Online shopping platform Shopee, professional networking service LinkedIn, and digital security firm Avast will provide additional training content to upskill Singapore workers for the digital age through a partnership with NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) and SkillsFuture Singapore. In this partnership, under the two-day SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace (SFDW) course delivered by NTUC LHUB, new classes on cybersecurity, ecommerce, and employability have been added which will be available from October onwards.

Pilot classes had been conducted in the month of August this year for 13 participants, who received hands-on training on the Avast mobile security and anti-virus app. They also learned how to improve their LinkedIn profiles and use online professional networks to grow their employment opportunities, including how to start an online shop using the Shopee marketplace.

Avast security adviser and technical director, Filip Chytry, said: "For today's employees, media literacy should not only embrace adequate know-how of technology use, but also awareness of privacy and cyber-security risks, knowing how to protect their precious personal data, and that of their employer."

LinkedIn Managing Director for the Asia Pacific, Olivier Legrand, added that the partnership with NTUC LHUB will help to connect job seekers facing barriers with networks and resources in Singapore.

Meanwhile, Shopee will teach foundational digital skills in ecommerce, to create opportunities for online entrepreneurs.

Zhou Junjie, Shopee's chief commercial officer and Singapore country head stated, “Ecommerce can unlock new opportunities for buyers and sellers that were traditionally non-existent.”

The SFDW two-day program equips Singaporeans with basic digital skills and prepares them for technological changes in their workplaces and daily lives. Those who have completed the program can also pick up specialist skills and knowledge in areas such as data analytics, blockchain and advanced manufacturing from courses under the SkillsFuture Series.

Ng Cher Pong, CEO, SkillsFuture Singapore, stated, “It is essential for Singaporeans to familiarise themselves with various digital tools for the workplace and in their daily lives as we face rapid technological advancements."

Ever since the launch of the SFDW program in 2017, NTUC LHUB, as an appointed training partner, has trained more than 20,000 individuals till now, including staff from major employers such as SMRT and ST Engineering. The collaboration will further help to democratize new technologies and knowledge for Singaporeans to prepare for the changing business models and an increasingly digital world. In July this month, SkillsFuture in collaboration with International Trading Institute at Singapore Management University (ITI@SMU) launched a new Internationalization Talent (iTalent) Solutions Map and Internationalization Skills (iSkills) Talent Development Program to help SMEs looking to expand overseas build their capabilities and skills.