SINGAPORE - Adult learners seeking a skills upgrade can look forward to a new initiative at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) that will recognise both formal qualifications and knowledge through informal experiences.
This means that they can attain degrees in a shorter time, with prior learning gained from past credentials, industry certifications or work experience recognised.
Calling this a “notable milestone in Singapore’s higher education ecosystem”, SIT president Chua Kee Chaing said on Thursday that it will reduce the time and cost invested in formal education when learners can use their existing knowledge and skills to earn credits.
“This also means that learners can invest time in learning what is truly new to them and not repeat what they already know,” he said in a speech at the university’s Applied Learning Conference held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.
This new approach – which SIT terms Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) – is the first of its kind among the institutes of higher learning here. But while learners may be exempted from some modules based on existing competencies, they will have to demonstrate these competencies through interviews and aptitude tests, for example.
This comes amid calls in recent years for hiring practices in Singapore to recognise individuals’ competencies through their mastery of skills rather than just paper qualifications.
For a start, close to 50 individuals employed by Singtel and tech firm NCS will be the first to benefit from this new RPL approach when they start their studies at SIT in September.
They will be taking up two micro-credentials – digital logic and computing foundations, and computer networking and network security.
They could stack several micro-credentials – each taking about four months to complete – to earn a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in applied computing in nearly three years or less, depending on the exemptions they may get.
Professor Chua said the plan is to have nearly 150 learners on such pathways in the next one to two years.
SIT on Thursday also launched a new Teaching and Learning Academy, which will support the university’s efforts in competency-based education and help in-employment learners looking to upgrade themselves.
The academy will conduct a study to measure the impact of such competency-based learning on students, starting with the first batch in September. It will also delve into other areas, including emerging technologies in education such as adaptive learning and data analytics.
Thursday’s event was attended by Education Minister Chan Chun Sing. In a statement, Mr Chan said SIT’s new initiative to recognise prior learning sends an important signal to employers and workers.
“It allows us to move beyond a degree-centric assessment model and helps learners embark on more meaningful career pathways that are intertwined with learning.”
NCS analyst Alvina Ho, 31, will be among those starting on the new pathway in September. The former pre-school teacher, who has two diplomas in early childhood education and hospitality, made a career switch in 2022 and joined NCS as an intern under the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme.
“I wanted to mentally challenge myself and I have always been interested in the information technology (IT) sector,” she said.
She will also be finishing a specialist diploma in business analytics with Temasek Polytechnic in August.
“I hope to learn as much as I can from the SIT programme and not rush through it. I like that SIT’s focus is on applying the knowledge in real-world projects, and I think that this will help prepare me for future roles in IT,” she added.
“Technology is ever-evolving, so it is not just about attaining a degree but focusing on the skills needed.”
