03 December 2019
The Singapore University of Social Sciences recently organized a conference titled Univer-Cities, which was attended by some 200 local and foreign academics and industry leaders.
The participants expressed the view that universities must keep up with changing times and prepare people for possibly longer careers by helping them learn new skills throughout their lifetime.
These include retraining adults, work stints, online learning and rethinking the typical four-year undergraduate course.
SUSS itself for instance caters to a range of learners, from fresh school-leavers to working adults looking for a qualification, or who are facing job dislocation. In addition, SUSS has started work-study programmes to allow adult learners to earn a degree while working.
Unlike most other universities, SUSS has developed the applied degree pathway. It will also work with SkillsFuture Singapore Agency to develop courses to support industry needs. There will be strong inter-lacing of theoretical knowledge with real-life application. This will complement the work of the Singapore Institute of Technology, which focuses on applied degrees in science and technology.
Ms Denise Phua, an MP for Jalan Besar GRC who heads the Government Parliamentary Committee for Education, said that at a time when most tertiary institutions are playing catch-up in online and blended learning, SUSS is already way ahead in digital education and catering to a learner population in a fast-paced work setting.
“SUSS presents an exciting opportunity to paint and deliver the vision of what future learning for Singapore’s working adults can be,” she said.