05 December 2018

SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), the government agency that gives out grants and funding for lifelong training, takes fraudulent activity very serious and is building up its defences against fraud.

It has announced that it has set up a fraud and enforcement division to monitor and investigate suspicious claims.

SSG said that it has set up a partnership with the Government Technology Agency of Singapore, and other private sector consultants, to incorporate the use of data analytics in its fraud detection system.

This includes developing machine-learning algorithms to detect anomalies in claim submissions. Confirmed fraudulent claims will be fed back into the algorithms to sharpen the system’s ability at detecting future fraudulent claims.

Data is also being verified with other government agencies such as the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.

03 December 2018

An examination paper for a financial management course at the Singapore University of Social Sciences had to be voided last week after the university found that questions and answers had been leaked during two revision class conducted by an associate faculty member.

“SUSS will void the examination paper as the integrity of the examination assessment has been compromised,” said an SUSS spokesman.

The part-time lecturer teaches part-time students for the FIN303 Financial Management course. The final examination paper would have constituted 50 per cent of the final course grade.

The course is compulsory for full-time second-year students who are with SUSS’ School of Business, as well as second-year students studying human resource management. There are also part-time students taking the course as an elective module.

Students were given two options for the calculation of the final grade for the course. They could take their current overall continuous assessment score, or sit a supplementary paper on Dec 4.

01 December 2018

A recent survey has shown that about one in two young Singaporeans take between one and three months to land their first job after finishing their studies, and that nearly one-third quit in less than a year.

Nearly seven in 10 graduates who left their first job in less than 12 months cited the lack of professional growth as a main reason for quitting. Other reasons included the desire to earn a higher wage.

As for the biggest challenges they faced in their first jobs, 61 per cent singled out a lack of industry knowledge.

Job hopping no longer bears the stigma that its used to. Instead, job hopping is now frequently seen as a virtue as it indicates a desire to embrace change, and the willingness to learn and explore new frontiers, and pick up new skills.

01 December 2018

Two students from Singapore Polytechnic made their mark at the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, with their invention of an interactive therapeutic pet robot they named SP Buddy.

Engineering students Mohamed Umar, 19, and Wong Jun Heng, 20, created the robotic dog to help the elderly think and move around more.

Another team comprising of Mr Sia, an aerospace avionics student, and Ms Azimah, who is doing a course in supply chain management, came up with a locked pill dispenser to help patients keep track of the medication they take daily.

This invention can be prove useful to, say, dementia patients who may not remember whether they have taken their medication.

Heng Yin Qi and coursemate Lee Wei Juin invented a device to help patients with Parkinson’s disease. The device can be attached to objects such as utensils, plates and cups to monitor tremors. The device can counter the tremors and stabilise the objects.

29 November 2018

Four students from the Institute of Technical Education took part in this year’s Youth for Causes (YFC) fund-raising event and raised over $70,000 for a local children’s and community services charity.

Josh Ang, Tan Jia Shun, Cheryl Ee, and Gan Shi Ying, the group of four students who comprised but one of the hundred participating teams, were given seed funding by Citi Foundation and decided how to utilise the funds to help a voluntary welfare organisation of their choice.

These four students are second-year Higher Nitec information technology students who called themselves EduTomahawk. They earned this year’s YFC Best Fundraiser award.

The previous year’s best fund-raising team raked in more than $50,000.