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Fact Sheet: Enhancements to SkillsFuture@NS Initiatives
21 September 2022
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Background
SkillsFuture@National Service (SF@NS) is part of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF)'s and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)'s efforts to recognise our Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs)' contributions to the defence and security of Singapore and facilitate their transition to pursue employment and further studies after full-time NS.
As part of the National Service Review Committee's[1] efforts to strengthen support for our national servicemen, MINDEF and MHA are partnering NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) and NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) to enhance existing SF@NS initiatives.
SkillsFuture@NS Learning eXperience Platform
In 2003, MINDEF and MHA introduced the Electronic Pre-Release Employment Programme (E-PREP), where NSFs could use $350 worth of credits for a range of skills development and/or refresher courses provided by Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs)[2] and Education Institutes (EIs)[3], to facilitate their transition from full-time NS to further studies or into the workforce. NSFs are given the credits in the last 12 months of full-time NS, and these credits are available for use up to one year after the serviceman's Operationally Ready Date (ORD).
Under this new partnership with NTUC LHUB, all existing and future NSFs will be provided with an account to access the NTUC LHUB's SkillsFuture@NS Learning eXperience Platform (SF@NS LXP) from 1 Nov 2022. NSFs can activate their account at any time during their full-time NS, and the account will be valid for two years from the date of activation. This will replace the existing E-PREP scheme. The key features and advantages of SF@NS LXP are:
a. Unlimited Access to Online Courses. NSFs will have unlimited access to over 75,000 online courses. This is a much wider spread than the current E-PREP, which hosts 3,000 courses. The SF@NS LXP will also have better functions such as the ability for NSFs to create and track their personalised learning journeys, with individualised course recommendations based on the individual’s desired jobs and acquired skills.
b. Online Repository of Resources. The SF@NS LXP will include a centralised online repository of resources and information from government agencies, industry partners, and EIs, which NSFs may use in planning their post-NS transition. This includes information on career and education fairs held by NTUC LHUB’s partners or education institutions, and workshops organised by e2i, which NSFs can choose to attend.
c. Job and Course Portal. NSFs will also be able to apply for jobs or courses offered by EIs through the job and course portal hosted on SF@NS LXP. With this feature, NSFs will now be able to apply for school or work outside of the career and education fairs, and plan ahead for their post-NS transition into school or the workplace.
SkillsFuture@NS Fairs
Since 2015, MINDEF and MHA have jointly organised quarterly Enhanced Career and Education Fairs for NSFs who are in their last three to six months of NS, to provide them with resources and information on future career and education opportunities. Moving forward, these will be renamed as SF@NS Fairs, co-organised by MINDEF, MHA and NTUC LHUB. These NS fairs will be expanded to include a wider range of prospective employers and education institutes. NTUC LHUB will also curate the list of participating employers and education institutes based on NSFs' needs and prevailing labour market trends.
In addition to these quarterly SF@NS Fairs, NSFs will be able to visit career and education fairs that are organised by or in collaboration with NTUC LHUB's partners or EIs. Information on these NS fairs will be made available on the SF@NS LXP.
Introduction of the Resilience Series Workshops
NTUC LHUB, in partnership with e2i, will launch a series of Employability Resilience workshops aimed at equipping post-NS entrants to the workforce with practical career skills, such as résumé writing, networking and workplace communication, as well as understanding how to articulate their competencies or knowledge gained during their NS journey. The workshops are conducted by professional trainers from e2i. NSFs can find out more about the workshop schedules and register for these workshops through their SF@NS LXP accounts.
[1] The National Service Review Committee, chaired by Deputy Secretary (Administration) of MINDEF and Chief of Army, was established in 2020 to review and strengthen the NS system to ensure its relevance in fulfilling the operational demands of the Next-Generation Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), and meeting the needs of a new generation of NSFs.
[2] This refers to government-linked universities, polytechnics and ITE.
[3] This refers to private education institutes.
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