March 03, 2017, 03:49 PM 
Soon national servicemen (NSFs) would be able to get Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQs) after completing any of 23 courses conducted by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) while they are in service. This includes Basic Military Training (BMT).
Yes, BMT.
This was shared by Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung today (Mar 3) in Parliament. Ong said this was to smoothen the transition from NS to the workforce.
The WSQs will recognise soldiering competencies to reflect leadership, technical and specialist skills acquired during NS. More than 96% of the NSFs who enlist from January 2017 onwards will receive WSQ accreditation annually.
Ong further added that the qualifications would be reflected in the enhanced Certificate of Service, which will be made more comprehensive and hence be more useful to employers.
In layman terms, skills picked up during NS will be better reflected in one's resume to show employers that the skills are relevant to a job - perhaps like being able to roster guard duty for an entire company without upsetting anyone.
Below are some examples:
Source: MINDEF Press Release.
Ong, who also holds the portfolio of Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) said that the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and SAF had been working with SkillsFuture Singapore to expand accreditation across the armed forces.
Netizens proposed tongue-in-cheek 'skills' picked up during NS to be accredited
The NS experience is too vast and varied to be encapsulated in just 23 courses, so netizens wondered if the following things could get accreditation as WSQs:
This, at least, shows that a worker is willing to put in effort to do whatever the boss wants, however silly the instructions
Not easy to please a customer who can give you extra confinement, ok?
Certainly takes skill to dig a hole outfield without striking 'black gold'
What do you think Chief Operating Officers do?
A skill a certain blogger stuck in the USA right now won't be able to pick up
Yes. Loads of adults struggle to get out of bed to pee at 3am now because they lacked training when they were younger
But perhaps this comment is one of the real benefits of WSQs for our soldiers, especially those who gave half their lives to the service:
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Top photo from BMT Facebook page.
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