Different routes to poly

When 20-year-old Pearlyn Tan received her second batch of O-level results after taking the exam again, she was disappointed.

"I thought there was no way I could get into the polytechnic course that I wanted as it is quite competitive," she says.

She wanted to do a diploma in music and audio technology at Singapore Polytechnic, a course which she has now got into three years later, through the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE) scheme for working adults.

The EAE scheme is an aptitude-based programme for students holding O-level or Institute of Technical Education certificates, or adults with two or more years of relevant work experience.

Students submit portfolios to their chosen polytechnics and are accepted for factors beyond their academic performance.

For Ms Tan, the EAE was a welcome surprise. "I didn't even know it existed until one day, my mother saw something about it in a newspaper."

After finishing secondary school at 17, Ms Tan found work as a DJ in local nightclubs for three years, working on her craft as someone who wants to produce music.

"Deejaying was something that I started learning in my final year of secondary school, but what I really wanted to do was to make my own music," she says.

She is now enrolled in a course which will help her to achieve her goal. "They are teaching us a lot of practical and technical skills which are really valuable to me as I want to be a producer in the future," she adds.

The EAE scheme has given her a chance to pursue a course that she had always wanted to do.

"I'm definitely very thankful. I'm glad I'm able to get in through my background in music rather than just academics alone," she says.

When he was a student at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), Mr Syazwan Hidir Mohammed Ja'afar, 22, realised he wanted a more people-centric job.

"My internship at a food processing firm was more back-end. I rea-lised I prefer something in which I am at the front of things," he says.

This, coupled with his experience of volunteering with charities during his time at ITE, helped him realise he wanted a job in which he could help people directly.

He settled on the idea of becoming a pharmacy technician and is doing a diploma in pharmaceutical science at Republic Polytechnic (RP), which he entered through the Direct Entry Scheme to Polytechnic Programme (DPP).

"I have modules like Patient Care, which teaches me how to talk to and handle patients," he says.

The DPP is a programme for Secondary 4 "Normal" academic students. It allows them to first enrol in a Higher Nitec (National ITE Certificate) course at ITE.

On completing that course with the appropriate grades, students can move on immediately to a polytechnic course. "I'm grateful for the DPP because it helped me save some time," says Mr Syazwan.

ITE students usually have to complete a Nitec course before doing the Higher Nitec course.

But DPP students like Mr Syazwan are not required to do the initial two-year Nitec qualification.

"There are some regrets as I sometimes think I could have got into polytechnic through the joint admissions exercise if I had chosen to carry on in secondary school instead of going to ITE. But I am also grateful to have been able to do my national service before going on to poly," he says.

"Having had time in NS to think about what I want to do helped me decide on my career choice."

Farah Nadhira Anuwar has long dreamt of becoming a special needs educator and she has started her journey towards this goal through the Polytechnic Foundation Programme (PFP).

"When I was in secondary school, I started interacting a lot with my younger cousin (who has Down syndrome) and that inspired me to become a special needs teacher," said the 17-year-old. She is intending to pursue the Early Childhood and Education course by the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) in collaboration with Temasek Polytechnic at the NIEC TP campus.

Farah, 17, got into the poly through the PFP, which is a one-year alternative to the Secondary 5 year. PFP students are taught foundational modules by polytechnic lecturers at their chosen institution.

On finishing Secondary 4, she had to choose between continuing on to Secondary 5 at Compassvale Secondary School and subsequently O levels, the PFP programme or another direct route into polytechnic through the Institute of Technical Education known as the Direct Entry Scheme to Polytechnic Programme (DPP).

"My teachers encouraged me to apply for the PFP as I was eligible for it," she says.

The foundation year is helping her adapt to the changes from secondary to tertiary education.

"The course in year 0 covers basic modules, and being exposed to the environment now instead of being dropped right in is making the transition smoother and better," she adds.

She just has to pass her foundational year to begin her three-year course proper, which will set her on the path to her chosen profession.

Aside from the Joint Admissions Exercise, the route that most students take to get into polytechnics, there are other processes that allow students to take different paths to diploma programmes.

The EAE is an aptitude-based admissions exercise in which students apply to and receive conditional offers from polytechnics before receiving their final grades.

According to the Ministry of Education (MOE ) website, each polytechnic has its own selection criteria, taking into account interest and aptitude through submitted portfolios, interviews and tests.

Students can apply from various educational routes.

O-level students and students from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will receive conditional offers before their final grades are released and must meet the requirements of the offers.

The scheme is also open to working adults who are Singapore citizens or permanent residents with at least two years of relevant work experience and meet the course requirements.

The DPP scheme allows students to go straight from N levels to ITE and on to polytechnic.

Students who apply for the DPP programme first enrol in ITE to do a Higher Nitec certificate before moving on to a polytechnic diploma if they meet the grades.

This allows students to skip finishing a Nitec certificate before getting the Higher Nitec.

Students can apply for the DPP with their N-level results or their preliminary O-level results, or a combination of their N-level and O-level results.

Successful applicants enrol in ITE for a 10-week preparatory course in January before joining the Higher Nitec course in April.

The PFP is a one-year foundational programme run by the various polytechnics as an alternative to the Secondary 5 year for "Normal" academic students.

It is taught by polytechnic lecturers and prepares students for entry into their chosen courses.

It is taught over two polytechnic semesters and students must pass all their PFP modules to move on to the first year of their courses.

Students can apply with their N-level and O-level results.

Correction note: This article has been edited for clarity.