In a bid to improve employment opportunities for Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and Polytechnic students, the Singapore government is to set up a tripartite committee to draw up work and study paths for every graduate. For the last two decades, it has been the norm for Singaporeans to first seek HE qualifications before entering the workforce, but the committee is looking to generate a culture shift by allowing workers to advance regardless of whether they hold a university degree. The committee will be comprised of the government, employers and unions, and will provide education, training, and career progression opportunities.
The focus on matching skills to the right jobs is part of a broader move by the government towards generating new routes to career success. The aim of this is to reduce the number of students that fail to develop a satisfactory career after obtaining a degree. Indeed, as part of a recent rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in relation to the initiative: "Don't go on a paper chase for qualifications or degrees, especially if they're not relevant". This advice seems to have been made to encourage students to move away from obsolete degrees, and towards degree pathways that are industry-relevant.
The news of this initiative comes as private education institutes (PEIs) in Singapore are actually seeing an increased uptake of ‘fast-track’ degrees. Some students are even rejecting places at Singapore's public universities, including the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and Singapore Management University (SMU). One reason for this increased uptake of foreign qualifications at PEIs is that students can get ahead of the pack and join the workforce more quickly.
According to Ms Zoey Lim, 21 who is studying for a University of Manchester two-year direct honours Business Management qualification at SIM Global Education: “Local university or private university, (it) would matter for the first job only ... after that, it’s all about experience”. However, Jurong GRC MP Ang Wei Neng has recently maintained an element of caution about fast-track degrees, saying: “There are quite a number (of private institutions) and they may not be of the same standard throughout.” Although each PEI and their foreign programmes are audited by the Council for Private Education (CPE), prospective students are still being encouraged to scope out the best PEIs before enrolling on a course.
Our advice to UK education institutions is that it is worthwhile to keep abreast of developments within industry to make sure existing partnerships remain relevant, and new partnerships offer qualifications that are in areas of demand.