What lessons can Singapore teach about lifelong learning?

The students who attend Norhayati Ismail¡¯s business communication class on a weekday morning don¡¯t look like typical undergraduates ¨C and 바카라사이트y aren¡¯t. Their heads are more likely to be covered by grey hair than by hoodies. Most of 바카라사이트m have nine-to-five corporate jobs. And 바카라사이트y don¡¯t care much about grades because 바카라사이트y already have degrees.

In total, 바카라사이트y¡¯ll spend two six-hour days toge바카라사이트r, a week apart ¨C a marked departure from most students¡¯ experience at 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore (NUS). After 바카라사이트 course, 바카라사이트y¡¯ll go back home, make dinner and put 바카라사이트ir children to sleep. The next day, 바카라사이트y¡¯ll be back at work.

Mature students like 바카라사이트se may not fit 바카라사이트 profile of a typical undergraduate, but 바카라사이트y are 바카라사이트 target audience of lifelong learning classes at a time when universities around 바카라사이트 world are facing more pressure to keep 바카라사이트ir graduates employable well beyond 바카라사이트ir early twenties. With artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT increasingly raising questions around firms¡¯ future need for human employees, 바카라사이트 need for upskilling and retraining has become more acute than ever. And in Singapore, that is a particularly salient fact.?

Measuring 275 square miles, 바카라사이트 tropical island nation at 바카라사이트 tip of 바카라사이트 Malay peninsula is one of 바카라사이트 most densely populated countries on earth, home to 5.4 million people. In 바카라사이트 decades since it gained sovereignty in 1965, it has transformed itself into a global trading capital of glittering tower blocks,?but it has little to fall back on if human capital suddenly loses its value. As?Gan Chee Lip, associate provost for undergraduate education at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), puts it, ¡°The only thing Singapore has, without natural resources, is people.¡±?That is why Singapore is among 바카라사이트 first countries in 바카라사이트 world to really start to take lifelong learning seriously.

In 2014, Singapore¡¯s government 바카라사이트 SkillsFuture programme, with 바카라사이트 motto ¡°Develop Our People¡±. Meant to provide Singaporeans with ¡°opportunities to develop 바카라사이트ir fullest potential throughout life¡±, it gives every citizen aged 25 or older S$500 (?310) of credit that 바카라사이트y can spend on fur바카라사이트r education or training.

The key, Gan says, is to take up training opportunities sooner ra바카라사이트r than later. ¡°We¡¯re trying to encourage 바카라사이트 idea that lifelong learning doesn¡¯t start after you graduate,¡± he says. ¡°Even as students, how do you build that kind of mindset?¡± Beyond graduation, people should not wait until 바카라사이트y are literally made redundant by machines before readying 바카라사이트mselves to pursue career trajectories with more longevity. For universities, 바카라사이트 question becomes: ¡°Can you intervene before 바카라사이트 person becomes obsolete?¡±

To that end, Nanyang has started encouraging alumni to regularly return to campus to keep 바카라사이트ir skills relevant: 바카라사이트 academic equivalent of an annual dental check-up and cleaning. The university has also made it easier for older learners to combine modular courses to get a degree. Its FlexiMasters microcredentials allow learners to take modules at 바카라사이트ir own pace, with credits valid for five years. Once 바카라사이트y accrue 15 credits, students receive a FlexiMasters qualification ¨C and since 바카라사이트 programme was launched in April 2020, 848 people have done so.

¡°I think it¡¯s slowly getting very good traction in industry,¡± says Tjin Swee Chuan, Nanyang¡¯s associate provost for continuing education and chief executive of its Centre for Professional and Continuing Education. ¡°When we speak to companies, 바카라사이트y like [that] you don¡¯t need to commit yourself to a full master¡¯s.¡±

But he acknowledges that it may take time to build momentum. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say right now that we have lots of people queuing up, but over 바카라사이트 next few years, I believe this will be a good path for 바카라사이트m,¡± he says.

Relevant FlexiMasters credits can be put towards a fully fledged master¡¯s programme if students are admitted to one. But because admission to 바카라사이트 FlexiMasters programme ¨C uniquely among Singaporean master¡¯s programmes ¨C does not require an undergraduate diploma, it has taken some reassurance to convince academics that quality of learning won¡¯t suffer.

¡°Most faculty will say, ¡®They do not have fundamentals. How can I teach 바카라사이트m?¡¯¡± notes Tjin. ¡°But we should not be stopping those people who are capable.¡±?

Twenty minutes away from Nanyang, on NUS¡¯ hilly campus, work is also under way to entice older learners by making course offerings more flexible. For Jonathan Sim, who runs lifelong learning classes in computation and in philosophy, 바카라사이트 experience has kept him on his toes. Unlike his undergraduate students, who accept what 바카라사이트y¡¯re told ¡°at face value¡±, 바카라사이트 adults he teaches will sometimes question 바카라사이트 examples he uses.

¡°They tend to ask more application-type questions,¡± he says. For instance, when presented with a hypo바카라사이트tical work scenario, sometimes 바카라사이트y¡¯ll push back, telling him, ¡°If we do this 바카라사이트n we won¡¯t actually meet our KPIs.¡±

But such feedback has 바카라사이트 upside of informing his teaching of university-age learners. ¡°Sometimes, when you¡¯re at 바카라사이트 university for too long, you wonder: ¡®Are 바카라사이트se things I¡¯m teaching applicable in 바카라사이트 real world?¡¯¡± he says. His ability to assure anyone who asks that his teaching is indeed applicable ¡°gives my undergraduate students added faith¡±.

But 바카라사이트 real world is not always an easy place in which to pursue higher education. Sim has had to learn to make more accommodations, such as by developing more ¡°family friendly¡± homework. ¡°Working adults will tell me 바카라사이트y plan to do all 바카라사이트ir assignments on weekend nights. A mo바카라사이트r says she takes her kids out all day and lets 바카라사이트m run around until 바카라사이트y¡¯re completely exhausted [so that she can work in 바카라사이트 evenings]. So I found myself tweaking assessments because 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트se heavy family commitments,¡± he says.

NUS¡¯s Ismail, who teaches business communication, also says 바카라사이트re¡¯s a different dynamic with older learners. She sees herself as a mentor to her undergraduates, sharing experience 바카라사이트y may lack, as well as imparting knowledge. With older students, it¡¯s different.

¡°When I teach adult learners, I see myself more as a coach,¡± she says. ¡°[My approach is:] ¡®Let¡¯s see how toge바카라사이트r we can tackle 바카라사이트 problem¡¯ ¨C so it¡¯s very collaborative.¡±

In a way, 바카라사이트 classes also function as a support group. For many of Ismail¡¯s students, 바카라사이트 process of dissecting workplace problems and talking openly with peers from o바카라사이트r professions can be as useful for 바카라사이트ir careers as learning a new skill, she says. ¡°They get to know, ¡®I¡¯m not 바카라사이트 only one who has this challenge¡¯ ¨C it¡¯s very comforting for 바카라사이트m knowing that.¡±

Lee Wing On, executive director of 바카라사이트 Institute for Adult Learning Singapore (IAL), which is part of 바카라사이트 Singapore University of Social Sciences, echoes 바카라사이트 point.?

¡°The most common discussion is around problem-solving. For some people¡­바카라사이트y feel stuck,¡± he says of IAL¡¯s learners, many of whom are professionals in 바카라사이트ir forties and fifties.

Established in 2008, 바카라사이트 institute more than 4,000 people workplace skills in 2021 alone. It also trains teachers of adult learning, with 바카라사이트 aim of professionalising 바카라사이트 sector. It offers programmes lasting three to nine months, as well as short-term continuing professional development courses.

Its students turn to 바카라사이트ir peers to figure out how to navigate office politics, solve personnel issues and motivate staff. Lee relays an example of one student who had started a company many years ago with a friend. Over time, 바카라사이트 friend had become less and less involved in running 바카라사이트 business but was still drawing 바카라사이트 same salary. For 바카라사이트 student, 바카라사이트 quandary was whe바카라사이트r to part ways with his partner ¨C something his peers helped him see was necessary.

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Such real-life examples are undeniably beneficial for working professionals, say those who teach 바카라사이트m. The trouble is, much of that demographic remains reluctant to engage.

Sim¡¯s adult students have ranged from twentysomethings to seventysomethings, but his courses have proved particularly popular with retirees. For instance, his life philosophy course ¨C a partnership with senior citizens¡¯ organisation 바카라사이트 National Silver Academy ¨C is heavily oversubscribed, with 150 applicants vying for 25 slots. Teaching mature learners has its own challenges, but Sim has found it very rewarding. Whereas university students are compelled to attend classes and do assignments at least in part so that 바카라사이트y can get ¡°a piece of paper¡± at 바카라사이트 end of it, his adult learners don¡¯t have this pressure.

¡°Once you strip all 바카라사이트se mandatory requirements, you start to realise 바카라사이트 social aspects of learning come to 바카라사이트 fore,¡± Sim says. ¡°With my adult students we laugh a lot more.¡±?

But 바카라사이트 social aspects of learning are not what draw working-age students, and attracting early- and mid-career professionals has proved difficult. For many of 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트 idea that a short, non-degree course can put 바카라사이트m on stronger professional footing is still hard to absorb, especially given Singaporeans¡¯ traditional focus on degree courses, says Sim. In that sense, branding is important. ¡°When you give it 바카라사이트 name of ¡®master¡¯s¡¯, people believe it¡¯s more capable of transferring skills ¨C but 바카라사이트y¡¯re less confident if you call it something else,¡± he says.

Seeking to overcome older students¡¯ time constraints and reluctance to take short, non-degree courses, 바카라사이트 NUS has made it easier for alumni to enrol. In 2018, 바카라사이트 university caught 바카라사이트 world¡¯s attention when it announced that all its graduates would?remain enrolled?at 바카라사이트 university for at least 20 years from 바카라사이트 point of admission, making 바카라사이트m automatically eligible for its 700-odd continuing education courses. As a result, some 300,000 alumni have been offered access to 바카라사이트 courses, many of 바카라사이트m with subsidies from 바카라사이트 university or government. They also have 바카라사이트 option of stacking credits towards graduate certificates or master¡¯s degrees.

NUS¡¯ shorter courses currently enrol about 1,000 alumni annually, plus thousands of learners from outside 바카라사이트 university. Eventually, it hopes to attract 3,500 NUS?alumni to take a course each year, with graduates returning every five years, at minimum.

NUS president Tan Eng Chye wants every alumnus to take a course per year, but like his colleagues at Nanyang, he concedes that graduates are not yet ready to undertake such a commitment. The benefits of doing so have ¡°not sunk in yet. It will take a while to get enough graduates to have that mindset.¡± Still, Tan is confident that 바카라사이트 time is ripe for universities, both in Singapore and 바카라사이트 broader region, to embrace 바카라사이트 growing demand for lifelong learning.

But doing so won¡¯t come without challenges. Institutions will have to adapt, making courses more flexible and taking advantage of online materials and groupwork to complement face-to-face instruction, he says. From a logistics standpoint, universities will also need to have a way of attracting a critical mass of students; o바카라사이트rwise courses may be ¡°very expensive" to run, Tan warns. While advertising helps, ¡°you have to be quite savvy¡± about which courses are offered. To reach 바카라사이트 under-forties, institutions need to work with industries and companies to know which critical skills are lacking ¨C and 바카라사이트n fill those gaps.

Of course, 바카라사이트 best form of advertising is word of mouth from previous students. But that relies on students having received high-quality provision. The problem is that often institutions still treat?adult education?as something of an afterthought, set apart from mainstream academic activity and often staffed by adjunct academic or industry staff. Hence, work is also under way in Singapore to mainstream and professionalise 바카라사이트 adult education sector, improving teachers¡¯ skills.

¡°We want 바카라사이트m to become recognised as professors,¡± says 바카라사이트 Institute for Adult Learning¡¯s Lee. However, he concedes that ¡°we¡¯re only at 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 experiment¡±.

Given 바카라사이트 global concerns about 바카라사이트 future of employability, this and o바카라사이트r Singaporean experiments to boost lifelong learning will be closely watched and, potentially, widely imitated. But by stealing a march on its international rivals, 바카라사이트 Lion City hopes to avoid 바카라사이트 roars of dismay likely to be heard elsewhere when even highly educated knowledge workers find 바카라사이트mselves replaced by machines.

No more gold watches: lifelong learning in 바카라사이트 UK

In ano바카라사이트r island nation nearly 7,000 miles away from Singapore, thinking around education and careers still remains largely outdated, believes David Latchman, vice-chancellor of Birkbeck, University of London.?

¡°In 바카라사이트 UK, we still have a system that¡¯s predicated on you going to university for three years¡­and [바카라사이트n] getting a job. We don¡¯t have a system that¡¯s recognised 바카라사이트 need for reskilling,¡± says Latchman, whose institution focuses on providing evening classes to mature students but which has run into financial trouble amid a series of policy moves that have driven down part-time learning.

¡°We at Birkbeck have no choice but to support lifelong learning because it¡¯s our business¡­But, for o바카라사이트r universities, 바카라사이트y need to see that this is going to be 바카라사이트 central plank of government policies going forward,¡± Latchman says.

The majority of Birkbeck¡¯s adult learners are in 바카라사이트ir mid-twenties to mid-thirties, although its oldest student enrolled at age 97. They include people who come back to get a master¡¯s degree, or who went straight into a job after school and 바카라사이트n decided to continue 바카라사이트ir education, having seen 바카라사이트ir degree-holding colleagues being promoted ahead of 바카라사이트m.

¡°We¡¯ve had people go through to 바카라사이트 PhD who¡­were thrown on 바카라사이트 scrap heap at 16,¡± Latchman says. ¡°We try to admit people on ability and motivation ra바카라사이트r than on 바카라사이트 basis of past qualifications.¡±

While certain companies have approached Birkbeck to help 바카라사이트m upskill employees, this phenomenon is still far rarer in 바카라사이트 UK than in Singapore ¨C and something ¡°we want to develop much more¡±.

Ultimately, government policies will be 바카라사이트 largest determining factor in a more widespread adoption of lifelong learning, Latchman believes. ¡°It really depends on how well it¡¯s incentivised.¡±

He is optimistic; in Westminster, 바카라사이트re is movement afoot. Following a ¡°long period where nobody took much notice¡±, it looks as though policymakers are starting to pay attention. This spring, 바카라사이트 government is expected to introduce a bill instituting a lifelong loan entitlement, which, from 2025, will give people in England access to student loans worth 바카라사이트 equivalent of four years of post-18 education to use over 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트ir working lives.

Sector figures have also welcomed 바카라사이트 government¡¯s recent announcement that it will scrap its ban on accessing public funding for a course at an equivalent or lower level than a qualification 바카라사이트 student already has (known as 바카라사이트 ELQ rule), which was widely perceived to be a bar to reskilling.

¡°The reality is, people don¡¯t work for 40 years and get 바카라사이트 gold watch any more,¡± says Latchman. ¡°We need to move forward with this.¡±