SINGAPORE —  A work-study programme launched under the SkillsFuture movement will be enhanced to give Institute of Technical Education graduates an additional track to earn a polytechnic diploma. 

Implemented last year, the Earn and Learn Programme (ELP) will also be expanded to ten more sectors, said Acting Education Minister (Higher Education & Skills) Ong Ye Kung during the Ministry of Education’s Committee of Supply debate on Friday (April 8). 

The ELP allows students to work and gain experience in industries while studying at the same time, leading to recognised certification like an Advanced or Specialist Diploma, or Workforce Skills Qualification, and full-time employment. 

The new pathway towards a full part-time diploma will be introduced in the air transport sector in the form of two ELPs, and the ministry is looking into doing the same in the public transport, infocomm technology and hotels sectors. 

“With this pathway, ITE graduates can take modules that are relevant to their current work first. They can focus on upgrading their skills to do a better job, without rushing to get a paper qualification for its own sake,” said Mr Ong.

Since its launch, 15 ELPs have been rolled out in 12 sectors, and about 150 students were placed in more than 50 companies, of which about half were small and medium enterprises.

The 10 new sectors joining the fold to offer a total of 20 ELPs are accountancy, air transport, electronics, energy and chemicals, facilities management, healthcare, hotel, maritime, spatial design, and visual communication. 

With the enhancements, there will be a total of 37 ELPs. The MOE expects to place about 400 polytechnic and ITE graduates across all the ELPs available this year, about 2.5 times the number placed last year

Mr Ong also gave an update on the SkillsFuture credits, which was made available to Singaporeans aged 25 and above in January. 

As of March, more than 18,000 individuals have used the money for courses, and about S$5.2 million has been disbursed.

By this month, another 2,500 courses will be eligible for payment through SkillsFuture credits, bringing the pool of courses to about 12,500. The Ministry of Law, Design Singapore and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore have also come on board to offer courses eligible for SkillsFuture credits, bringing the number of public agencies involved to 12.

Meanwhile, 10 new sector coordinators — who help strengthen industry linkages in order to raise the capabilities of polytechnics and ITE and enhance students’ work readiness — have been appointed, bringing the total to 27, said Parliamentary Secretary for Education