Speech by Minister of State for Education, Ms Gan Siow Huang, at the SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair, Ngee Ann Polytechnic

1.Good morning, everyone. I attended the SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair event in 2020 and I am delighted to be back here again. I am pleased to note that the movement is going strong. Thank you for inviting me today.

SkillsFuture Work Study Fair

2.The SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair is a key event in every SkillsFuture Festival as it underscores the importance of how we can succeed in our aspirations through different pathways and achieve fulfilling careers.

3.The SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes are designed to offer students an alternative pathway in our education and training ecosystem. In addition to picking up skills and knowledge in the classroom, students learn on the job, in companies that work with our educational institutions to co-develop and co-deliver a significant portion of the curriculum. It's an exciting pathway that benefits not only the students, but also the companies. Through these programmes, companies can discover a stronger workforce, especially from the ITE and polytechnics, which are developing increasingly talented students.

4.To date, more than 10,000 students have participated in SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes, and over 2,400 companies have come on board as partner companies. It is an amazing increase from 15 programmes in 12 sectors back in 2015, to close to 200 SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes across 35 sectors. Well done to our ITE, polytechnics, and to the companies who are on this journey with us.

5.This year, the theme for the Work-Study Fair is "Step Into Your LIT Future". It is timely for current and prospective students as an exciting journey awaits each of you as you embark on your future careers. Let me share the value of Work-Study Programmes from a few perspectives - students, companies, and our IHLs.

Giving Students a Headstart in Their Careers

6.First, from the perspective of students, Work-Study Programmes provide a headstart in their careers. Trainees up to the post-diploma level are hired as employees in their host companies. The companies pay them a full-time salary, sponsor their course fees, and provide on-the-job training that help them attain a higher qualification and prepare them for higher job roles.

7.Mr Muhammad Haikal Radzuan Bin Ramli is an example of a student who has benefitted from a SkillsFuture Work-Study Programme.

1. Haikal joined the workforce at a young age as he did not do so well for his "O" level exams. He found a technical support role at a music studio where he discovered his passion in Information and Technology and regained his confidence to deepen his tech skills.
2. After completing his National Service, he enrolled in the Higher Nitec in IT Systems & Networks offered by the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and completed it despite facing personal adversities and family challenges.
3. Notwithstanding these difficult circumstances, Haikal continued after his Higher Nitec to pursue the Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) in IT System Integration, which allowed him to earn a salary while studying. During his WSDip training, Haikal successfully implemented the Cisco Umbrella cloud security platform for a school and was commended for his good work.
4. In 2022, Haikal emerged as the top graduate of his WSDip course and was awarded the Gold Course Medal as well as the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) Gold Medal this year. His training company, Avodaq (pronounced as "Ah-Vo-Deck") Pte Ltd, recognised his contributions and positive work attitude, and promoted him from a Junior Network Engineer to Network Engineer upon his graduation. Haikal plans to continue upgrading by pursuing a degree in computer science or cyber security in the future. We hope more students will take on such opportunities, which are made possible by progressive companies who are willing to give our students the chance to explore their passions and interests.

8.Like Haikal, many students have benefitted from the headstart that Work-Study Programmes. In surveys across the years, more than 9 in 10 graduates were employed within six months after completing their Work-Study Programmes. Their median monthly salary had also increased compared to what they received at the start of the programme.

9.Building on these success stories and good progress, we will continue to grow Work-Study Programmes to help students gain industry experience and fulfil their career aspirations.

Providing a Talent Pipeline for Companies

10.Next, from companies' perspective, Work-Study Programmes provide a talent pipeline to meet their business needs.

11.About 9 in 10 employers tell us that their Work-Study trainees have added value to the companies during their stint. The programme has helped students to bridge their skills gaps, allowing them to apply the knowledge acquired to their job roles in the companies.

12.The Work-Study Programmes are designed such that the trainees would graduate with not just a higher qualification, but also skills that meet the companies' needs. Participating companies view the programme as an effective way to recruit and develop talent, which is particularly valuable in our tight labour market.

Deepening IHLS' Connection to Industry

13.Third, for the IHLs, Work-Study Programmes enable them to deepen their connectivity to the industry and grow their network of partners, as they partner companies to develop and deliver the curriculum.

14.This is enabled by the workplace learning capabilities that the IHLs are building across enterprises and support that they provide to help companies develop their in-house training roadmap, for example, through the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning (NACE) and ITE's Certified On-The-Job Training Centres .

15.Working with industry to develop new Work-Study Programmes is key. This is especially so for the Info-Comm Technology sector where skills demands are always evolving, and we need to nurture a local pool of skilled IT professionals to support the growth in the digital economy.

16.Today, I am pleased to announce that NCS, a leading technology services provider in the Info-Comm Technology sector, will be partnering Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic to launch two new SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes for the growing tech sector.

1. Ngee Ann Polytechnic will roll out the SkillsFuture Work-Study Certificate in Full Stack Development; and
2. Republic Polytechnic and Singapore Polytechnic will jointly deliver the SkillsFuture Work-Study Certificate in Software Engineering.
3. Both certificates, which can lead to relevant part-time diplomas, will equip participants with the latest technologies and practices to be placed into job roles such as Associate Software Engineer and Application Developer.

17.In addition, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic will be launching seven new SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes in sectors such as Design, Energy and Chemicals, and Wholesale Trade from October 2023.

Conclusion

18.Given the value that Work-Study Programmes can offer, I would like to encourage more companies to join us and help mainstream these programmes as another pathway in our higher education and training system.

19.To prospective students here today, I urge you to consider the opportunities offered by a Work-Study pathway to kick-start your career with one of the many employers who are committed to help you develop your career aspirations.

20.With that, I would like to thank Ngee Ann Polytechnic for hosting today's programme and wish everyone a rewarding experience at this year's SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair and SkillsFuture Festival.

21.Thank you.

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