SINGAPORE - Progression to a Higher Nitec qualification at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will be shortened, Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman told Parliament on Wednesday (March 3).
"We will streamline the ITE curriculum, to provide more students with the opportunity to attain a Higher Nitec in a shorter duration. This will equip our ITE graduates with deeper industry-relevant skills, which provide a stronger foundation for future skills upgrading," he said.
It currently takes four years to complete both the Nitec and Higher Nitec qualifications for the majority of students, with the Nitec course lasting two years and most Higher Nitec courses lasting the same length of time.
After finishing Nitec, 30 per cent of graduates do not progress to any government-funded pathways, Education Minister Lawrence Wong told Parliament.
But more than half of the 2019 cohort of Nitec graduates progressed immediately to a Higher Nitec qualification in 2020, an MOE spokesman said in response to queries from The Straits Times.
"We want all ITE students to aspire to attain their Higher Nitec qualification when they enrol in ITE," he said. "With this change, we hope to better meet students' aspirations for upgrading, while continuing to meet evolving industry needs."
Dr Maliki is leading a review into outcomes for ITE and polytechnic students.
Both groups of students enjoyed strong hiring outcomes, with two-thirds of ITE graduates in full-time employment reporting that their job was related to their course, he told Parliament.
"Having said that, we can always do better in ensuring better salary outcomes for our ITE and polytechnic graduates," Dr Maliki said.
In Parliament on Wednesday, Nominated MP Janet Ang asked for an update on Dr Maliki's review, and also suggested that jobs students are being prepared for may not even currently exist, indicating a need for increased flexibility in ITE and polytechnic pathways.
Dr Maliki shared some preliminary ideas which have emerged from his review, which involved speaking to over 400 stakeholders linked to the polytechnics and ITE, including students, graduates, parents, employers and industry partners.
The ideas included recognising students' diverse interests by strengthening porosity and flexibility in educational pathways, ensuring that courses and curriculum remain relevant to industry, and investing in the life skills of students, for instance cross-cultural communication and critical thinking.
