ITE’s Expanding Work-Study Diploma Pathways Enable More ITE Graduates to Find Success in Their Industry of Choice

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) held the ITE Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) Graduation Ceremony today at ITE Headquarters, celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2025. This year saw a cohort of 892 graduates from 40 WSDip courses, with 57 graduates receiving Course Medals for excelling in their respective WSDip Courses. Guest-of-Honour, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Dr Janil Puthucheary, presented medals to 26 Course Medallists during the morning session of the two-part ceremony. Four courses saw their pioneer batches graduating at the Ceremony as well. They are:

• WSDip in Agriculture & Aquaculture Technology

• WSDip in Customer Experience Management

• WSDip in Facilities Management

• WSDip in Security Operations

More Pathways for ITE Graduates

At the event, Dr Janil Puthucheary announced the launch of the new WSDip in Advanced Manufacturing, and a new specialisation in Wholesale Trade for the WSDip in Integrated Supply Chain Management course. Trainees in the WSDip in Integrated Supply Chain Management course can also choose to specialise in the existing Logistics programme (refer to Annex A). ITE will offer a total of 46 WSDip courses (refer to Annex B) in April 2026 and expects to take in 1,700 trainees the same year. This is a significant increase from the initial offering of just four courses and slightly over 100 trainees when the programme started in 2018.

Matching Passion with Opportunities

Since its start, the WSDip programme has opened doors for many graduates. Foo Wei Jiang, Ronald, is one such example. He was able to pursue programming – an area that interests him greatly – thanks to the WSDip in IoT & Data Engineering course. The WSDip’s practice-oriented structure transformed his learning experience. “I was no longer just studying concepts – I was implementing them in real projects,” he said. “Seeing real results from my work gave me confidence and pushed me to think critically and adapt quickly.” 

Starting out as an Assistant Engineer, Ronald found ample opportunities to learn and grow at computer hardware manufacturer, Anewtech Systems Pte Ltd. Through hard work, grit, and initiative, Ronald gained new competencies and was able to take over as a Software Developer when a vacancy opened up. This promotion happened just over a year after Ronald joined the company. With the strong foundation he built during his WSDip training period, Ronald is looking to grow further in his company, and has applied to deepen his skills through a part-time degree at a local university.

Another graduate who found new direction through the WSDip programme is Nurul Rashidah Bte Ismail. Five years ago, constant overtime and endless tight deadlines took a toll on her health. At 31, she decided to take a leap of faith and left her full-time job as a graphic designer to pursue a Nitec in Chemical Process Technology at ITE. The switch was fuelled both by her love for Science and the support from her family members who were in the same industry. Nurul interned at Novabay (Humens Group) during her Nitec days and impressed her supervisors so much that they offered to sponsor her for the WSDip in Chemical Process Technology so she could continue working for them.

Nurul had already gotten an offer at a polytechnic at the time but decided to take up Novabay’s offer as she could earn a salary, gain work experience, while completing her diploma, through the WSDip programme. “The WSDip programme gave me the opportunity to do on-the-job training. This makes learning easier, because I’m doing real work, and I can see for myself whether this industry is really for me. I really enjoyed it!” said Nurul.

Yvette Tan is another trainee who was able to pursue her interests through the WSDip pathway. Yvette always knew she wanted to give back to the community. While she considered nursing and early childhood as possible career paths, she felt they were not exactly what she wanted. Like Nurul, she found her calling during her internship for her Nitec course. “I was interning at a school for autistic children and I enjoyed seeing their progress and how much they develop over time,” said Yvette, who went on to pursue a WSDip in Community Engagement and Development. This experience, plus her interest in special needs education, prompted her WSDip employer, Inclus, to shift her to InSchool, an after-school care for special needs students which they run.

“We found out there was a gap in the after-school care services for special needs while serving the disability sector. As we were building this idea, we found out that Yvette had prior experience and enjoyed working with children,” said Anders Tan, founder of Inclus and InSchool. “We are deeply proud of Yvette’s achievement and the growth she has shown through the WSDip programme. Our partnership with ITE continues to demonstrate the value of providing meaningful pathways for individuals to develop their skills and confidence for the future.”

Yvette hopes to further her studies in Special Education at the National Institute of Education. Her dream is to teach at a Special Education school thereafter.

Annex A

Brief on New ITE Work-Study Diplomas

Annex B

List of ITE Work-Study Diplomas

* WSDip courses with specialisation tracks.

+ Only PSA employee can apply.

^ For in-service Enrolled Nurses only.