Education Minister Ong Ye Kung announced on Friday (July 12) the launch of an upcoming “through-train” programme that will be rolled out next year.
The scheme will give full-time polytechnic students a guaranteed route to a degree.
It will allow them to earn a place in a local university and graduate up to a year earlier than their peers. They will also be assured of a job.
For starters, Temasek Polytechnic (TP) has partnered with the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to offer this new scheme in April next year for 40 students in the building services and mechatronic sectors.
Students in TP’s mechatronics diploma will go on to study SIT’s bachelor of engineering in mechanical design and manufacturing engineering, while those in TP’s integrated facility management or green building and sustainability course may move on to SUSS’ bachelor of science in facilities management.
This scheme will eventually be expanded to include more courses.
How Does It Work?
These students will have to take three or more university modules in their third year of polytechnic and go on an internship with the companies that are sponsoring them.
After graduating with a diploma, they will continue to study and work concurrently for the company until they earn their degree.
Thereafter, they will return to the same company as full-time employees.
The entire programme is expected to take about five years in total.
Featured Image Credit: Nanyang Polytechnic
