SINGAPORE - Community service professionals and educators will soon be able to learn more about "service-learning", which is doing community service that focuses on learning more about the community and themselves.

The university said on Thursday (March 3) that it is introducing a series of certification courses on service-learning for working professionals.

The first course - Introduction to Service-Learning - will be rolled out in July 2016. It covers the philosophy and principles of service-learning, as well as an understanding of the local landscape.

In the course, a class of 20 will be taught through virtual learning platforms and face-to-face consultation with the instructors from the Youth Corps, which is part of the National Youth Council. Students will be assessed through quizzes, as well as their ability to plan and execute projects.

The estimated duration of each course is one term, which spans six weeks. The course fee is estimated to be $2,400.

On the partnership between UniSIM and the Youth Corps, Parliamentary secretary for culture, community and youth Baey Yam Keng said: "If we want to do something seriously, we need methodology. This is where UniSIM comes in as an educational institution. By tapping into the network and resources of Youth Corps, we hope to create more opportunities for people to be involved in community service."

Mr Alvin Ong, assistant manager of Touch Youth, 33, is interested to apply for the course. He said that he looks forward to finding ways to reach out to more needy youths.

Course requirements and application details will be released in April. For more details, visit the UniSIM website at www.unisim.edu.sg