Speech - Opening Remarks by Second Minister for Education Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman at the Institute of Technical Education Work-Study Diploma Graduation Ceremony

Mr Andrew Chong, Chairman, ITE

Ms Low Khah Gek, CEO, ITE

Members of the ITE Board of Governors

Employers and Company Representatives

Distinguished Guests and Graduands

Good morning. It is my great pleasure to join you today at the ITE Work-Study Diploma Graduation Ceremony.

The ITE Work-Study Diploma provides an apprenticeship-based upskilling pathway that combines classroom learning with on-the-job training at the workplace. This allows trainees to gain work experience, earn a salary as full-time employees, and upskill to a diploma with their employers' sponsorship, all at the same time.

Today, we are here to celebrate the achievements of 749 students from 35 Work-Study Diploma courses in the Class of 2024. Among them, 37 top graduates will be receiving their course medals for acing their respective courses. My heartiest congratulations to all graduates!

Positive Outcomes for ITE Work-Study Diploma Graduates

The ITE Work-Study Diploma has produced positive outcomes and we are very proud of the programme. For trainees who graduated in 2023, more than 9 in 10 are in full-time employment six months after graduation. Their median monthly salary is $2,850, meaning the salary at the 50th percentile, is comparable to that of full-time polytechnic diploma graduates, and we are very very proud of them. Congratulations to all of you for achieving this milestone. This is a significant jump from the median monthly salary of $2,000 that they received at the start of the course. Meaning at the start of the course, the median salary was $2,000. At the end of the course, there was an increase in the median salary to $2,850. This means 50% of Work-Study Diploma graduates earned more than $2,850.

So, graduates you are able to command such competitive salaries because the training co-delivered by ITE and your employers have equipped you well with the knowledge and skills to contribute to your companies effectively. Let me share a few examples with you.

First, Ms Rabiahtul Ardawiyah Bte Ishak, who is graduating today with a Work-Study Diploma in Data Centre Infrastructure & Operations. A big round of applause. Let me tell you more about her. Rabiahtul excelled in her Higher Nitec course, during which she took on an internship at Microsoft Data Centre. After attaining her Higher Nitec certification, she decided to further her studies via the Work-Study Diploma, so that she could continue working at Microsoft and acquire industry relevant skills while pursuing a higher qualification.

The training has enabled her to become an invaluable member of her team. Now she can resolve complex issues such as system and network malfunctions and support her team in installing, troubleshooting, replacing, and decommissioning of network and server equipment. These functions helped streamlined her clients' operations and reduced any downtime.

After gaining a head start in their careers, many of the ITE Work-Study graduates continue to do well. For example, another case, Mr Dinesh Anbalagan graduated in 2023 from the Work-Study Diploma in IT System Integration. As a trainee at AsiaPac Technology Pte Ltd, Dinesh contributed to several successful projects. Upon graduation, he was promoted to a Cloud Architect and given a significant pay rise. He is currently still with AsiaPac today and continues to do well. To further deepen his skills, he is pursuing a part-time Degree in Information & Communication Technology at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Importance of Industries and Mentors in Co-Delivering Work-Study Diplomas

ITE continues to expand its industry collaboration efforts to scale up the work-study pathway. Today, it is partnering 900 companies to co-design and co-deliver Work-Study Diplomas.

Some of these companies have built long-lasting partnerships with ITE. For example, ST Microelectronics has been supporting the programme since 2019 and takes on about 10 trainees each year. Another partner company, is Resorts World At Sentosa Pte Ltd, who had also been partnering ITE to leverage the Work-Study Diploma as a talent pipeline. If you drive or if you were walking up Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, which I did earlier this morning, I saw a very interesting poster that says: 'The employer's secret sauce to a talent pipeline is the WSDip'. Sauce means the spice of life. So it spices up the employer's ability with a good talent pipeline. That is the WSDip offering for all the employers. I'm very happy to see that it's doing very well. This year, it took in 51 trainees across eight Work-Study Diploma courses for various job roles—this is our employer Resorts World at Sentosa, who took in 51 trainees across eight Work-Study Diploma courses for various job roles. Rabiahtul and Dinesh's achievements would not have been possible without strong support from their companies, as with all of you. So, a big thank you to all our partner companies for journeying with ITE. Can we give all the companies a big round of applause?

From September 2024, local healthcare institutions are sponsoring a pioneer cohort of 33 in-service Enrolled Nurses through ITE's new Work-Study Diploma in Nursing so that they can upgrade to Registered Nurses while working. This presents minimal disruption to the healthcare institutions' operations and employees' work and income. The programme is designed in consultation with nursing leaders and the Healthcare Services Employees' Union to ensure trainees can meet the accreditation rigour and standards of a Registered Nurse through classroom learning delivered by ITE and on-the-job training committed by the local healthcare institutions.

As part of the on-the-job training, participating companies could also identify suitable staff to mentor the Work-Study Diploma trainees or train other staff to do so. ITE conducts Train-the-Trainer programme to equip the mentors with the necessary skills.

Ms Tan Chew Meng from Total Swimming Pte. Ltd. completed her Train-the-Trainer programme with ITE in 2018 and has since developed a Swim Teacher training course for her company. The course not only enhanced the company's internal training capabilities, but also created a more structured workplace learning environment for trainees taking the Work-Study Diploma in Lifestyle & Recreation Management.

In recognition for her efforts, Chew Meng will be receiving her Advanced Certified Industry Trainer or ACIT certificate from ITE today. The certificate is awarded to industry trainers who are pedagogically qualified, and who have implemented training systems that benefited their companies. Congratulations, Chew Meng!

Launch of New Work-Study Diplomas

The ITE Work-Study Diploma has grown, given the strong support from our market and strong market recognition bolstered by positive outcomes for individuals and companies. In 2018 when ITE first launched Work-Study Diploma, it admitted only 100 trainees in four courses. This year, ITE admitted about 1,300 trainees in 40 programmes across various industries. A big jump in about 5 years.

Building on this positive momentum, ITE will continue to expand Work-Study Diplomas, to provide more students with the opportunity to upskill via this pathway.

1. From 2025, ITE will launch three new Work-Study Diploma programmes in community care, paramedicine, and human resource management.

2. ITE will also introduce two new Work Study Diploma specialisations. Work-Study Diploma trainees in Customer Experience Management can specialise in Cabin Services and those in Land Transport Engineering can specialise in Operations Management. These broaden the range of specialisations within existing Work-Study Diplomas.

Launch of New Technical Diplomas

In addition to the Work-Study Diplomas, ITE offers Technical Diplomas that are jointly run and certified by ITE and renowned overseas institutions. Since the launch of Technical Diplomas in 2008, more than 1,000 individuals have graduated, with salary outcomes comparable to polytechnic diploma graduates.

I am pleased to announce that ITE will be launching two new Technical Diplomas in emerging sectors from April 2025, allowing 60 more students to upskill to a diploma each year.

1. First, the Technical Engineer Diploma in Electrical Engineering (Clean Energy), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS), Baden-Württemberg in Germany, and its state college renowned for electrical engineering and renewable energy. This course will equip students with competencies in clean energy technologies to take on new jobs in the green economy as we work towards a more sustainable future under the Singapore Green Plan 2030.

2. Second, is the new Technical Diploma in Health and Exercise Coaching, developed in collaboration with the Vocational Training Council Hong Kong, the largest vocational and professional education and training provider in Hong Kong, and one of ITE's long-standing partners. Graduates can look forward to careers as community health professionals in the growing care economy and support national programmes like Healthier SG and Age Well SG.

With this continued expansion in Work-Study Diplomas and Technical Diplomas, ITE expects to take in 1,700 students into its diploma programmes in 2025. This will enable about 15% of its graduates to progress to a diploma qualification with ITE.

Conclusion

Let me conclude by extending my deepest appreciation again to all of you who have contributed to the success of the Work-Study Diploma programmes.

To the graduates, today marks the start of a new journey. May you continue to adopt and grow, and have a growth mindset and make meaningful contributions wherever you go. The Government will continue to support ITE graduates to upskill to a diploma by expanding diploma pathways as well as through schemes like the ITE Progression Award.

To the companies that have invested in your human capital, I hope you will continue to partner ITE to build up your own talent pipeline. I also hope that more companies will join your ranks and work closely with ITE to meet their manpower and skills needs.

Once again, congratulations once again to the Class of 2024! And may you move forward and advance in your careers.

Thank you.