HOW THEY WORK IN SOME INSTANCES
Associate Professor May Lim, assistant provost in applied learning at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) which offers micro-credentials for the tech and sustainability sectors, said these courses can go in depth.
For example, a two-day artificial intelligence course that teaches broad strokes will not be good enough for those looking to be machine learning or data engineers, she said.
“If I want to deep dive and have real competency … I need a substantial amount of learning, which is what a micro-credential is about,” she told CNA’s Singapore Tonight.
SIT also takes note of students’ prior learning so it can cater the right micro-credentials, said Assoc Prof Lim.
The institutes also create curriculums that involve more than just one provider. For instance, the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) has collaborated with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) for a joint professional certification in generative AI.
Associate Professor Guan Chon from the SUSS Academy, who was also on the show, said that her institute focuses on the introduction and content generation and storytelling modules, while SUTD focuses on design and innovation.
“We tap each other’s strengths and we build a better product together,” she said.
THE INDUSTRY’S ROLE
Under a new initiative, skills development partners will curate IHL micro-credentials offered in emerging or in-demand areas and recognise learners who have acquired the necessary skills through industry-recognised certifications.
For instance, the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES) has worked with enterprises to set out the key skills required for engineers in sustainability, and has identified institutes’ micro-credentials that cover these skills.
Learners who have completed the micro-credentials covering the core skills identified by IES and who pass IES’ professional assessment will be conferred a chartership certification.
One company that will support employees to take up this new IES’s chartership certification pathway is Southeast Asia’s largest telecom firm Singtel.
To achieve its target of reaching net zero by 2045, Singtel will use this new certification pathway to grow a core group of experts with expertise in areas such as sustainability reporting and sustainable design.
