Applied Study in Polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education Review (ASPIRE)

I would like to thank the Members for giving their strong support and endorsement to recommendations in the ASPIRE report as well as the direction and policy of this Government. I would like to acknowledge that this support has come from all Members of the House – PAP Members, the Nominated Members and the Workers' Party. Members have spoken passionately, drawing from personal experience and giving examples and it is clear that this is a topic that is close to the hearts of all.

In listening to the debate over the past couple of days, there are a few major themes that emerged. First, the request for a holistic approach to the post-Secondary education landscape; second, the issue of degree versus non-degree; third, public sector taking the lead; fourth, the need for industry and employers to be on board, and how one is to help industry with this and mindset change.

If I may touch on each of these briefly. Ms Denise Phua, Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Kuik Shiao-Yin expressed concern that ASPIRE may be too narrow in scope and felt that it really should be part of a holistic plan.

ASPIRE is in fact part of a bigger, holistic, strategic move by this Government.

We have actually started at the Primary and Secondary levels, by introducing the Applied Learning Programme (ALP) for the Primary and Secondary schools, and the Learning for Life Programme (LLP) that was introduced in 2013. The ALP focuses on the application of skills in the real world and is taught through problem solving, supporting tie-ups with industry partners. And for the LLP, it focuses on real-world experiential learning to develop character and values, through community outreach programmes or service learning projects. So, that is for Primary and Secondary schools.

Then, two years ago, the then Senior Minister of State for Education, Mr Lawrence Wong, led a Committee on University Education Pathways Beyond 2015, known as CUEP. The CUEP report recommended an applied degree pathway which emphasises a practice-orientation, learning through work, industry focus, to be offered by the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and SIM University (UniSIM). It also recommended creating more opportunities at the degree level, that would build industry-relevant skills in graduates.

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So, the missing piece was how to further strengthen applied education at our Polytechnics and ITE. That is why the ASPIRE Committee came in at this stage. What you can see, therefore, is that we have introduced the idea of applied learning at the Primary and Secondary schools, then we have put it in place for University. Now, we have slotted in deeper applied learning for the Polytechnics and ITE, so that there is a whole spectrum.

And if you look at it in terms of the big picture – at the Primary and Secondary levels, we build a strong academic foundation because you need these fundamentals. Whether you go on a more academic route or whether you go on a more applied route, you cannot do it without the strong fundamentals. But we have introduced applied learning at the Primary and Secondary stage.

Then, of course, post-Secondary, they will have to choose which path to take. Some will choose a more academic path; some will choose a more applied path. Even then, they are not mutually exclusive. That is the important thing to remember. Even if you are going on the academic route, there will be applied elements. In fact, NUS and NTU have partnerships with industry and they are now also looking into strengthening internships. SIT and UniSIM are forging the new applied degree pathway, which integrate learning in the classroom and the work context.

So, it is actually not mutually exclusive, but it is, if I may say so, a matter of degree. For the academic route, you will have some applied learning; for the applied learning route, obviously, you will have to have academic content to build on.

You can see that we have the education components in alignment, and what we are doing now is that we are bringing the whole education part into alignment with industry as well. That is the direction in which the Government is steering us.

ASPIRE has impact beyond the Polytechnics and ITE. We have mentioned Education and Career Guidance (ECG). This is not just for the Polytechnic and ITE students. It will adopt a lifespan approach – it starts at Primary through Secondary levels, but it will go through the Polytechnics and ITE, and for University students as well, to working adults. The sector-specific skills frameworks will define skills and competencies which are needed to progress in careers, no matter the starting point.

The Business Times article highlighted by Mr Zaqy Mohamad had it right when it said, "The ASPIRE proposals are not just another tweak in the education system but possibly the missing piece in the restructuring jigsaw puzzle the Government has set out to complete."

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On the question of degree versus non-degree and whether conflicting signals are being sent – that was addressed by Minister Heng earlier, so I will not go into that.

On the next topic – the public sector to take the lead. Many Members have called for the public sector to take the lead. We should look at this in perspective. The Government and public sector agencies employ 4% of the total workforce. The small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ 70%. Multinational corporations (MNCs), both home-grown and foreign, and the social services employ the rest. In terms of the overall numbers of people employed, or the total workforce, the percentage employed by the Government is very small. However, I think what the Members are really saying or asking about is the signalling effect.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo had, in a written reply to a Parliamentary Question raised by Mr Lim Biow Chuan, responded on what the Government is doing on this, but let me summarise. For the Civil Service, it adheres to the policy of hiring on merit, so the most suitable candidate is selected for the job. For new jobseekers at entry level jobs, the educational qualifications would have to serve as a proxy because you do not know the person, you do not know their capabilities yet. So, that is entry level. And some jobs require a degree; some do not. So, when recruiting, the Civil Service will indicate what kind of qualification is required according to job type. And there will be certain professional fields where professional accreditation is required, for example, medical or engineering. In such cases, the applicants will have to meet the requirements.

I think the next question that people ask is how do you progress once you are within the system? As announced by the Public Service Division (PSD) after the National Day Rally (NDR), there will be faster career progression for Management Support Officers (MSOs) from October 2014. Most non-graduates join under the MSO scheme. The MSOs can already progress to take on similar jobs as graduates and can be paid comparable salaries. From October 2014, they may be progressed faster where they demonstrate the required performance and capability.

The Civil Service has announced that it intends to merge more of what used to be separate graduate schemes of service into integrated schemes. So, most non-graduates join under the Management Support (MSO) scheme, while graduates join under the Management Executive Scheme (MXS). PSD is studying the merger of the two schemes.

In the integrated schemes, officers may have different entry points but will progress according to performance and ability to handle larger responsibilities, regardless of the starting point. And they will get training.

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There are agencies already with existing integrated schemes such as People's Association (PA), Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) and MHA. PUB is also developing a single engineering career path where diploma holders and ITE graduates can progress up the ranks to take on wider engineering or managerial responsibilities. And MOE, of course, Minister Heng has already spoken about. Members can see that the public sector is doing its part.

Then I move to the topic of industry or employers being on board. A number of Members – Ms Denise Phua, Mr K Karthikeyan, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Mr Mohd Ismail Hussein, Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Lee Li Lian – have pointed out that in order for the ASPIRE objectives to be achieved, industry and employers have to be on board. They have also highlighted that it is a challenge for businesses, because of business cost and manpower challenges.

Mr Thomas Chua made an earnest plea for SMEs and I can assure him that SMEs have not been forgotten, including in the composition of the ASPIRE Committee. There are a large number of SMEs – obviously, it was not possible to include a lot of them or all of them in the Committee, but we included the CE of SPRING because SPRING has a lot of dealings with SMEs and has an understanding of their difficulties and challenges. So, the SME issues were well-represented on the ASPIRE Committee.

SMEs can also particularly benefit from building up progressive pathways, providing training programmes and developing good human resources that will build up their manpower development capabilities. There are existing Government schemes to help them.

There is the SPRING Capability Development Grant: SMEs can tap into SPRING's Capability Development Grant to defray the costs of projects to enhance their business capabilities. These can include projects to strengthen leadership capabilities, those that adopt effective HR practices, cultivate a strong corporate culture and retain talent.

There is also SPRING's SME Talent Programme: it encourages SMEs to recruit local ITE and Polytechnic students. And it incentivises SME employers to develop their employees and invest in human capital development.

Aside from SPRING's funding and incentives, SPRING has also set up many SME centres which provide assistance and training to SMEs. And in 2013, the SME centres trained some 1,000 SMEs on business capability development areas and assisted over 20,000 SMEs.

Then there is WDA's Enterprise Training Support (ETS). Businesses and organisations can tap on the ETS scheme to fund projects that will build their in-house capabilities for human capital development and training. In total, $20 million was committed under the ETS

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to support companies.

Going forward, companies can, and should leverage these existing schemes and support in co-implementing the ASPIRE recommendations.

The Government will continue to look and see whether specific sectors also require other forms of sector-specific support, and develop supporting schemes as part of a concerted sectoral strategy to develop manpower and talent for these sectors.

As part of the ASPIRE recommendations, lead institutions will also be established for each key sector to coordinate the efforts in working with the different stakeholders. We hope that this will strengthen the linkages between institutions and industry.

In the meantime, I am happy to say that a number of companies have already pledged support. We have MNCs on board, examples of which include Rolls-Royce and GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals. For local companies, we have examples such as YCH Group and Sakae Holdings. These employers are forward-looking and can see the long-term benefits in terms of talent pipeline, employee retention, and increased productivity.

Then we come to mindset change. Members have raised this quite rightly and said that current mindsets are deeply entrenched. It will be a significant challenge to overcome them.

Ms Denise Phua highlighted the ability to transform mindsets of key stakeholders as a critical success factor for ASPIRE. Mr K Karthikeyan, Mr Zainudin Nordin and Ms Sylvia Lim spoke about the challenge of changing these mindsets on the ground. Ms Kuik Shao-Yin pointed out that ASPIRE's ability to succeed depends greatly on today's culture. Mr Lim Biow Chuan and Mr Faisal Manap spoke of the importance of reaching out to students and parents. The key question asked by many Members is: how are we going to change these mindsets?

One noteworthy thing is that everybody in this House who has spoken on this has not just pointed out the need for the mindset change, but agrees that it should be changed. So, you can see that there is strong support, even in this Chamber. When we speak to others, many agree that there is a need for it. That is a good starting point because if people recognise that this is something which needs to be changed – and they think it is a good thing to be changed – then it is really a question of everybody doing his or her own part and taking it on board.

For individuals – to recognise our strengths, to build on the right foundations, choose the right paths and adopt the right attitude to lifelong learning. For parents – realise your child's unique strengths and encourage him or her on the path that will best develop his or

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her talent. For employers – value every employee, hire and reward based on actual skills. And the Government will do its part, as I have indicated.

We should also celebrate broad definitions of success. It is true – we should celebrate individuals who have not trod the traditional paths but have achieved success in their own ways. But do also celebrate those who have achieved success along the degree route. Singapore is a sum of the parts. We should celebrate the success of each and every individual, because each and every Singaporean makes up Singapore. You want them to be able to progress and advance. When somebody does well, we should be happy for them. So, take a broad definition of success and support each other in this endeavour.

We should also highlight examples of model companies who espouse the right mindsets. These are the ones who invest in their people, education and training, who hire, remunerate and promote based on actual skills and performance, and take on sector-specific skills frameworks and progression pathways, and who continually improve jobs and progression opportunities for their employees.

Ms Sylvia Lim asked whether the industry sector leads in Polytechnics would have priority, or whether they would play a coordinating role. The answer is that they would play a coordinating role. The lead institutions also need to think of the Polytechnic and ITE sector as a whole, and source for opportunities to grow and develop it. But it is not intended that it should be a priority for a particular Polytechnic.

A number of the Members of Parliament have spoken in Malay. And Mr Sapari has pointed out that this is "Bulan Bahasa", so, Mdm Speaker, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to thank the Members for their strong support of the ASPIRE recommendations.

ASPIRE is about helping people realise the aspirations and creating many pathways to achieve success.

We hope that our young people will take advantage of the ASPIRE recommendations, including the internship and place-and-train programmes. Once they graduate from their studies at the Polytechnics or ITE, there will be many different options for them to progress and achieve success, either to further their studies, to work first or to obtain industry certification.

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We also hope that they will continue with lifelong learning. Ultimately, ASPIRE is about valuing every individual and respecting every job, and providing better opportunities for all.

(In English): Mdm Speaker, I would like everyone to understand what we are seeking to do.

ASPIRE seeks to be a game changer. We are trying to realign education with industry to cope with a new environment. We are making a strategic course adjustment. The previous course was right for that time, but we are setting a new course because once again, the winds of change are upon us. We must tack to a new wind. If we do not make the change, it will be forced upon us and not on our terms.

We are making a societal change, as Minister Heng pointed out, to go beyond qualifications, to go beyond the classroom, to go beyond narrow definitions of success. Some may say that these are lofty goals, high ideals, but how will we actually implement them?

Members have been correct to highlight the challenges. It is not an easy task. It will not happen overnight. It will take many years, but the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

ASPIRE is that step.

If we look at the 10 recommendations of ASPIRE – the ECG; Enhanced Internships; the Place-and-Train; to increase NITEC to Higher NITEC progression opportunities; Vocation Deployments during NS; Sector-specific frameworks, these are concrete recommendations. This is the beginning, but it is just that – only the beginning.

Now we need everyone else to start making the necessary concrete changes in their own areas. For teachers, when giving advice to students; for parents, when helping their children choose options; the Government has already started to move; employers in adopting Place-and-Train and in supporting their employees.

The only way in which the ASPIRE objectives will be able to succeed is if they permeate society and the economy and flow through all the segments and reach everyone.

It is like turning a ship. You turn the ship's wheel, the gears engage. You are fighting against the water resistance. The ship slowly starts to move and the initial move takes an awful lot of effort. But then it gains momentum and you start to pick up speed and then you

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are full steam ahead. This is what the ASPIRE effort is like.

We are doing something uniquely Singaporean. The Committee visited many countries. We visited Switzerland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. We also had insights from the Netherlands and Austria. I would like to acknowledge these countries and their agencies and institutions who generously shared their information with us.

The end product however – the recommendations of the ASPIRE Committee and the thinking behind it – that is something uniquely our own.

We have drawn from what we have seen, for example apprenticeships and career guidance, but we have woven it into our own context, our economic structure and our system. We are building on the strength of our Polytechnic and ITE system which we have strengthened over the years and which now have a brand of their own. We are proud of our Polytechnics and ITE, and of their students and graduates. International visitors from other education ministries and agencies are always very impressed by them.

We are also building on the strength of our tripartite system and, most of all, we are building on the strength of our people. So, this approach is very much our own.

We are contemplating the horizon, trying to figure out what is to come, anticipating as best we can, coming up with solutions and strategies, and then doing it together in a concerted effort. That is a very Singaporean thing; it is a very Singaporean approach.

We are doing this for one reason and one reason only – to secure a better future for Singaporeans and Singapore.

With this, Mdm Speaker, I wish to thank the Members for their support. [Applause.]

Ms Phua, you have a clarification?

Thank you, Madam. I want to thank the Senior Minister of State and the Minister for a really good job. This, to me, is very significant for Singapore. I just want to belabour one more time the need for the public sector to take the lead. Not because it is not trying and is not doing what it is already doing. The public sector needs to put in even more effort mainly because although it hires 4% of the total workforce, it is, however, the largest employer in Singapore. And because it is so respected, people look

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towards it for the definition of job success.

Ms Phua, what is your clarification, please?

Ms Phua, if you could just summarise your points. Not a speech, please.

Thank you very much. I would like to ask if the team would consider doing that.