SkillsFuture credits of up to S$1,000 can be used to offset career guidance services

Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon spoke on Mar. 6 at the Ministry of Manpower's 2025 Committee of Supply debate.

He addressed how MOM intended to help Singaporean workers progress in their careers, providing resources to "take charge of one's career health".

ACE

Koh said that the Forward SG exercise had identified career agility and resilience as a "key focus in our refreshed social compact".

Singaporeans needed to have a better awareness of career prospects, keep skills relevant, stay competitive, and seize new opportunities.

He said that MOM had launched Career Health SG, "a nationwide initiative to help workers take charge of their careers and achieve their career aspirations".

Koh used the acronym ACE to describe the three steps workers should use to "take charge of their career's health:

Assess – take proactive steps to identify skills gaps and career opportunities.

Chart – constantly review and update career plans based on changes in the labour market and life stage.

Execute – acting on plans to seek better jobs, upgrade skills, and stay competitive in the job market.

To empower workers in these three steps, MOM has launched the CareersFinder feature on the MyCareersFuture portal to support workers with jobs and skills insights needed to make informed training and career decisions.

CareersFinder uses government data and artificial intelligence to provide workers with personalised guidance and recommendations for suitable jobs based on their skills and experience, as well as training opportunities based on their career goals.

Koh said that more than 55,000 individuals have used the feature since its launch and that many users have applied for a wider range of occupations after using CareersFinder.

Polaris programme

In response to a question, Koh said that MOM has taken steps to "make quality career guidance more accessible" to those who prefer in-person guidance.

Koh spoke about the Polaris program, piloted since November 2023, which provided personalised career guidance from professionally certified career coaches to employed individuals.

The programme has benefitted more than 620 individuals so far, with 90 per cent reporting clearer direction and higher confidence in their career planning.

Jobseekers can also receive support from Workforce SG (WSG) Volunteer Career Advisors, who draw from industry expertise to provide peer-level support and career advisory.

Extended use of SkillsFuture credits

Responding to a proposal to allow the use of SkillsFuture Credits for career coaching, Koh said that the use of the base tier of SkillsFuture Credits will be allowed for career coaching.

This tier referred to the initial S$500 in opening credits and the subsequent one-off 2020 S$500 top-up, a total of S$1,000.

The credits can be used with all eligible career guidance services endorsed by WSG to offset Polaris' fees.

According to SupportGoWhere, Polaris is available at a nominal fee of S$90.

The list of endorsed providers will progressively expand.

Top image via MDDI/Youtube