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1. As digitalisation and automation increase, it is becoming more important for students to develop the skills that make us human and can’t be replicated by a computer. Collective efforts seem to accelerate innovations in teaching and learning more than individual efforts. Governments, higher education associations and international organisations can all play a role in fostering peer learning and collaboration. It can also provide the essential training and high-level skills needed for certain jobs like doctors

2. no. it is known that many (about 2 in 3) employers look at and emphasise the skills and experience more than the degree or educational qualifications one has. qualifications does has its benefits but the experience of a certain job will definitely help one in securing a higher rank/position.

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1. Institutions can teach students skills and values that are more important in the working world that can help students ease into their jobs and stand out to employers seeking employees with the skills students have.

2. Yes. Employers also look out for specific certificates that employ students with the skills needed to execute the job better than those without. This is understandable, since employers only want employees that can benefit their firms with the knowledge they already possess instead of having to re-teach workers.

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1. Institutes can focus more on developing more revelent skills that are essential and required in today's changing world other than academic knowledge. They can also make school fees more affordable so that individuals who come from lower-income backgrounds and do not have access to higher education.

2. No. While in today's world there is a greater emphasise on certificates than skills, I believe that it depends more on the industry and job scope of your work. If the job is more hands on, skills of the worker is preferred over qualifications. But if the job requires more critical thinking, certificate qualifications are preferred.

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1) Today's world and society have changed drastically, where the traditional education system does not seem to be relevant anymore. There are multiple new skills and technologies introduced, with new study fields for students to choose from. Yet schools still follow the traditional examination method, which I think is something we should move on from and adapt a system that is more about individual and independent learning, and is catered to different students with different learning styles, as not everyone learns the same way or pace.
2) Practically speaking, employment is necessary to make a living in today's world for the majority. Even though a certificate is needed to prove one's qualifications for a certain job, in the long run I do think employers place a greater importance on skills. However, initially the certificates are what gives an employer the first impressions and an idea of how educated and therefore suitable one is, which they use to judge the person's skills and ability.

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1. They can subsidise industries that require higher education to properly enter, since that would add greater incentive for people to pursue higher education.

2. Employers place more value in the skills, since the certificate can only be earned through the skills. A good certificate only makes it more likely that one will get an interview, while the job requires a showcase of such skills.

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1. Evaluation of learning experiences during the course of study. Beyond receiving a certificate, individuals could assess their educational experience and identify the knowledge and skills they've acquired.

2. No. Skills are more valuable to organisations as today's economic climate demands skills, more than expertise.

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1. The government can think of ways to make the modules in universities more relevant to the current workplace needs such as certain soft skills of communication and new technological needs to make the skillset of the student more relevant to the knowledge based economy today.
2. Employers definitely put a lot of emphases on the certificate compared to skills as it is the prerequisite to show that the employee is trained in this specialized area and the universities have a world class standards to certify the level of knowledge the person has. I believe that the employers take the approach of employing based on their certificate, but in the workplace, inevitably their skills will determine their true work performance.

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1 i think that the government can introduce and expose students to skills that are relevant in today's world. The skills do not have to be related to their area of study. The students should be better equipped with skills that are able to make them more prepared to overcome challenges in today's VUCA world. The government can introduce more opportunities for students to hone their communication, decision-making and technological skills by integrating more real-world situations into the curriculum.

2 no because employers still carry out interviews, which shows that they want to see what skills and traits one can offer, rather than deciding whether to hire someone based on their qualifications. if one has qualifications but no skills, the qualifications are then redundant because the person would not be able to apply what they have learnt into carrying out their jobs. however, they still value certificates because they want to ensure that the applicant has relevant knowledge and understanding of a certain field to be able to carry out the job

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1. they can fine tune their modules and syllabus to ensure that they are applicable in the real world, such as coding a

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1. I think institutions can integrate real world problems into their syllabus thats relevant to the theories students learnt in their course so that they can think of creative and innovative ways to solve the problems. the government also can create activities that can help to develop relevant skills for students that will be useful for them in the future. individuals can also learn up other new skills that they are interested in to future enrich their skills set. this is so that when the individuals graduated with a certificate, they are able to apply the theories and the relevant skills that they have learnt in their future jobs, usung critical thinking and coming up unique ways to solve today's problems.
2. i think in the past, employers place a more significance in certificate as it shows that one has good academics and that they will be able to manage their studies well, which translate to the ability to solve different problems. however, there are more employers today view skills as more important than certificate because having good academics does not mean that one has the relevant skills in today's world. this is because many of today's problems are applications of what individuals have learnt in higher educations and relevant skills(eg. teamwork, problem solving, communication) are required in today's world.

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1. institudes of higher education should equip students with skills that can be transferable over various courses, allowing for more flexibility and allowing them to remain relevant in the competitive industry.  furthermore, practical skills such as learning how to lead a team is valuable in workplaces that value teamwork. In addition, institudes can open more internships opportunities that allows students to gain physical and experience.
2. while employers should not place more importance on certificates rather than skills, it cannot be denied that this is commonly seen in the workplace as certificates are proofs of one's accomplishments. people with more certificates are deemed as more accomplished and capable as compared to those without. this stereotype causes people to deem certificates are more important, causing many to neglect important skills that are needed in the workplace.

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1. I think that we can look towards the redesigning of lessons and curriculums, to incorporate more lessons that seek to develop and hone certain soft skills in students today. There should also be more opportunities for students in higher education to gain first hand experience in the form of internships and job shadowing perhaps, to gain a better idea of job scope and requirements before they enter the workforce.

2. To some extent, there is definitely importance placed on the certificate. After all, it represents the qualification level of the individual and allow them to stand out among others. However, as the workforce today is evolving, I believe that employers will tweak the methods they assess potential employees.

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Govt can transfer to labour based economy to technology based economy. The accelerating technology development have made automation more automatic and efficient and productive and more automatic. This allows automation to be even more automatic making automation more convenient to be carried out.In moden life, automatiom is good.

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1. governments can incorporate real life application in education to impart 21st century skills to students. this would better prepare them for an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world, and allows them to better adapt to this ever changing society. for instance, as technology becomes increasingly relevant in the modern day workforce, governments can update the education syllabus to teach students skills such as coding to give them a competitive edge in future. moreover, schools can also equip students with more soft skills and develop themselves as well rounded individuals.

2. no, workplaces today are placing lesser and lesser emphasis on education levels and choosing instead to focus more on aptitude. as education is becoming increasingly accessible, more graduates are entering the workforce with the same education certificates. so, the increased competition forces employers to find other ways to sieve through the many applicants to find someone who is most suited for the job. hence, they are likely to hire the person who is most skilled and has the most relevant experience.

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1. I think the government can try help to keep their students up to date about current affairs around the world so to be more updated. Institutions can also change the way they conduct lessons like not the usual “theory” and exams but also hands on activities that can allow them to experience or have critical thinking classes to train and think about problems that they can solve.

2. I thimk these days, most employers still feel the importance of of certificates and degrees. This is because some employers believe that a person with a degree can be trusted and is qualified for a job as they have “gone through intensive training” and training that would refine their skills, however this is not true as there are many jobs that require hands on skills than just application of theory

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qn1 governments, institutions and individuals should encourage higher education via making the syllabus more up to date and more relevant in today's society and encourage more practical life skills to allow individuals to learn better life skills, equipping them with skills and knowledge more suitable for their jobs

qn2 there is much more to an individual other than their education status (holistic skills etc), education doesn't define one's capability to work and there are many capable people who work well despite not having a higher education, showing that skills are not defined by education -> with that in mind, many employees have choose to focus on other skills, other than just a simple certificate which cannot say much

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1. lifelong learning is the key. individuals, as the sole responsible person for their own life, have to take charge and keep wanting to learn should they want to pursue higher education. governments and institutions should learn to accept older people who are willing to pursue higher education

2. i mean, no matter what others say, results matter over anything else above all for employers in terms of science-related jobs?Lets say, popular jobs like nursing or doctors etc that require certificates and achievements to make yourself stand out from ur peers. However, when it comes to more hands-on related jobs like pre-school teachers, therapists or even PE teachers, of course employers will focus more on the personalities of the interviewee.

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1. Institutes of education can update their syllabus and education methods regularly with the rapid advancement of society. Instead of keeping to a traditional method of  teaching and a “sure-proof” syllabus, updating syllabus of university courses will allow them to be more relevant in today’s world and what the world will be. Individuals can look to developing transferable skills that can be applied to several courses and industries in order to stay competitive and relevant. Instead of only focusing on one field of study, honining skills in others might increase individuals’ relevance in this ever changing world.

2. Yes, I think employers place a significant importance on certificates over skills of individuals as certificates reach them before they are able to witness individuals’ skills. They are more likely to shortlist an individual with a better certificate as they deem them more capable and having more potential than those with poorer certificates. Interviews are usually only for shortlisted candidates, after employers shortlist those with better certificates as this saves time and money, which is important in the field of work. Some employers may have a preconceived notion towards different institutes, judging individuals only by their institute of education, which is difficult to change. Thus, when it comes to shortlisting individuals for work, certificates might take importance over skills.

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1. While institutions should continue to further enhance individuals’ academic skills, they should also focus on improving individuals’ soft skills that are increasingly sought after in today’s society that sets one apart from the rest. To make higher education more relevant, institutions should teach individuals a variety of skills such as critical thinking and adaptability that will allow them to thrive in today’s ever changing world. Governments can further subsidise the cost of attending higher education in order to encourage more people to further their education in tertiary institutions.

2. I think employers look at certification and skills according to the industry and job scope. In today’s world, many if not most people have a certain level of certification needed to be employed which causes employers to look at employees’ skills more than before. Hence in general, I believe that most employers prioritise one’s relevant skill sets over their certification.

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1. governments and institutions can encourage and educate students on why it is important to take on higher education. they can also make the requirements lower for people to go for higher education to ensure that more people will be willing and able to go for higher education. higher education can also be further subsidised by the government to ensure more people can afford it. individuals can be more open minded so that they will be more open to take on higher education.
2. i think that employers place a greater importance on the certificate whenever they are trying to hire someone but they will focus more on the skill set of the person after the person gets the job. this is to ensure that the person applying for the job is qualified enough to take up the job and when they get the job, they are able to work effectively and efficiently in order to complete their tasks for work

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1) The government and institutions can include teaching students in higher education more unique and highly sought after skills in today's world, like programming etc, in every student's curriculum. This makes higher education graduates receive a more well-rounded education, appear more marketable, and increase their chances of securing a job after graduating.

2) No, i think employers would refer to a certificate to roughly assess the capabilities of the employee, as certificates are difficult to attain and would require discipline and hard work. However, ultimately, i feel that employers would make a decision based on the skill of the employee, as a certificate in the particular field may become irrelevant in the future, but skills like being able to adapt to changes, good communication etc, will be useful for a majority of tasks and jobs.

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1,2. While it has been stressed upon that universities are adopting a more practical approach towards learning and the gaining of experience and skills, the fact that academics and grades are the key contributions to a student's worries is still very much prevelant today. Currently, education is viewed as the key factors to success. Having a higher qualification increases your chances of being more successful than others, hence without the 'appropriate degree or level of education', there will tend to be a prejudices and hence discrimination against people that fall under that category. Even with the various stress and movements made by various stakeholders, it would be extremely difficult still, to get rid of this mindset. Hence, i feel that institutions can adopt a more project-like approach whereby students take on a year long project ranging from research and so on, as well as exposing them to various industries and skills while in the process provide them with proper project management techniques could better help prepare them for the outside world. These could help with their personal development praticularly in terms of skills and character when working with others.

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1. In a utopian society, education is entirely free and completely up the person if they wish to pursue it. However, this obviously is not the case in today's society with many extreme factors coming to play. Higher education does not come cheap without scholarships and subsidies, making it unaffordable and unattractive to those without sufficient funds.

Nevertheless, governments should not be deterred from actively ensuring citizens have access to higher education through schemes implemented. Another way is to expose the various fields to individuals in hopes that they would develop strong interests in their area of passion till the point they would be more than willing to pursue that passion at a higher level (eg. myskillsfuture). At the same time, governments can partner up with relevant institutions to work hand-in-hand and encourage individuals to take on higher level learning through incentives or awareness that higher education helps in achieving success in life, though its contradictory nature.

2. Undeniably, a university degree increases an individual's chance of being noticed by employers with influential power, considering the competition for jobs in today's fast-paced society. However, as the world progresses, an increasing number of companies is looking for brains that are capable of thinking out of the box (critical thinking) rather than following the norm as what was taught in schools. Sometimes, having a university degree does not necessarily signify a person's level of intelligence quotient. Perhaps, due to certain external factors, the person is unable to pursue higher education but is capable of excelling if they were given a chance to do so. With these probable explanations in mind, firms are moving away from the traditional mindset that a certificate is equivalent to greater skills in life.

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The breathtaking advances in automation and artificial intelligence, and unprecedented access to data and computation has impacted nearly every sector of our economy, affecting a wide range of occupations across healthcare, finance, transportation.....  New industries are created, and traditional ones contract significantly. In order to keep up with the fast evolving skills needed, governments and institutions should equip students with digital competencies, and to be fluent in foundational designing, developing, and employing technology responsibly so that they remain relevant in the contemporary workforce. Besides that, with a future of work that is constantly evolving, non automatable human skills are becoming increasingly vital as automation becomes more mainstream. Governments and institutions should therefore implement programmes to train students to approach problems from many different perspectives, cultivate and exploit creativity, and leverage their critical thinking skills.

2. No, I don't think that employers prioritize certificates over skills and experiences. When seeking for a job, a person without any certificate can justify his capabilities and expertise to the employer by the years of experience he has in the particular field. If this person proves that he can perform much better than someone else who has many certificates can do, the company will indefinitely hire him with open arms since at the end of the day companies are just looking to maximize their profits by hiring the most effecient workers to lower their cost per unit of production. However, this does not mean that certificates are useless or that I think employers prioritize real experience over certificates. One has to go through hardships and overcome adversities in the process of earning a certificate, hence is can be a testament to one's capability and skills that makes him fit for the job.

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Although many employers claim that they prioritise skills over a degree, this does not hold true in all sectors of work. In sectors such as medicine and the sciences, a degree is the basic requirement, without one, your chances of securing a interview are significantly reduced. Only after you fulfill this prerequisite would they look at your skills or experience. Thus, the importance of a degree versus that of your skills depend on which field of work you are looking at.

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Q1. Higher institutions should include modules to hone skills that are crucial in the world of work, such as logical and critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and resourcefulness. Higher institutions should also offer internships to various companies in the corporate sector to all students, providing them with the opportunity to understand and experience  life in the workforce ahead of time.

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1. Governments can encourage employers to hire not just based on academic ability, but also based on the individuals ability to learn new skills or work with others. Employers should shift their hiring process in this direction and the government can help by bringing in policies to encourage employers to do so. This way, universities are more relevant in society and people now find value in attending university as it provides them with opportunities to develop these skill sets.
2. To a large extent, no. Many jobs require more than academic ability and employers look for skills and not head knowledge in potential workers. Hence when hiring, employers look at non-academic portfolio of people too, which includes past work experience or any special programmes that a student took in the course of his studies. However, employers still do take note of people’s level of education, especially in Singapore where it is very competitive. Many jobs in Singapore still require a minimum qualification of a bachelor’s degree. This is justified in some jobs as they may require highly specific skill sets that can only be developed well in university.

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1. By digitalisation. Although the incorporation of technology in Singapore schools is still relatively infant, it has matured in other areas of the world and Singapore should continue its efforts to implement digital resources in education to keep up with the world. Furthermore, digitalising seems to be a new trend as youngsters turn to taking notes on their IPad then writing it with pen and paper. Therefore institutions and government bodies should work on digitalisation of their school resources and teach soft skills that are more relevant in today’s society.

2. Paper qualifications is not the most significant however it is used as the initial impression of the individual’s ability. Due to adverse selection, paper certificates with the individual’s qualifications act as a signalling to the employers about how the individual and contribute to the company (knowledge and expertise wise). Therefore, it is an indicator to employers that one will have the capabilities and paper qualifications is still needed. However, after getting the job, paper qualifications will not be as relevant as it takes more than a degree to be able to work well with their team

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Government and institutions can set out a set of measures to make higher education more affordable , flexible and equitable so that more people especially the less privileged can have access to it. The authorities also can make lessons relevant to students’ lives by expanding the variety of courses available and collaborating and teaching students how to keep learning and adapting to a changing world even after they leave college.

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1. developing and teaching more relevant skills, other than academic knowledge, needed in today’s world. Offer more variety in paths people may choose to pursue. Government may also provide opportunities to people, in their field of interest, who seek higher education.

2. employers when hiring potential employees will look at a candidate’s portfolio. Employers will often prefer one that received an education from a more prestigious place. To them, since they have not seen the employee in action, the certificate one possesses is the best indicator they have to differentiate between the candidates. One that possesses a higher degree of certificate would suggest that he/she is more knowledgable or have better self discipline and work ethic since it takes drive to attain their certificate, a sign of accomplishment. However, it does not always hold true in reality as some people, although not academically driven, can work very well in teams/ are more creative.

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no. Certificates are very general educational qualifiers. Employers seek applicants who are able to adapt to the specific working demands of the company and more importantly these capabilities come in the form of skills and knowledge from previous experiences in the working arena. This is the reason why people struggle to debut into society, and more often than not spend their earlier working years climbing the social ladder.

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1. Rather than knowledge and facts that can be easily accessible in today’s world via internet or other sources, the institutions should focus on developing other skills that are essential in innovating and discovering (theoretical and empirical) such as observing, analysing and theorising. Other than that, higher education institutions should connect the students worldwide which in turns enable them to find like minds who would like to work on niche ideas together that could be potentially bring about a revolutionary change.

2. While employers place a significant value on the skills, there is no quick way to identify one’s ability other than based on their certifications. While one’s certificates might not perfectly suit the want of the employer, the certificates serve as a proof of all the soft skills that they have acquired and the hardship they’ve been through to acquire the certificates. Hence, the employers can deduce that the employer is capable of taking on challenges, able to work with people and has strong learning skills which makes him a suitable candidate position.

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1. The government needs to ensure that more students are given opportunities to carry out practical tasks in their relevant fields by applying the skills that they have learnt, instead of focusing on their studies only. This ensures that more students can train their hands-on skills and become more accustomed to their careers when they graduate.
2. It depends on the job that one is applying to. Qualifications are important in ensuring that the person has some sort of knowledge relevant to the job. However, some employers might require people to carry out tasks to assess their skills and then decide on whether to hire them

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No. Although academic certificate is valuable since it shows one’s learning ability, it is not a clear representation of one’s potential.

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1. Government and institutions can provide lessons to teach students other skills such as communication and socialising which is vital in the workforce. Students will realise that besides academics, they can acquire many other important skills that is necessary in society. This increases the relevance of the higher education.

2. I think that whether the employers place greater emphasis on a degree or their skills depend on the industries the employee is applying for. In industries that requires more brain power, example office jobs, employers tends to look out for employees with high degree and this would increase their company’s productivity . However, in industries that requires more labour, employers will favour employees with more skills rather than their degree. Therefore I think whether employers choose employees with higher degree or skill depends on the scope of the job.

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2. While some employers may claim that they place greater importance on skills, this is not reflected as much in the workforce in Singapore as most Singapore based employers require a Bachelors degree as a pre requisite which could be because they believe that the process of obtaining this degree in university enables the student to learn skills that are important to the workplace that people without a degree do not have (?) and they may feel a greater security hiring someone who has a degree than someone without as it may seem like they have more experience.

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1. Government can transit from a labour based economy to technological based economy. The accelerating technological developments in todays world have made automation a more efficient and productive source of labour, essentially replacing blue collar workers. They are forced to adopt and adapt to a more highly -skilled career that AI have yet to prove they are capable of. Realistically, to survive in the working arena in the years to come, higher education will be necessary, so as to ensure that individuals are not accorded to the same working status as robots and hopefully maintain a skill level above.

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1) I think all these educational institutes offering higher education should teach skills and knowledge that are unique to their schools such as to give those who took higher education something to differentiate themselves from those who didn't. Government bodies could also set up internship experiences where they could connect relevant companies with university graduates for these graduates to sell themselves and show that the knowledge that they learnt can be relevant to the companies, which could alter the mindset of employers in the companies about higher education.
2) No. I feel that nowadays the experience and skills that one possess outweigh the certifications people have when employers look to employ people because at the end of the day, it is the experience and skills that potential employees have that are more likely to translate into more efficient/higher quality work because they are what the employee will use to work.

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1) institutions can provide more relevant courses that pique the interest of students and encourage them to further their studies in universities (courses on tech and business/ entrepreneurship).

2) No, employers would place greater importance on the skills as compared to certificates. Certificates are not enough to prove a potential employees’ ability. Furthermore, a certificate is usually, if not entirely, based on one’s academic abilities. However, in the real working world, skills required are more practical and good values are highly considered as well, rather than just grades. In fact, the reason why some job offer job interviews or tests rather than solely hiring people based on their certificates/resume, as by doing so they are able to understand one better, and judge one’s capability.

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1. Governments can put in place rules and regulations that ensure practical and relevant skills are also taught alongside the degrees content. Especially skillsets that are relevant to the industry that students are doing their degree on
2. I think that for certain industries, the degree is also very important and may be the focus of some employers. In a industry that is not as well known and has less graduates applying for it, employers may prioritise a degree rather than the skillsets the employee may have. On the other hand industries like medicine, engineering, which bring in many graduates each year, all with a degree, employers may not be so focused on the degree and rather the skillsets that set apart applicants from others.

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1) Government and institutions could include more practical and logical component into higher education to increase its relevancy in todays world. This provides exposure to logical thinking and practical execution, giving students opportunity to be more useful in the real world.

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2) Ideally, they shouldn’t, but in our society as of now this can be observed. The average person isn’t necessarily well informed with rarefied subjects, so when they hear the title, see the certificate, one usually assumes the certificate has to hold true to a certain extend, and this unfortunately applies to some but not all employers. You know, Occam’s razor!

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1) Governments can offer more schemes and assistance to make higher education more affordable or accessible to families, should they be interested in pursuing higher education. When setting curriculums and working the nuances of subjects, consideration should be taken in by institutions and governments on the possible changes and the trend in recent years. Knowledge and skill-sets that might be vital today may be rendered obsolete and unneeded in the future. Individuals should also keep up to date on what the future might entail from specialists to keep well informed and know which paths to take should they embark on higher education.

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1. Institutions can focus more on developing soft skills in students such as communication and teamwork so that their abilities remain relevant even when their academic qualifications become irrelevant

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1) Government can include more things that employers want or skills that are very common and needed such as coding and communication skills. This will make people think higher education is useful and actually enroll in lessons.

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1) Government and institutions can provide students with opportunities to apply the skills learnt in school in real life, providing them with internship opportunities so as to have them pick up skills necessary in the working world.
2) No. Through interviews, employers are able to further understand the candidate and decide whether they are capable of doing a good job. Even with certificates, without good values and necessary skills that are not learnt in school, it would be incredibly difficult to find a job.

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1. What can governments, institutions and individuals do to make higher education more relevant in today's world?

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1. What can governments, institutions and individuals do to make higher education more relevant in today's world?

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2. Do you think employers place greater importance on the certificate rather than the skills? Why or why not? 

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2. Do you think employers place greater importance on the certificate rather than the skills? Why or why not? 