WE THANK Ms Teo Mee Hong for her letter ("Prepare students to meet industry demands"; Forum Online, Jan 24).
The Ministry of Education (MOE) shares her view on the importance of equipping students with the necessary job skills.
Ensuring job readiness has been the focus of our polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) education, and the success of this approach can be seen in the employment rates of polytechnic and ITE graduates - nine out of 10 are able to secure employment within six months of graduation.
Also, many polytechnic and ITE students who performed well academically have progressed on to university.
With the Singapore Institute of Technology and SIM University launching new full-time degree programmes, the number of publicly funded university places available will increase.
While this will increase opportunities for university study, the number of places must correlate to economic needs.
An oversupply of degrees without corresponding industry demand will result in high youth unemployment or graduates having to accept jobs for which they are overqualified, as seen in other countries today.
Also, while many employers use a degree as a proxy measure of skill and qualification, this is changing.
International studies show that required job skills do not always correlate with paper qualifications, and some employers have to retrain employees from scratch, even when the latter have degrees.
Our economy has a wide variety of job positions. While a degree is a prerequisite for certain jobs, such as in medicine and law, this does not hold true for all jobs, and employers are increasingly seeking to recruit employees with relevant competencies and skills, regardless of whether they hold a degree.
Therefore, rather than focusing on a degree qualification as a sole educational path for all students, we should ensure that at all levels, be it university, polytechnic or ITE, our students are highly employable, with strong substantive knowledge and relevant skills, while having flexible options and opportunities to upgrade.
For polytechnic and ITE students, this includes giving them the options of being able to work immediately, pursue further studies immediately, or work first and pursue further studies or professional certifications later.
For those already in the workforce, this means creating more continuing education upgrading opportunities.
These are issues that the Applied Study in Polytechnics and ITE Review (ASPIRE) committee is seeking to address, in collaboration with employers, institutions, students and teachers. The intent is to work towards the best possible employment and personal development outcomes for our students.
The MOE welcomes views and suggestions on Aspire's work, which can be sent to us through the Aspire website at www.moe.gov.sg/aspire
John Lim
Director, Higher Education
Ministry of Education
ST Forum, 5 Feb 2014
Prepare students to meet industry demands
IN THE article ("Review aimed at keeping young in work"; Jan 10), Ngee Ann Polytechnic student Yeap Yi Xuan was quoted as saying that most of her peers believe "the only way to succeed is by going to university" and that "employers still want to see that degree".
Employers want a job-ready workforce. Should the lack of a degree mean a job seeker is less skilled?
Why can't Institute of Technical Education and polytechnic students, who have acquired skills that employers want, naturally progress or be fast-tracked to degree courses?
Singapore's fifth and sixth universities, the Singapore Institute of Technology and SIM University, will adopt an applied hands-on teaching approach, requiring students to go on intensive work attachments ("As education evolves, so must universities"; Oct 31, 2013).
Can we plan holistically for our students, so they can meet the demands of the job market?
It would be better to equip students with the necessary job skills, rather than have them learn what the market wants when they start applying for jobs.
Teo Mee Hong (Ms)
ST Forum, 24 Jan 2014
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