Polytechnic students can look forward to a new "through-train" programme in 2020.

Not only will they obtain a degree, they will also be guaranteed of a job.

New through-train scheme

According to Straits Times, this new scheme was announced by Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung on July 12 at a work-learn carnival at Nanyang Polytechnic.

Under this scheme, polytechnic students can expect to get a place in a local university, secure a job, and graduate up to a year earlier than their peers.

In their third year of polytechnic, these students will take three or more university modules and go on an internship with the companies that are sponsoring them.

After graduating with a diploma, they will study and work concurrently for the company during their undergraduate years until they graduate with a degree.

After which, they will work as full-time employees with the same company.

The entire programme is expected to take about five years.

Will start with Temasek Poly students

For this programme, ST reported that the selection process consists of interviews with both the universities and employers.

Students will also need to maintain a minimum grade to stay on in the programme.

Currently, over five companies and 15 students have reportedly expressed their interest in this.

The scheme will first be offered to Temasek Polytechnic (TP) students in the building services and mechatronics sectors next year.

To do so, the polytechnic has partnered with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).

The scheme will also eventually be expanded to include more courses.

Existing work-study programmes to expand

At the same event, Ong announced that existing work-study programmes will be enhanced.

Currently, local universities offer 16 work-study degree programmes, which offer undergraduate students the opportunity to work while earning their degrees.

But NTU will offer an additional six such programmes, in fields like engineering and data science.

At the polytechnic level, there are currently 123 Earn-and-Learn (ELP) programmes, aimed at giving fresh graduates a head start in their careers.

Another 15 ELP programmes in industries like infocomm technology and advanced manufacturing will be added.

The Institute of Technical Education will also add more work-learn technical diploma programmes.

Top photo via Temasek Poly.