ITE Introduces Seven New Three-Year Higher Nitec Courses in 2026, Bringing Total Offerings to 49

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will roll out seven new three-year Higher Nitec courses in 2026, completing the transition of all the Nitec courses to an enhanced three-year curricular structure that leads directly to a Higher Nitec certification. The new three-year Higher Nitec courses that will commence in 2026 are:

       Higher Nitec in Advanced Manufacturing

·       Higher Nitec in Aerospace Engineering

·       Higher Nitec in Automotive Engineering

·       Higher Nitec in Marine & Offshore Engineering

·       Higher Nitec in Mechanical Engineering

·       Higher Nitec in Mechatronics Engineering

·       Higher Nitec in Rapid Transit Engineering

With the addition of these seven courses, ITE will offer a total of 49 three-year Higher Nitec courses. This enhanced curricular structure that enables all students admitted into ITE to pursue the Higher Nitec certification was announced in 2021 and has been progressively implemented since 2022. A full list of courses introduced over the years can be found in the Annex.

Boosting Progression, Deepening Skills

Under the three-year curricular structure, the Nitec and Higher Nitec curricula are streamlined into a three-year programme. This replaces the previous system, in which students typically spent two years attaining a Nitec qualification and some went out to work while others continued their training for another two years to achieve the Higher Nitec certification.

“The enhanced curricular structure is designed to give our students more than technical skills or knowledge. It equips them with deeper industry-relevant capabilities, richer real-world experience, and the confidence to pursue their aspirations. Most importantly, it lays a stronger foundation for their continuous growth and future progression,” said Ms Low Khah Gek, Chief Executive Officer of ITE.

A key feature of the enhanced curriculum is its increased focus on internships, with most students undertaking two stints – three months in Year 2 and another six months in Year 3. These internships are designed to build the students’ practical competencies and equip them with work-ready skills.

One student who has benefitted from two internship stints is 19-year-old Audrey Liz Diaz Narciso, a final-year Higher Nitec in Cyber and Network Security student from ITE College East. During her first internship with an IT services provider, she gained hands-on experience in various aspects of cybersecurity. These included monitoring systems for suspicious activity, supporting incident response planning, and categorising vulnerabilities. For her second internship, she was exposed to data centre and network operations.

“The two internships gave me the chance to explore different sides of the IT industry — first cybersecurity, then data centre operations. I learned a lot and gained many in-depth skills beyond the classroom, especially in penetration testing. These experiences will be very helpful for my future career,” said Audrey.

Latif Zacklee Bin Ismail, a final-year student from ITE College West‘s Higher Nitec in Data Engineering course and part of the course’s first graduating intake, also acquired deeper technical knowledge and skills through the enhanced curricular structure. Through the course, the 19-year-old discovered his knack for working with data and enjoyed applying the skills he learned during his internship. Latif was attached to a public agency, where he created data visualisation dashboards to guide outreach and engagement. He also developed a tutorial for his team on using data visualisation tools like Power BI.

“That was my first step into the working world, and it gave me a clear sense of what is expected in a professional environment. More importantly, I learned to apply what I studied in class to real-world scenarios and to understand the reasoning behind everything I do. Knowledge alone is not enough — it is only truly useful if you know how to apply it well,” said Latif.

Accelerated Pathway for Students with Diverse Learning Profiles

Under the enhanced curricular structure, ITE offers an accelerated pathway for students with the aptitude to complete the three-year Higher Nitec programme in just two years. This pathway is also open to GCE O-Level holders and students entering ITE through the Direct Entry Scheme to Polytechnic Programme (DPP).

One student on the accelerated pathway is 18-year-old Brayden Goh, a graduating Higher Nitec in Accounting student from ITE College Central. He chose the course as he has enjoyed accounting since secondary school. After excelling in his first two terms, he was placed on the accelerated pathway. Brayden has balanced his studies with multiple sporting commitments, including representing Singapore in the national U-19 football team, playing for Balestier Khalsa Football Club, and serving as vice-captain of the ITE College Central football team.

“The accelerated pathway has been challenging, but the pace of learning suits me well and keeps me engaged. Different people have different learning abilities, and this pathway fits mine. I like that I get to learn things earlier, graduate sooner, and move on to the next phase of my studies more quickly,” said Brayden.

Applications Now Open

GCE N-Level and GCE O-Level school leavers may apply for admission into the three-year Higher Nitec courses through the Joint Intake Exercise (JIE) from 18 December 2025 (2.30 pm) to 22 December 2025 (5 pm). Details on specific course requirements can be found in the ITE 2026 Course Booklet and on the ITE website.