About 222,000 alumni of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) will each receive credits worth $1,600 which they can use for courses, ranging from business finance to graphic design, at the university.

The credits, which will be made available next month, can be used for more than 120 skills-based courses. Examples include data analytics, cloud computing, nanomaterials and immunology.

The new initiative was announced yesterday by NTU president Bertil Andersson at the annual Nanyang Alumni Awards. More than 5,000 places will be offered each academic year and alumni can attend up to two courses per year.

Alumni can choose from 63 short courses lasting a day to a week, or 55 semester-long courses spanning 13 weeks to 15 weeks.

In addition, there are eight semester-long postgraduate courses for those interested in advanced subjects. Some courses will be delivered via the flipped classroom pedagogy, where students learn online before going to class.

Prof Andersson said this will equip alumni with sought-after skills "so they can remain globally competitive and advance in their chosen careers.

Lifelong learning is critical for the future of Singapore's society in a dynamic, globalised economy."

The event also saw Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli giving awards to 37 alumni for their stellar achievements and contributions to society.

Among them were media veteran Chang Long Jong and economics professor Ng Yew Kwang.

Both received the Nanyang Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honour for the university's alumni.

Mr Chang shared that his civil engineering degree gave him an edge in Singapore's media industry, where he has over three decades of experience.

And Prof Ng, who has more than 250 articles published in leading academic journals, was a late bloomer who took eight years to complete his primary school education, after being retained twice.

"Even if a person apparently has bad failures, excellence may yet be achieved in the future," he said.

Calvin Yang