Singapore will launch work-study programme

Singapore is working with universities and companies to pilot apprenticeship programmes. The scheme will allow university students to work in companies while completing their coursework.

Ong Ye Kung, the Acting Minister for Education told The Straits Times that it will be a “different kind of university programme suited to this century, where businesses do not just offer internships, but step into the university to shape the curriculum”.

Companies now offer structured programmes, and some even have their own corporate universities, Ong said. He also noted that some university students team up with faculty to build start-ups. “I expect tertiary programmes will increasingly be delivered by both institutions as well as industries,” he added.

Universities in Switzerland and Germany offer vocational training for their students, where apprentices rotate between working in companies and studying in school. Image by Eversheds International, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0