWAS), Qood Pte Ltd and The Social Equity will pledge their commitment to work closely with the South West CDC to bring a series of initiatives such as symposium, curated skills-based training and sharing of industry trends and growth at the South West Community Job Fairs.

3        Residents will also be able to participate in hands-on demonstrations and gain first-hand experience of jobs in the growth economies. Some of activities include an immersive tour of the Operating Theatre using the V360 technology, demonstrations by the Emergency Medical Technicians on an ambulance, as well as the future roles of drones in the Green economy.

4        Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Trade and Industry, said, “The CDC’s collaboration with the 10 TACs and corporate partners is a testament to our commitment to do more for the community in the area of skills and employment. With the connection of the TACs and their member enterprises, there is a lot of potential for closer collaboration that can help businesses capture new opportunities and create a robust ecosystem that leverages on each other’s strengths and expertise to continuously engage and futureproof our workforce.”

5        Host and Mayor of South West District, Ms Low Yen Ling, said, “Technological disruptions and business transformations are driving the demand for new skills in today’s fast-evolving environment. This has opened up new opportunities for better jobs and a brighter future, especially in the digital, green and care sectors. By focusing on these growth areas, SkillsFuture Festival @ South West 2022 aims to boost our residents’ job prospects and skills to capture these emerging opportunities. We hope that the festival will help them identify their learning needs and interests, and also articulate the specific skills and competencies they have and wish to gain. This self-knowledge is critical to enhancing their potential and future-proofing their career and learning path, whether they’re school leavers, mid-career candidates or mature learners.”

6        Ms Margaret Heng, Executive Director of Singapore Hotel Association, said, “With the reopening of Singapore’s border and return of tourism, hotels in Singapore are well-positioned to deliver evolved hospitality experiences for the new era of travellers. The Singapore Hotel Association is delighted to join South West CDC in curating a series of initiatives to promote learning and skills-based trainings to nurture local service stars.”

SkillsFuture Festival @CDC across the five districts

7        Organised by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), this year’s SkillsFuture Festival 2022 will run from 5 July to 14 August 2022, featuring more than 100 outreach events, roadshows and workshops to cater to both individuals and enterprises. This year’s festival will showcase the close partnership of companies, unions, community groups, institutions and Government agencies, in the promotion of lifelong learning.

8        The five CDCs will partner SSG and e2i to organise the SkillsFuture Festival @ CDC from 22 July to 14 August 2022 at different districts.  Each district’s SkillsFuture Festival aims to share insights on jobs and skills in the three key economies of Digital, Green and Care (shown below). Through this, it encourages residents to participate in SkillsFuture initiatives and programmes to support them in their skills upgrading and lifelong learning journey.

• Digital Economy: With rapid advancements in digitalisation and digital services, old paradigms and business models are being challenged.

• Green Economy: About living, working and pursuing growth, while maintaining environmental sustainability and conversion.

• Care Economy: Comprises a professional cluster of jobs and skills involved in nurturing and teaching current and future population.

Fact Sheet

Background

To bring the SkillsFuture closer to the community, the South West Community Development Council (CDC) started the annual SkillsFuture Festival @ South West in 2018. During the pandemic, the five CDCs had jointly organised the virtual SkillsFuture@CDC in conjunction with SkillsFuture Month. The full virtual event consisted of Facebook live videos, teaser workshops and employability workshops were held over Facebook and Zoom.  

2        To continue on the efforts to promote and strengthen lifelong learning and skills deepening in the community, the CDC is bringing back the physical SkillsFuture Festival @ South West 2022 (SFF). The event is held in collaboration with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) to encourage residents’ participation in SkillsFuture initiatives and to recognise and celebrate skills mastery.

SKILLSFUTURE FESTIVAL @ SOUTH WEST 2022

3        Themed “Discover the New Future”, the SFF will showcase the 3 growth economies of Digital, Care and Green economies through hands-on activities and demonstrations as follows:

• Digital Economy: Residents can experience more on 3D printing and autonomous robots through demonstrations with MakeIT at Libraries, National Library Board. Residents can also find more on available digital courses with NTUC LearningHub.

• Green Economy:  Residents can find out more on sustainability efforts in buildings with Trent Global College. There will also be a demonstration of drone flying to showcase technology being used to inspect exterior of buildings.  

• Care Economy: Experience and find out more on the healthcare sector through a virtual tour of the operating theatre and demonstrations of first aid skills with HMI Institute. Residents can also visit the Ambulance exhibit to find out more on the skills and job prospects of an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).

LAUNCH EVENT

4        The two days SFF will include a launch ceremony on the partnership between South West CDC, Qood Pte Ltd and 10 Trade Associations and Chambers to curate initiatives such as symposiums with key note industry speakers and sharing sessions on industry trends and growths that will future proof residents and promote a learning nation.