Junior college or polytechnic? How to guide your child to pick the right path
07 Jan 2024
In the 2023 Joint Admissions Exercise (JAE), which involved 19,600 students, 52 per cent of them were posted to a polytechnic, 39 per cent to JCs or Millennia Institute, and 9 per cent to the ITE. Around 45 per cent of the students who were admitted to the polytechnics in the 2023 JAE were eligible for JC. This proportion has remained stable over the last few years, said the MOE. About one in three fresh polytechnic graduates goes on to university, while around four in five A-level graduates do so. The five polytechnics have updated their offerings in recent years to provide more flexible and customised pathways to students. There are more options – from a common curriculum before specialisation, to a one-year internship. Students can also do overseas stints, take minors and get industry certifications. RP principal Jeanne Liew said the polytechnic curriculum has to reflect industry developments and prepare students for jobs that may not exist yet. “There is a need to focus on transferable core life skills,” she said. There is a shift towards a learner-centric approach. For example, instead of going on an internship, RP students can choose to run their own business. Some students have also gone on overseas internships. SP has an overseas internship programme with partners in Asean, China and India. SP assistant director of Industry & Partnerships Mr Fann Zhi Jie said overseas internships encourage students to “grow their global outlook and network with regional peers and partners”. Meanwhile, TP has an internship conversion programme, which recognises outstanding interns early by offering them provisional job offers before they even graduate, usually at the end of an internship. NYP principal Russell Chan said the polytechnics in Singapore have been working even closer with industry leaders in the last few years. For instance, NYP has been involving industry players in reviewing its curriculum and co-teaching it. There are also certifications that students can get alongside diplomas.
[The Straits Times]
