We Asked 100 S’poreans To Find Out How They’re Upskilling With Their SkillsFuture Credits

100 Singaporeans Share How They Spend Their SkillsFuture Credits & Why

Life is all about learning new things and making constant improvements.

If you’re a Singaporean above 25, you would have received S$500 worth of SkillsFuture Credits – plus a one-time top-up of S$500 in Oct 2020 – to spend on a wide range of courses to upskill yourself.

But with over 20,000 SkillsFuture Credit eligible courses out there, how does one decide which ones to go for?

To get a better picture of which courses are the most popular, MS News surveyed 100 Singaporeans to find out how they chose or would choose to spend their SkillsFuture Credits.

If you’re still humming and hawing over which course to take up, perhaps this article will give you some insight and inspiration.

Popular SkillsFuture Credits eligible courses involve language & food

The course one chooses to spend their SkillFuture Credits on can say a lot about that person and their goals.

Many Singaporeans we surveyed decided to take foreign language lessons, particularly Japanese and Korean.

One respondent explained that he wanted to learn Japanese for work, while others shared that they simply had an interest in the culture or wanted to pick up a new language for self-enrichment.

It’ll certainly come in handy if you ever find yourself watching a K-drama or anime without subtitles.

F&B-related courses, such as barista skills, gelato-making, and breadmaking, were also common selections

These were mostly chosen out of personal interest (“Because I like to eat gelato”). But one respondent said that she took up a food safety course as she hopes to one day start a food-related business with her friends.

“It taught me a lot about food safety in terms of food handling, preparation, and storage,” she shared. “These skills are not normally taught elsewhere except in culinary schools.”

A handful use SkillsFuture Credits for creative courses

Also attracting a fair bit of sign-ups among our survey respondents were courses on creativity and design.

One respondent said that a design course helped him create better media kits to sell his company’s products and services.

Some rather unconventional courses mentioned were computer music composition techniques, scriptwriting, and video editing, for a mix of both personal and professional purposes.

Interestingly, a few chose 3D printing classes as well. Even those who have yet to utilise their credits said this course caught their eye.

“It looks like a very rewarding task!” said one such respondent. “To create something from scratch through that prototyping process.”

Many of those surveyed also displayed an interest in fashion.

One opted for basic sewing lessons so she could “save money on tailoring fees”, while another who learned fabric studies and fashion production did so as she intended to launch her own clothing label.

While Singaporeans may sometimes have a reputation for being a little too pragmatic, this proves that many individuals out there value the exploration of one’s artistic side.

Data & digital media courses also in demand

It’s no secret that tech skills are highly sought-after. According to searches on various job portals, digital marketing-related positions are particularly in demand, with an estimated 64,000 of them available in Singapore right now.

This is perhaps why a good chunk of respondents went for digital marketing-related courses, whether to help them in their current roles or to increase their career prospects.

A respondent said the data analytics and visualisation course he took helped him to enhance his understanding of analytics and that he could apply what he learned to his job.

Another said that she chose to use her SkillsFuture Credits on a data analytics course so that she could increase her employability by developing more skillsets.

Also favoured were lessons on Adobe Photoshop essentials — and it’s not to digitally ‘zhng’ their photos to look a certain way.

Several respondents who work in the creative industry said that while they do not necessarily need to use Photoshop, taking the course helped them better understand and communicate with their colleagues.

Others interested in photography said they were keen on learning basic photo-editing skills for leisure, while one hopes he can use it for a side gig or additional source of income.

The importance of having digital skills

Besides the courses mentioned above, some of the most popular courses – according to the MySkillsFuture portal – are those related to website design, e-commerce, social media marketing, and Google marketing.

This reflects the report that SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) released last year, which identified three high-growth economies that provide many exciting opportunities for citizens.

One of them was the digital economy. The World Economic Forum predicted that by this year, a whopping 30% of new global job opportunities would be in data, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing — all of which reflect the potential of the digital economy.

Here in Singapore, all of the nation’s key sectors have roles that require digital know-how at various levels.

One only needs to look back at what happened during the Covid-19 pandemic to see how technology, while already important, became even more essential.

Retailers and restaurants that did not make the all-important pivot to the internet were at risk of having the business suffer, while companies that ran online thrived.

In other words, it was difficult to imagine a world without Zoom, e-commerce platforms, and food delivery apps.

All this demonstrated how Singaporeans should ensure that they are equipped with the right skills to stay ahead in their careers and remain relevant in today’s world.

FirstCom Academy offers digital marketing programmes

If you’re not sure where to start, FirstCom Academy has some ideas.

The SSG-approved training organisation specialises in the transfer of digital marketing skill sets under the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework.

For every course you complete, you’ll be issued a National Infocomm Competency Framework (NICF) Statement of Attainment, which is:

• Accredited by the Singapore Government
• Official certification of professional skills and competency
• Recognised by companies, particularly those in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry

With your new skills and certifications, you can look forward to even better career opportunities and a higher salary, making this a good investment of your money and time.

And you won’t even need to spend that much of either — most of their courses take just several days to complete, and the fees are eligible for subsidy by SSG.

Last but not least, because convenience is important, the academy has facilities in Kallang and Woodlands, so you can choose which location is nearer to you.

The most in-demand digital skills

While pursuing something for self-interest is great, the future you would be grateful if you paid attention to what the job market prioritises and worked on those relevant skill sets.

FirstCom Academy’s research has shown that Social Media Advertising and Google Marketing are the most in-demand digital skills in the current market.

Their Social Media Advertising Programme takes up a total of 60 hours (or 7.5 days) and includes the following modules:

• Facebook and Instagram marketing
• TikTok marketing
• LinkedIn marketing

With how powerful social media can be in promoting a product or service, many companies will undoubtedly be clamouring to hire someone with expertise in this area. And wouldn’t you want to be that coveted employee?

On the other hand, the Google Marketing Programme, which takes the same amount of time to complete, covers these areas:

• Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Google Analytics

Rest assured that you’ll be in good hands as the trainers are all highly certified and have ample industry experience that you can learn from.

You can check out more information on their Social Media Advertising and Google Marketing Programme here.

Click here for a full list of FirstCom Academy’s courses, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for more updates.

Time to take charge of your future

As the world changes at a breakneck pace, it’s vital to keep up with the times in order to avoid being left behind.

While it may seem daunting, rest assured that there are numerous resources available to help Singaporeans in their career growth and journey.

Instead of squandering such a valuable asset (remember, the S$500 SkillsFuture Credits top-up expires in end-2025), why not take charge of your future by signing up to learn something that could greatly benefit you?

As the saying goes, the world is your oyster. But in order to find those pearls, you need to equip yourself with the right tools, and signing up for the right classes would be one step towards doing that.

This post was brought to you in collaboration with FirstCom Academy.

Featured image adapted from Chevanon Photography on Pexels & Campaign Creators on Unsplash.