Singapore Institute of Technology continues to promote lifelong learning in Singapore

Tng Shun Li (left) and William Loh (right) are active members of Singapore’s workforce who have benefitted from programmes offered by the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).

In this disruptive world, more and more people are looking to access education and training that apply directly to the workplace, while companies are seeking top-quality workers with precise skills and knowledge to feed into their talent pipeline or to upskill their employees.

Moving with the times are universities such as the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), which has been championing the integration of work and study with their students spending as long as a year on work-study programmes as part of their undergraduate experience.

SIT is Singapore’s University of Applied Learning and offers applied degree programmes targeted at industries that support the Singapore economy, such as manufacturing and infrastructure, infocomm technology, food and specialty chemicals, healthcare and services industries.

SIT degree programmes feature the Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP) that exemplifies the best of university-industry collaboration. Up to a period of 12 months, IWSP allows students on a full-time work attachment to gain practical job skills and be work-ready. This is a win-win approach for both students and companies as students gain industry know-hows and emerge as deep specialists in their chosen fields, while companies are also able to secure ready talents early in the pipeline.

SIT also offers the SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree (WSDeg), which allows students to alternate between work and study. This pathway is available to employers who intend to develop and retain their talents in the relevant field of work. WSDeg provides in-employment students with deep skillsets, enabling them to add value to the workplace and obtain their bachelor’s degree with minimal work disruptions.

An example is Mr William Loh, 47, who had more than 20 years of work experience before he enrolled in the food technology degree course under WSDeg. William had previously worked as a process engineer and felt the need to upskill so that he is equipped with up-to-date knowledge on food manufacturing processes to better understand and support his clients’ requirements in the food industry.

Besides imparting students with industry-relevant expertise, SIT also offer courses that cater to the growing development needs of working adults across various industry sectors via the lifelong learning division, SITLEARN Professional Development (SITLEARN PD). The wide array of domain specific courses offered by SITLEARN PD includes building services, cybersecurity, process safety, hospitality, design innovation, as well as communication skills and people management. Developed in consultation with industry, these offerings include short courses, specialist certificates and modular certification courses that are stackable towards postgraduate qualifications.

 READ: WSDeg offered by SIT provides learning platform for upskilling

One example is Mr Tng Shun Li, an SIT alumni who is on his way to completing his SIT Specialist Certificate in Process Safety. Shun Li signed up for the Process Safety workshops to advance his knowledge and skills set as a process engineer at Croda Singapore.

“The Process Safety workshop covered both theoretical and practical aspects, providing me with important fundamentals to review and carry out tasks related to each module. Furthermore, I am now able to better understand discussions during process safety meetings and share my knowledge with fellow engineers and operators,” he shared.

Shun Li is just one of many success stories that have demonstrated the difference lifelong learning can make to a professional career. In his words, “The world is ever-evolving and we have to be adaptable to changes to stay on top. Don’t stop learning, and start taking up courses to deepen your knowledge to stay competent.”

If you are keen to collaborate with SIT or to find out more about their  programme offerings for your companies’ training, talent development and acquisition needs, contact SIT at:

[email protected] for:

• Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP)

[email protected] for:

• Open Courses (For Public Enrolment)
• Custom Courses (For Company Specific Tailor-Made Courses)
• Modular Certification Courses (For Credit-Bearing Options)

[email protected] for:

• SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree  (WSDeg)