As competition in a rapidly advancing economy continues to grow, more and more adult learners are upgrading their skills with the help of specialised learning centres in Singapore. The first lifelong learning centre, School for Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE), was recently launched at the National University of Singapore (NUS). It will become part of the network of national SkillsFuture centres. SkillsFuture is introduced by the government to provide Singaporeans with opportunities to develop their potential throughout life, through lifelong learning.

As a start, the centre will be offering the Bachelor of Technology (BTech) programme. It is a part-time engineering degree, with specialisations in four areas, Chemical, Electronics, Mechanical and Industrial & Management engineering. There are also plans to offer “bite-sized” learning opportunities and certificate programmes that can be “stacked” or accumulated towards BTech degrees. About 10 such courses in the various Engineering disciplines are expected to be offered by SCALE in August 2016.

Courses are open to both diploma holders and degree holders working in the industry, holding any degree and having completed a science and mathematics subject at A-level or equivalent. Each course can be completed in 12-18 months and satisfactory performance will enable learners to enrol in the BTech degree programmes subsequently. The modules completed will be credited to count towards the requirements of the qualification.

According to Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung, “this is not to fuel a paper chase". Instead, it will be "an upgrade in real practical terms", such as in staying abreast of industry developments or deepening existing skills at work. SCALE will consider an applicant’s prior learning and work experience, and will work with relevant government agencies and industry partners to offer a greater variety of courses to address skills gaps in the coming years. It aims to offer at least 10 degrees and more than 30 certificate programmes in the next few years. Next in line to adopt such an approach are the other four public universities in Singapore - Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of Technology and Design, and Singapore Institute of Technology.

UK universities should monitor the situation closely as more learners look towards public universities for part-time certification programmes and degrees. With greater competition from such institutions, part-time course enrolment at private institutions offering TNE may see a drop in time to come.