These days it's not enough to graduate with just a nice certificate.
Increasingly, employers in Singapore need graduates who come not only with book smarts but also the know-how to put theory into practice.
That’s why many degree and diploma programmes are now including internships and industry experiences in their pedagogy.
The Institute of Technical Education’s (ITE) Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) programme is one such example.
The two-and-a-half-year apprenticeship-based programme — which boasts a wide range of diplomas in the engineering, business and services, and infocomm and media fields — is designed to create additional pathways to success for ITE graduates.
It does so by having 70 to 80 per cent of its coursework made up of on-the-job training at partner companies, with the rest of the curriculum, including theory and practical lessons, at ITE itself.
Furthermore, students in the programme are paid monthly salaries and enjoy employee benefits while working with the companies, making it a good option for students who want to further their studies but also have financial responsibilities to mind.
For others, it offers a foot in the door at a company or industry that they’re hoping to join upon graduation.
ITE’s latest graduate employment survey found 80 per cent of respondents continued with their WSDip employers after graduating from the programme.
“I would say that this has been a very enriching programme, not just for the students but also for our individual staff who are working with the company,” said Jason Kong, Director and Co-founder at Toffs Technologies, one of ITE’s industry partners.
“I would encourage all companies to work with ITE to take in students for their internship programmes, and with the many programmes ITE offers to employers, to co-develop systems for their companies for their use.”
In addition, graduates saw an average increase in their salaries of 20 per cent upon the completion of their diploma.
Getting a headstart
One student who believed they had benefited from the dynamic, career-focused nature of the programme is 22-year-old Sharon Lee.
Lee enrolled in 2020 for the ITE WSDip in Cyber Security programme.
After the first two and a half months, she joined Toffs Technologies, one of ITE’s partner companies.
“We are mainly protecting client’s websites against attack with technology such as content delivery networks, and web application firewalls,” she explained to Mothership.
Lee said that while she was learning the ropes on the job, she could see how the theory taught during the programme's intensive foundational modules were being applied.
These are experiences that Lee said stood her in good stead once she graduated from the course in October 2022.
“I was able to get a headstart in the industry gaining relevant experience while studying to increase my knowledge,” she said.
Applications for ITE’s Work-Study Diploma programmes are currently being accepted all the way until Dec. 9, 2022.
Students hoping to study engineering can apply for courses like:
- Agriculture & Aquaculture Technology
- Aircraft Cabin Engineering
- Mechanical Systems Engineering
The WSDip business courses include:
- E-commerce & Retail
- Customer Experience Management
- Hotel and Restaurant Management
Those interested in the Infocomm and media fields select from courses like:
- Cloud Management & Operations
- IT System Integration
- Media Communication and Digital Marketing
The programmes are available to Nitec graduates, Higher Nitec graduates, and existing (in-service) employees who have many years of working experience but wish to obtain academic qualifications for their career progression.
Find out more about the programmes here.
Writing this ITE-sponsored article made the writer wish he was back studying again.
Top image from ITE