From credit to culture: Why learning can’t just be incentivised

As at June, more than 70 per cent of Singaporeans have yet to use their SkillsFuture Credit top-up that expires at the end of 2025. According to SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), only around 28 per cent of eligible citizens had tapped the one-off $500 credit with about six months to go.

These figures are striking not because they signal policy failure, but because they highlight a deeper challenge: the difference between incentivising learning and cultivating a culture of learning. Singapore has made great strides in lowering barriers and offering opportunities. The next step is to make learning feel natural, personal and continuous.

Incentives and culture are not the same

Incentives work by prompting action: they lower costs, signal importance, and make it easier for people to take that first step. Singapore's SkillsFuture Credit is a powerful example of this logic. It gives every adult a tangible reason to learn -- a starting point for exploration and growth.

A culture of learning, however, operates on a different level. It depends not just on financial nudges, but on motives, meaning and mindset. It thrives when learning becomes a way of life, not a one-time act. A true learning culture is self-sustaining: people learn not because they are told to, but because they want to.

The barriers are rarely about cost alone. Time, confidence and relevance matter just as much.

Many adults struggle to balance learning with work and caregiving, or feel uncertain about what course is right for them. Younger adults may see learning as something that happens only in school, not throughout life. For example, a recent graduate might focus on earning work experience, assuming that formal education ends with graduation, and see little reason to use SkillsFuture credits for new courses until much later in their career. The desire to learn exists, but the environment around it must make learning feel possible and purposeful.

That is why incentives are only the start. They open the door, but it takes culture -- workplace norms, peer encouragement, personal curiosity -- to make people walk through it and keep going.

Building a learning culture

To deepen Singapore's learning culture, three shifts are essential.

First, we must reframe the narrative.

This means moving beyond the language of necessity ("learn or be left behind") to the language of aspiration ("learn because life is richer when you do"). The SkillsFuture movement can continue to champion employability while also celebrating curiosity, creativity and mastery for their own sake.

Next, we must design for continuity.

Incentives like the SkillsFuture Credit should serve as the beginning of a learning journey, not a one-off transaction. Each course can lead to a next step -- whether through micro-credentials, mentorship, or peer communities. The question to promote is not "What can I claim this credit for?" but "What do I want to learn next?"

Finally, we need to make learning social and more visible.

Learning cultures grow through shared stories. Employers who allocate time for development, community organisations that offer peer-learning spaces, and public campaigns that showcase learners of all ages all help make learning feel normal and respected.

A broader vision for policy

SSG's progress has been significant -- from higher training participation rates to stronger partnerships with employers. The next stage is to complement financial support with cultural reinforcement.

For this, we should broaden what counts as learning. Personal, creative and community learning should be recognised as part of national development.

Another thing to bear in mind is that adults often need guidance more than money. Personalised advice and curated pathways help them see how learning fits into their lives.

What we need to measure is engagement, not just uptake. This means tracking repeat learners, sustained motivation, and community participation, not only credit usage.

That's why we need to tell stories that inspire and highlight the taxi driver who learns photography, the retiree who studies coding, the caregiver who takes a psychology course. When learning becomes part of the national imagination, it becomes part of daily life.

Why it matters

Singapore's economic success has long rested on the ability to learn fast and adapt. But in the coming years, the challenge will be to learn continuously. Incentives create opportunity; culture creates endurance.

A society that learns only when subsidised will remain efficient but fragile. A society that learns out of curiosity and pride will remain resilient and inventive. The first is driven by necessity; the second by hope.

If the majority of eligible Singaporeans still have unused credits, it reminds us that policies can open doors -- but culture invites people to step through. The future of learning lies not just in the size of the subsidy, but in the strength of our shared belief that learning makes life more fulfilling.

Kang Yang Trevor Yu is associate professor at Nanyang Business School, and co-director of the NTU Centre for Research and Development in Learning, Nanyang Technological University.

Source: The Straits Times