Take-up and Retention Rates for Work-Study Diploma and Degree Courses
Ministry of EducationSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the take-up and retention rates of work-study diplomas and degrees since 2021 and whether grant support for participating employers should be increased. Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing noted that ITE Work-Study Diploma enrollment rose from 500 in 2021 to 1,300 in 2024, while degree enrollment increased from 300 to 800. Surveys show a retention rate of approximately seven in 10 graduates staying with their training companies. Currently, employers receive grants of up to $15,000 per trainee to assist with on-the-job training and proficiency costs. The Ministry will continue monitoring these programmes to assess if current incentives remain sufficient to support the training costs borne by participating organisations.
Transcript
19 Ms See Jinli Jean asked the Minister for Education (a) since 2021, what is the take-up rate, in absolute and percentage terms, for work-study diplomas and degrees across sectors and the retention rate of each sector; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider disbursing higher grant support by tranches over the programme period so as to defray the costs of catering for structured training and factoring time to proficiency, for the learners that are borne by the participating organisation.
Mr Chan Chun Sing: The SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes are co-developed and co-delivered by the Institutes of Higher Learning through classroom training and companies through on-the-job training.
Take-up for these programmes has increased steadily over the years. The number of trainees enrolled in SkillsFuture Work-Study Diploma programmes offered by the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) increased from 500 in 2021 to around 1,300 in 2024, while those enrolled in SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree programmes offered by the Autonomous Universities increased from 300 in 2021 to around 800 in 2023, which is the latest year of complete data.
SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes offered by ITE and the polytechnics require participating employers to hire and train the students in the programme. Based on our recent surveys, around seven in 10 graduates stayed with the company that hired and trained them.
Employers participating in SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes can receive grants of up to $15,000 for each eligible trainee whom they hire and train. We will continue to monitor and review the take-up of SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes among individuals and companies, including whether the employer incentive is sufficient to support on-the-job training costs incurred.