30 November 2020

The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) will be launching the SG Cyber Educators programme, which will equip teachers, school leaders and career guidance counsellors with knowledge on the cyber-security landscape and career options.

The aim of this exercise is to groom the next generation of talent in the field.

Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Janil Puthucheary announced the programme at the recently-held Singapore Cybersecurity Education Symposium.

Under the programme, educators will also be able to attend regular information-sharing sessions with partners such as Cisco, Kaspersky Security and the Singapore Computer Society, as well as go on site tours conducted by CSA and industry players to learn about the different aspects of cyber security.

30 November 2020

A team of four students from the Institute of Technical Education College East raised some $86,000 for their peers who have been affected by the pandemic.

They did this by producing a video showcasing and telling heartfelt stories of their fellow students who have been struggling in this period.

The group behind the video – Cheryl Oon Siew Ying, 18, Danish Sufi Usyair, 18, Dela Cruz Trisha Mae Guzman, 19, and Margie Ybanez, 20 – took part in this year’s Youth for Causes (YFC) fund-raiser organised jointly by Citi Foundation and YMCA of Singapore. This year, 316 youths across 79 teams participated. Teams were each given the same seed funding of $1,600 and they got to decide how to utilise the funds to help a voluntary welfare organisation of their choice.

The ITE team that produced the video of their peers emerged as the best fund-raiser in the YFC this year.

30 November 2020

It is important for parents to ask themselves: Do they want their kids to go to their alma mater for the right reasons? Will the child benefit from attending the school?

Parents should involve their children in making the decision and take into consideration what they want. If he or she is keen on going to their alma mater, and qualifies for the O-level track, then they should go for that.

Parents choosing between the IP and O-level track should consider which will be a better fit for their children.

Those on the IP skip the O levels and the programme requires students to be independent learners. So it does not suit those who need a more structured programme and a major examination, like the O levels, to hunker down and study.

Additionally, if the student does well and wants to transfer to the Integrated Programme, he or she can do so at Secondary 3 or after his O levels.

25 November 2020

The School of Science and Technology, Singapore and Ngee Ann Polytechnic will be launching a pilot Integrated Diploma Programme (IDP).

The IDP is designed for academically strong students who have an aptitude in applied Science, technology, engineering, as well as mathematics (Stem).

Under the programme, students from SST will progress directly to a Stem course in NP without having to sit the O levels.

It is hoped that the IDP would allow students to have more time and space freed up to engage in deeper applied learning, across a wider range of Stem fields.

Details of the pilot programme are being worked out by the Education Ministry, SST and NP.

23 November 2020

Nanyang Technological University faculty and staff are donating more than $10 million of their unused annual leave to support the university’s students.

The donations were on a voluntary basis, with participating employees redeeming their unused leave for donation to a fund of their choice.

The donations can also be directed toward 18 other school or centre advancement funds that support student projects and club activities such as seminars and research initiatives.

Another round of this donation exercise will be held in October 2021.

21 November 2020

More than 100 community care organisations will get support over the next three years under a new tie-up between Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG).

The areas of support include healthcare innovation, process improvement, technology adoption and workplace learning, as well as the expansion of job roles and the deepening of skills in the sector.

The aim is to engage them to play a role in the lifelong learning movement, to train not just their own employees but the wider industry, raising skill levels of the whole value chain.

SIT has separately launched the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning at SIT (NACE @ SIT) – the first workplace learning centre in an autonomous university.

20 November 2020

Nanyang Technological University is launching a new accountancy work-study degree programme in partnership with Big Four accounting firm Deloitte Singapore.

The three-year programme at Nanyang Business School will allow students to gain on-the-job experience at established accounting firms during their studies. Around 30 accountancy students will start from December their first internship term under the programme with Deloitte, which will offer internship positions in advisory, audit and assurance.

NTU’s work-study students at Deloitte will also receive a higher internship stipend and may secure full-time, permanent employment with a higher entry-level position at Deloitte after their graduation.

Upon completion of their course, students will be conferred a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from NTU.

20 November 2020

Professionals, managers and executives will soon be able to learn how to deal with global volatility, uncertainty and ambiguity at a new Centre for Systems Leadership set up by the Singapore Institute of Management. Working professionals in the social sector will have up to 90 per cent of their course fees subsidised.

The Centre for Systems Leadership, which was launched by Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, will also offer its programmes on systems thinking to youth leaders and its final-year student leaders doing their undergraduate studies. Programmes will start from February next year, and will range from 30 hours to 18 days long. Organisations and businesses, including small and medium-sized enterprises, can also have programmes customised to their needs.

SIM intends to set aside $1 million to fund up to 90 per cent of the programme fees for the social sector. The centre also plans to work with philanthropic organisations such as Temasek Foundation as its programme partners, and other institutions with common goals and objectives.