Press Releases
Increasing Opportunities in Continuing Education and Training for Adult Learners
To strengthen support for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) to upgrade themselves, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will make Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes more affordable at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), polytechnics, autonomous universities1 and UniSIM. MOE will also significantly expand the number of CET places at the polytechnics. In addition, MOE will work with the polytechnics to make their CET courses more compact and modular, so as to provide greater flexibility for adult learners to customise their pace of learning.
A total of about $350 million will be invested over the next five years to fund CET programmes in the ITE, polytechnics, autonomous universities and UniSIM. This is up from the $80 million spent in the last three years. These increased opportunities for CET will help Singapore’s workforce remain competitive and employable in a rapidly evolving economy.
Enhanced Subsidies for CET
MOE will make CET conducted at the ITE, polytechnics, autonomous universities and UniSIM more affordable by increasing subsidies to adult learners.
First-time trainees who complete a part-time polytechnic diploma will receive a completion award of up to $1,000. Those who complete a part-time NITEC/Higher NITEC will also be offered a completion award of $200. These completion awards are available to Singapore Citizens who graduate from 1 March 2011.
The subsidies for advanced and specialist diplomas will also be increased from 70% to 85% of the cost of delivering the programme. Subsidies for part-time undergraduate programmes conducted at the autonomous universities and UniSIM will also be increased, from 40% to about 55% of fees.
Currently, an individual is subsidised only for his/her first advanced diploma or first specialist diploma. To allow Singapore Citizens to stay current in the sector they are in, or switch careers into another sector, MOE will extend the subsidies to their subsequent advanced or specialist diplomas at 70% of the cost of delivering the programmes. From 1 April 2011, individuals who pursue subsequent advanced or specialist diplomas will be subsidised, provided that more than five years have lapsed since they completed their previous diploma.
The fee revisions will apply from Academic Year 2011 to all Singapore Citizens taking an undergraduate degree, advanced diploma or specialist diploma for the first time (refer to Table 1).
Table 1: Enhancement of Subsidies
| Types of CET Programmes | Current Fees Range | Fees Range After Enhanced Subsidies |
|---|---|---|
| Part-time Undergraduate Programmes | $16,700 to $26,100 | $12,600 to $19,600 |
| Advanced Diploma | $1,400 to $2,500 | $700 to $1,300 |
| Specialist Diploma | $500 to $2,100 | $300 to $1,000 |
Expansion of CET Capacity
MOE will expand the number of CET places in part-time diploma, advanced diploma and specialist diploma programmes at the polytechnics by 60%, from 6,400 to 10,100 places, by 2015.
The polytechnics and ITE will offer new CET programmes in key sectors identified by the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council2, such as engineering, hotel and logistics.
Increased Flexibility and Customisation of CET Programmes
To provide more flexibility for adult learners to pursue CET, MOE will work with the polytechnics to make CET courses more compact and modular, without compromising on the quality and rigour of these programmes. This would allow adult learners to customise the pace of training according to their learning needs.
- Training duration will be condensed by recognising the prior knowledge and work experience of adult learners. For example, the work internship component of part-time diplomas will be removed since adult learners working in the relevant industry setting would already have such experience.
- Each diploma programme will be structured into a few components, with each cluster comprising related modules that lead to the award of a certificate. Trainees who accumulate the requisite number of certificates within a prescribed timeframe will earn a full diploma qualification. The exact number of modules and certificates will vary for different diploma courses.
Footnotes:
- Autonomous universities refer to the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University of Singapore (NUS), the Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Currently, among the autonomous universities, only NTU and NUS offer part-time undergraduate programmes.↩
- The National Productivity and Continuing Education Council, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, was established in 2010 to galvanise efforts to boost skills and enterprise productivity, and develop a comprehensive system for continuing education and training. With representatives from the Government, business community and labour movement, the Council oversees the work of the government agencies and promotes close collaboration amongst the business sector, workers and unions, and the public sector.↩