The National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) encourages Singaporeans to pursue a continuous upgrading attitude and to take charge of their learning needs through the launch of a new online learning platform. The platform, designed by Parenthesis (a subsidiary of KYDON Group of Companies), offers over 650 courses which cater to both deep and horizontal skills training for Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) to meet the fast-changing needs of the employment landscape. Users have the flexibility to select the type of courses they wish to attend, and allow the exchange of perspectives, and learning from experts in the different industries.
Working with partners such as Parenthesis, the launch of the online learning platform is one of the initiatives to bring industry practitioners, workers and companies together. This will help connect the workers with the industry experts and to enable them to develop and deepen their skills sets to achieve mastery of skills in their career. Learners on the platform will be engaged in a networked learning experience with peers, course providers and even industry practitioners. They will be able to ask questions, engage in discussion forums or share their experiences on the socially-connected online platform to create an enriching learning experience. Courses offered cover a wide range of topics from broad skills such as leadership, negotiation and career management, to specialised skills such as Project Management and IT.
An individual’s ability to learn is critical in today’s information age that is also rapidly evolving. Skills development should be a lifelong pursuit and PMEs will find that their skills sets may become obsolete over time. Today’s working professionals may find it challenging to find time to attend courses in a physical classroom environment. For most who are tech-savvy, they should harness the potential of technology to transform their learning experience. PMEs need to adopt the right mindset and be open towards learning new skills via technology-enabled learning such as online learning. The online platform serves to bring together reputable learning providers to deliver quality learning to equip learners with industry-relevant skills.
Mr Gilbert Tan, Chief Executive Officer of e2i said, “Our Singaporean PMEs must take charge of their learning needs and keep up with the evolving learning landscape to meet the demands of tomorrow. There is much value and potential for such online learning platforms to offer workers an additional tool to widen and enhance their learning options and experience. At the same time, we also encourage employers to recognise the importance of continual skills development and utilise technology to develop relevant course curriculum to enhance learning platforms for their workers.”
Mr David Yeo, Chief Executive Officer of Kydon Group of Companies said that the aim is to deliver a personalised learning experience for the PMEs, “ The online learning platform will provide an effective, efficient and engaging experience for the learners. Through Parenthesis, they will be empowered to learn anytime, anywhere. They can connect with peers, experts and industry. Most importantly, they will have a lifelong account to manage their personal learning portfolio.”