INDUSTRY-BASED TRAINING FRAMEWORK IN SINGAPORE

Introduction

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) plays a pivotal role in
Singapore’s economic progress and modernisation into a global economy. The Institute of
Technical Education or ITE is Singapore’s principal provider of TVET.

About ITE

As a post-secondary government-funded educational institution, ITE’s mission is to create

opportunities for school leavers and adult learners to acquire skills, knowledge and values
for lifelong learning in a global economy. Other post-secondary and tertiary institutions
include the Junior Colleges, Polytechnics and Universities. With more than 40 years of
experience, ITE, together with its predecessors, have contributed towards a world-class
Singapore technical workforce, having trained about 13% of Singapore population over the
years. To date, over 235,500 students have benefited from an ITE education.

ITE offers a wide range of courses in Engineering, Info-Communications Technology,

Business and Services and Applied Sciences. Organised into 3 modern Colleges with up-to-
date educational and multi-media facilities and well-equipped workshops, laboratories and
studios, ITE focuses on equipping its students with the necessary knowledge, skills and
values that will make them relevant and ready for the global economy. To ensure that ITE
training system stays relevant and responsive to the needs of the economy, ITE is constantly
in touch with the industry to keep up with the trends and changing landscape of the
workforce.

Singapore Education System

All students receive at least 10 years of general education in schools. Upon completion of
secondary education, about 90% of a student cohort will progress to post-secondary
education and training in Junior Colleges, Polytechnics or ITE. Junior Colleges provide an
academic high school education for the top 25% of a school cohort who prepare for a
university education. The next 40% of the school leavers would enter the Polytechnics for a
wide range of practical oriented three-year diploma courses. Another 25% of students are
oriented towards vocational education and training in ITE. Within the national education
and training system are pathways for those who have done well to progress from the ITE to
the Polytechnics, and Polytechnics to the Universities. A pictorial illustration of the
Singapore Education System is given at Annex A.
Roles and Functions of ITE

To meet the TVET needs of Singapore workforce, ITE offers 4 key programmes as follows:

Full-time Institutional Training and Apprenticeship Scheme for post-secondary students

as part of pre-employment training of Singapore workforce. Annually, ITE takes in about
25% of the secondary school cohort or some 13,000 students with an annual enrolment of
22,000. Students who are enrolled with ITE have at least 10 years of basic education.
Complementing the full-time training system in training school leavers is the Apprenticeship
scheme where students embark on the “Earn-As-You-Learn” programme which comprises
On-the-Job Training (OJT) and Off-the-Job Training (Off-OJT). The OJT component is
carried out in participating companies while the Off-OJT is conducted one day a week at
ITE Colleges.
Part-time Continuing Education and Training for ITE graduates and working adults as
part of in-employment training to continually upgrade and update the skills of Singapore
workforce. It helps ITE graduates and working adults attain “career relevance” in a fast-
changing workplace. About 24,000 training places are clocked per year.
Industry-based Training to develop a competitive workforce through partnership with
industry (Public Private Sector Collaboration). Training programmes are developed,
accredited and delivered by ITE through the Approved Training Centre (ATC) and Certified
On-the-Job Training Centre (COJTC) schemes. In addition, ITE also accredits private
schools to conduct national courses leading to ITE certifications under the Approved
Training Provider (ATP) scheme.
International Licensed Programmes offered through the Overseas Training and
Certification scheme where ITE courses are licensed to Singapore partners for offering in
overseas institutions. Overseas students who completed the ITE courses will be awarded
ITE’s International certifications.

ITE Certification System

The ITE Certification System defines certifications by three certification levels. They are
National ITE Certificate (Nitec), Higher National ITE Certificate (Higher Nitec) and Master
National ITE Certificate (Master Nitec). ITE full-time courses are conducted on a semester-
based Credit System of Training (SCT) where a course of study is structured into a series of
modules and credits are assigned to each module. When students have accumulated the
required number of credits in modules relevant to the course of study within the defined
period, they are deemed to have met the requirements of the training and will be awarded the
full certificate. In addition to the 3 certification levels, ITE also offers certification at a very
basic level which is known as the ITE Skills Certificate (ISC).

Further Information

Further information on ITE can be found at its website: www.ite.edu.sg.

 APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME (AS)

Objective of Scheme

The Apprenticeship Scheme (AS) is a formal training arrangement that enables school
leavers to “learn as they earn”. The apprentice learns a marketable skill from the company
through learning on-the-job while ITE or an ITE Approved Training Centre (ATC) would
provide the trainee with theoretical and practical lessons. The skills acquired are certified by
ITE leading to a nationally-recognised ITE qualification (ISC, Nitec, Higher Nitec and
Master Nitec) and this scheme provides a good avenue for the company to recruit and train
new manpower with added benefits.

Details of Scheme

Under the Apprenticeship scheme, companies that meet ITE requirements, can apply to be
an AS company and recruit apprentice through ITE or company’s own sources. The training
for the apprentice involves 2 components:

On-the-Job Training (OJT)

• Conducted at the company’s premises under actual work conditions.

• Guided and supervised by a experience and qualified trainers.

• Training received is documented in a training logbook.

Off-the-Job Training (Off-JT)

• Conducted by ITE or an ITE ATC.

• Include theory and practical lessons.

• Conducted on a full-time block-release basis or a day-release basis or a

combination of both.

To participate as an AS company, the company must meet the following requirements:

• Provide training in the tasks as stipulated by ITE in the training logbook.

• Sponsor the staff involved in training the trainees to attend the pedagogic training
courses conducted by ITE.
 • Release the apprentice to attend off-the-job training as prescribed for the course.

• Allow ITE officers to access to the company premises to monitor progress of the
apprentice.

• Pay salaries and fringe benefits (where applicable) to apprentice.

• Bear all training costs including registration and course related fees.

As an AS company, the company can look forward to receiving government funding to

subsidise part of the cost of training. ITE will also liaise with the Ministry of Defence
(MINDEF) on National Service (NS) deferment for apprentice who is liable for NS. Finally,
ITE also organized advertisements and announcements in the media to promote the
apprenticeship scheme to secondary school leavers.

Current Status

ITE takes in about 200 apprentices yearly.

INDUSTRY-BASED TRAINING – CERTIFIED ON-THE-JOB TRAINING CENTRE
(COJTC) SCHEME

Objective of Scheme

The Certified On-the-Job Training Centre (COJTC) scheme was established by ITE in Apr
1994. The objective is to certify companies (private sector companies) which are committed
and have the capability to conduct quality structured OJT in their companies with the aim to
develop a quality workforce and encourage lifelong learning among employees.

Details of Scheme

Under the COJTC scheme, ITE would certify companies that possess a quality OJT system.
If the company fulfils the required standards, it will be awarded the COJTC status that
carries the hallmark of good OJT practices. To qualify as a COJTC, the company must meet
the following requirements:

• Demonstrate preparedness and commitment to implement structured OJT by

assigning suitably qualified staff to take up the following responsibilities:
o An OJT Administrator who is responsible for overseeing and monitoring the
training of employees;
o An OJT Programme Developer who is responsible for identifying training
needs and developing new and reviewing existing programmes; and
o An OJT Instructor who is responsible for coaching and instructing the
employees on job related skills and tasks.

• Develop a proper documentation system to track training activities as follows:

o Plan, schedule and record OJT activities; and
o Assess skills acquired by the employee who has completed OJT.

As a COJTC, the company can look forward to receiving government funding to subsidize
part of the cost of training. Employee also receives continuous training on job related skills
and knowledge to ensure continuous employability. In addition, the COJTC scheme allows
an employee who is an early school leaver (primary school) to rejoin the main stream
education system as he/she will be allowed to join the ITE Nitec course on a part time skills
training scheme if they have attended at least 60 hours of OJT.

Current Status

To date, there are 800 COJTC companies in Singapore out of which 96 companies are both a
COJTC and ATC company.
 INDUSTRY-BASED TRAINING - APPROVED TRAINING CENTRE (ATC)
SCHEME

Objective of Scheme

The Approved Training Centre (ATC) scheme was set up in 1991 to allow companies
(private sector companies) to train their employees to acquire nationally-recognised ITE
qualifications in-house.

Details of Scheme

Under the ATC scheme, companies that meet ITE requirements, can apply for an ATC
status to conduct ITE programmes for their employees. Training is carried out at
companies’ premises training by company qualified trainers. The status is valid for 3 years
and renewable thereafter. To qualify as an ATC, the company must meet the following
requirements:

• Have a valid and structured training programme that has been endorsed by ITE as
meeting the national certification standards.

• Have adequate training facilities and equipment to conduct training and testing for
the proposed ITE programme.

• Have professionally and pedagogically qualified trainers to conduct training and

testing in the proposed ITE course. Trainers who are not pedagogically trained will
be required to attend relevant pedagogic courses conducted by ITE or approved
training providers. Also, the trainer to trainee ratio should be acceptable to ITE.

As an ATC, the company can look forward to receiving government funding to subsidise
part of the cost of training. With the training done in-house, both the trainer and trainees
enjoy greater convenience and flexibility in managing their training activities.

Current Status

To date, 169 companies have been awarded the ATC status. Since its inception in 1991,
more than 47,000 company workers have benefited from training conducted under the ATC
scheme. You may refer to Annex C for some examples of companies that fall under the
ATC scheme, the certification course that is conducted in the company and the further
education programmes that is available for the students after completing the training course
with the ATC.
 INDUSTRY-BASED TRAINING - APPROVED TRAINING PROVIDER SCHEME

Objective of Scheme

The Approved Training Provider (ATP) scheme was formulated in 1991 to provide more
training opportunities for working adults and school leavers to acquire the skills and
knowledge required for effective performance in the workplace through a private education
provider.

Details of Scheme

Under the ATP scheme, partnerships are formed with private education providers to allow
them to offer to the public training programmes leading to ITE certifications. Private
training providers that meet ITE's requirements are appointed as "Approved Training
Providers" under the ATP scheme. The requirements include adequate training and
examination facilities; suitably qualified training staff - both technically and pedagogically;
training programme(s) that meets ITE’s standards; relevant quality accreditation; and
statutory requirements such as registration with the Ministry of Education, where applicable.
The ATP is responsible for delivering the training based on prescribed standards as
determined by ITE Skills Standards, while the examinations are by ITE as part of quality
control. ITE carries out yearly audit on the ATPs to ensure adherence to standards and
quality.

Current Status

To date, ITE has a network of more than 50 private schools participating in the ATP
scheme. Since its inception, the ATP scheme has contributed to about 156,000 training
places. The annual number of training places taken up is about 17,000.
 ITE PART TIME TRAINING SCHEME

Objective of Scheme

ITE offers a range of part-time courses, designed to meet the specific needs of adult learners
from different jobs, and are offered at different skills and academics levels to ensure
workers:

- Stay relevant in the new economy

- Are updated with current skills and knowledge
- Learn new employable skills

ITE Part-time training scheme essentially form the backbone of Singapore Lifelong learning
framework.

Details of Part-time Training Scheme

ITE offers the Higher Nitec, Nitec and ISC courses on a part-time basis based on a
Semester-based Credit System of Training (SCT). In SCT, a programme of study is
structured into a series of modules and credits units are assigned to each module. A student
can enroll for the modules sequentially according to his training needs. Assessment of a
module is on a term basis. Students must pass the module assessment to earn the credits for
the modules. When a student has accumulated the required number of credits in modules
relevant to the programme of study within 6 years from the date of the first examination,
they will be awarded the full certificate.

In addition to the Part-time Skills Training courses, ITE also conduct the Basic English for
Skills Training (BEST), Worker improvement through Secondary Education (WISE) and
General Education programmes for the public on a part-time basis. These programmes help
to improve the workers literacy and numeracy competency and also form the basis for the
workers to further upgrade themselves with ITE Part-time Skills Training courses.

Current Status

Annually, ITE has about 24,000 students enrolled on part-time training courses.
PUTTING IBT AND CET SCHEMES INTO TVET PERSPECTIVES

Typically a secondary school leaver can join a company that participates in the ITE’s
Apprenticeship scheme to do a Nitec course. Upon completion of the Nitec course, he can
further his study either on a part time or full time basis with ITE for relevant Higher Nitec
course or for a relevant Diploma course with 1 of the 5 government polytechnics in
Singapore. Upon completion of his diploma course, he can further his study on a part-time
or full-time basis with 1 of the 4 universities locally in Singapore. The progression pathway
from primary school education till higher education is clearly articulated in Singapore and
there is no stopping of anyone who wishes to progress all the way to university degree.
Please see Annex A for reference of Singapore education framework.

ITE IBT and Part-time training courses caters to all groups of people in Singapore regardless
of age and social status. For an existing employee who has only primary school education,
he can choose to sign up for the BEST / WISE / General Education programme with ITE.
Upon completion, he would have met the minimum entry requirement to qualify for many, if
not most of the Nitec courses on a part-time or full-time basis. If the employee chooses not
to do the BEST / WISE / General Education programme, he can also qualify for many of the
ITE Nitec courses on a part-time basis as long as he has completed a relevant 60-hour OJT
course with any of the 800 certified COJTC company. However, the employees can only
qualifies for Nitec courses relevant to his OJT training. Once he has completed the Nitec
course, there is no stopping for him to progress to diploma course with the polytechnics or
degree course with the local universities. Please refer to Annex B progression path for
people who choose to continue education through the BEST / WISE / General Education.
A WAFER FABRICATION INDUSTRY CASE STUDY

There are also many private sector companies in Singapore that participate in both ITE
Approved Training Centre and Apprenticeship scheme. One good example is the wafer
fabrication companies. Many of the operational level staff newly recruited by wafer
fabrication companies would be required to go through the ITE Skills Certificate (ISC)
course in Wafer Fabrication as part of their induction programme. The course is conducted
in-house for both the On-the-Job Training and Off-the-Job Training component. Because of
the course structure of the ISC in Wafer Fabrication where there are both OJT and Off-JT
components, those employees going through this ISC course would also be classified as
apprentices. ITE Industry Officer will also assist in the supervision of the progress of the
apprentices as well as endorsement of the apprentice logbook.

A point to highlight here is that, as with all ITE certification, the ISC in Wafer Fabrication
skills standard is jointly developed by ITE with the industry. The skills standard is
developed through the DACUM process whereby the DACUM committee comprises of the
industry expert from the wafer fabrication companies. Once the skills standard is approved
and certification is implemented at the national level, the committee will review the skills
standard once every 2 years to ensure relevancy and validity.

In addition to the involvement of the industry in the curriculum development process, the
companies in the wafer fabrication industry have also created a databank of examination
questions for the ISC in Wafer Fabrication course at ITE request. The databank resided at
the examination department of ITE Headquarter. Prior to every examination series, industry
appointed moderator would be required to select several examination papers. ITE
examination department will then select the final examination paper for the examination.

Upon completion, these workers can continue to do the Nitec in Electronics course either
with ITE on a part-time basis or with their company as some of these Wafer Fabrication
companies are also an ITE Approved Training Centre to conduct several modules of the
Nitec in Electronics (Wafer Fabrication) course. In fact, the flexibility to allow the ATC
companies to conduct some modules of a Nitec course under the ATC scheme is a recent
initiative to encourage more private sector involvement in conducting the national
certification courses. The credit units earned by the employees who do the Nitec in
Electronics (Wafer Fabrication) course in their companies would be accorded the exact
recognition by ITE and the polytechnics. As the companies only do several modules of the
Nitec in Electronics (WF) course, in order for the employee to obtain the full Nitec
certificate, they have to do the remaining modules with ITE on a part-time or full-time basis.
Those employees who have successfully complete the Nitec in Electronics (WF) course can
then further their studies by attending the Higher Nitec in Electronics course with ITE or
advance to the polytechnics to do a relevant course of study and subsequently to the
universities if they choose to do so.

Since the inception of the ISC in Wafer Fabrication course in Aug 2001, 3,000 workers from
the Wafer Fabrication industry have gone through this training course.
 Annex A

SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM

• Technically, all ITE school leaver are able to progress to a diploma in one of the 5
polytechnics or further in Singapore either on a full-time or part-time basis under the
lifelong learning framework
• Annually, about 25% of ITE school leaver progress to one of the 5 polytechnics in
Singapore on a full-time basis
 Annex B

Singapore Lifelong Learning Framework

 Annex C

Some Examples of ATC Companies

Name of Approved
Title of ITE Certification
Training Centre Progression Courses in the Polytechnics
conducted in company
(ATC)
Shell Eastern Nitec in Chemical Process
Diploma in Chemical Process Technology
Petroleum Pte Ltd Technology
Charter
Nitec in Electronics – Wafer Diploma in Electronics and Computer
Semiconductor
Fabrication Engineering
Manufacturing Ltd
PSA Corporation Port Equipment Technology
Diploma in Electrical Engineering
Ltd (Electrical)
Nitec in Aircraft Maintenance
ST Aerospace Ltd Diploma in Aerospace Electronics
(Avionics)
DiamlerChrysler
Nitec in Automotive
South East Asia Diploma in Mechanical Engineering
Technology
Pte Ltd
Renault Regional Master Nitec in Automotive
Not Applicable
Training Centre Technology