Debated in Parliament on 10 May 2021.
Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Education (a) what the current efforts are to help fresh graduates from private education institutions (PEIs) secure jobs in both the public and private sectors; and (b) whether SkillsFuture Singapore and the Ministry will consider an accreditation process for PEIs.
The private education landscape is diverse, with a range of providers and course offerings. Under SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG)’s regulatory framework, Private Education Institutions (PEIs) can apply to be accredited under the EduTrust Certification Scheme, a voluntary quality assurance scheme focused on the academic and organisational processes and structures of the institution.
While useful as a guide for employers and prospective students, the EduTrust Certification Scheme does not cover academic standards. Given the diversity of programmes that are offered by the PEIs today, it would be difficult to have a central accreditation framework that covers academic quality or industry relevance.
As private institutions, the onus remains on PEIs to work with industry to regularly review their curriculum and course offerings for relevance to potential employers. This positions their graduates to secure good jobs post-graduation. SSG publishes results of the annual PEI Graduate Employment Survey (GES), to support prospective students in making informed decisions on whether they wish to enrol in a PEI programme.
There is a range of Government initiatives and programmes to help graduates in their job search. Graduates can visit any of the Career Matching Services touchpoints comprising WSG’s Careers Connect and Careers Connect “On-The-Go”, NTUC-e2i’s career centres and SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres for employment assistance. Recent graduates can also participate in traineeship opportunities in both public and private organisations under the SGUnited Traineeships programme.
PAPERCUTS