SIT launches new school for working adults to upgrade skills, switch careers

SINGAPORE – Working adults looking to upgrade their skills or switch careers will have another avenue for support, with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) setting up a new school on Sept 1 to help them navigate their working lives.

The SIT School of Lifelong Learning and Career Development, or SITLearn, will help individuals assess existing skills, acquire knowledge and navigate career transitions, while connecting them with potential employers.

It will offer courses developed with industry partners to equip workers with skills in areas such as artificial intelligence and sustainable data centre operations. Working adults will also be able to tap career guidance to identify skill gaps and plan their next career move.

SIT president Chua Kee Chaing said the new school comes as AI reshapes jobs and the skills needed to perform them.

Citing projections by the World Economic Forum, Chua said at SIT’s convocation ceremony on Oct 12 that nearly four in 10 skills used in workplaces today are expected to change or become outdated by 2030.

As career paths become less predictable, universities must also rethink their role in preparing people for the workforce, he said.

“If careers no longer follow a single, predictable path, then neither can education. A university cannot simply prepare you for your first job and consider its work done.”

SITLearn will also work with companies to identify skill gaps, develop targeted training programmes and equip employees with skills needed for business transformation.

A dedicated SITLearn hub is being developed at SIT’s Punggol campus and is targeted to open in the first half of 2027.

SIT deputy president and SITLearn dean Bernard Nee said the new school was set up in response to the changing demands of the workforce and the shortening lifespan of skills.

“It’s not an academic initiative. It is us working with industry to understand the needs, the solutions, the programmes and co-creating things with them to help transform the sector,” he said.

Programmes developed with industry include those by AI consultancy Straits Interactive to help workers and companies adopt and use AI responsibly, covering areas such as AI governance, risk management and data protection.

The setting up of SITLearn supports the shift towards a skills-first economy, Nee said, where there is greater recognition of skills gained through work experience and projects, rather than formal qualifications alone. These skills can increasingly influence hiring, promotions and career development.

SITLearn is also working with Nxera, Singtel’s data centre business, to equip professionals with skills in sustainable data centre operations, including energy management and cooling systems.

Separately, SIT has partnered the Singapore Civil Defence Force to train professionals in managing emerging safety risks associated with new technologies and the energy transition.

The university will partner companies to identify and support employees who can teach and mentor students alongside their industry roles. AI tech services company NCS is the first to join SITLearn’s Corporate Adjunct Professorship Scheme, with its chief executive Sam Liew taking on an adjunct professor appointment at SIT.

Fees at SITLearn – which currently offers more than 500 courses – will vary, with a two-day professional course costing about $1,700 before subsidies, while longer programmes may cost around $10,000. Eligible Singaporeans and permanent residents can tap government subsidies to offset the cost.

Speaking at the Oct 12 ceremony, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo encouraged graduates to combine technological skills with deep knowledge of their chosen profession or industry.

She urged them to build expertise in their fields, learn what AI can help them do and bring the two together.

“It will be useful to treat AI as a teammate rather than as a rival,” she said.

But working well with AI does not mean agreeing with everything it says. “We should understand its strengths, question its answers and recognise its limitations,” Teo said.

While AI safety remains an evolving field, individuals can already exercise judgment by testing AI systems carefully, putting guard rails in place and improving practices as they learn, she added.

More than 3,200 students will graduate from SIT in 2026, marking the university’s largest graduating cohort to date.

They include 21 pioneer graduates of its Applied Computing degree offered through its Competency-based Stackable Micro-credential pathway, which allows working adults to earn a degree progressively through modules while staying employed.

One of them is Ashwin Dinesh, 25, who earned his Applied Computing degree while working full-time at Singtel. He has a diploma in computer engineering from Singapore Polytechnic.

Over three years of studies and work, he had two promotions, rising from an associate in Internet of Things (IoT) product development to an IoT product manager at Singtel.

Ashwin said he chose the pathway for its flexibility. He did not want to spend four years pursuing a degree only to realise upon graduation that he had chosen the wrong field.

The modular approach allowed him to identify gaps in his knowledge and select modules suited to his interests and needs. He eventually chose to specialise in cybersecurity.

Juggling work and studies was not easy, Ashwin said. At times, he had to leave the office to attend classes before returning to work. “It was the most challenging part of my life,” he said.

But studying alongside other working professionals, some much older than him, also gave him opportunities to network and learn from them. The experience taught him to manage his time better and communicate more effectively with colleagues.

Ashwin said the experience helped him grow as a person. “I felt I became a better human being.”