NUS and SkillsFuture Singapore host learning festival to promote continuous and lifelong learning

24 July 2019 – The National University of Singapore (NUS) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) have come together to organise SkillsFuture Festival@NUS, a learning festival which seeks to inspire Singaporeans to develop a passion for skills mastery.

Now in its second year, the event is part of the month-long SkillsFuture Festival and was held at the NUS University Cultural Centre and Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.

Themed “Industry 4.0 and the Future of Skills”, it was officiated by Guest-of-Honour Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry & Ministry of Education.

The morning symposium featured keynote addresses by Professor Ho Teck Hua, NUS Senior Deputy President and Provost, and Mr Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief FinTech Officer of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, as well as a panel discussion.

Mr Chee announced the launch of NUS’ Master of Science in Industry 4.0, an interdisciplinary graduate degree programme specially developed to support Singapore’s Smart Nation drive.

He also witnessed the inking of agreements between NUS and five organisations for the NUS All-You-Can-Learn (NUS AYCL) programme, a skills-based training initiative for organisations.

For the next three years, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, Institute for Human Resource Professionals, Korn Ferry, National University Health System, and United Overseas Bank Limited will commit to the training and development of their members and/or staff.

Apart from the morning symposium, the event also had an Industry 4.0 and innovation exhibition by the various institutes of higher learning and afternoon workshops that were open to the public.

Both NUS Computing and the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine put up a showcase on virtual reality, and this was alongside exhibits by NUS Engineering and various NUS centres of excellence which demonstrated the application of Industry 4.0 on campus.

Staff from the NUS School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (NUS SCALE) were also on hand to promote the NUS CET500 programme – a lifelong learning initiative for the general public.

The workshops spanned areas such as Industry 4.0, urban solutions, fintech, entrepreneurship, AI, digital media, cybersecurity, data analytics, advanced manufacturing, and soft skills.

In his address to a crowd which included Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS President, and Mr Ng Cher Pong, SSG Chief Executive, Mr Chee said that Industry 4.0 was not about replacing existing workers with machines or new workers.

“Worker training and skills upgrading must go hand in hand with enterprise transformation and adoption of technology. As we move towards the future economy underpinned by Industry 4.0, it is critical that our workforce be equipped with the right skills that match evolving industry needs.”