SINGAPORE —
Six in 10 graduates from private education institutions found full-time
jobs within six months after graduating, drawing an average starting
monthly pay of S$2,550, an inaugural employment survey has found.
The
proportion was lower than statistics from the autonomous universities,
including the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore Management University, Singapore University of
Technology and Design, and Singapore Institute of Technology.
Based on the
latest employment surveys from these universities, 80 per cent of their
graduates found jobs within six months after getting their degrees, with
the average monthly starting pay pegged at S$3,325. Fresh polytechnic
graduates earned about S$2,517 per month.
Overall
employment rate among the private education institution graduates surveyed,
which included those holding part-time, freelance and contract jobs, was at
84.3 per cent.
Among the 40
private schools polled, the ERC Institute had the highest full-time
employment rate (71.4 per cent), followed by Singapore Institute of
Management (SIM) Global Education (61.6 per cent), and Curtin Education
Centre (58 per cent).
Fresh
graduates from TMC Academy drew the highest starting pay of S$2,650 per
month. Those from SIM earned S$2,600 per month on average, while those from
ERC Institute drew S$2,550.
Conducted by
SkillsFuture Singapore and the Committee for Private Education (CPE), the
survey polled 3,521 graduates from July to September. Of the group
surveyed, 2,109 were from SIM, as compared with 50 from Curtin Education
Centre, 14 from ERC Institute, and 12 from TMC Academy.
They made up
about a third, or 32 per cent, of the alumni who graduated from full-time
degree programmes between May 2015 and April 2016.
The graduate
employment survey for private education institutions was among the measures
introduced in October last year to better protect prospective students by
making information more transparent.
Commenting
on the survey results, Mr Brandon Lee, SkillsFuture Singapore¡¯s Director-General
for private education said: ¡°Given the wide range of publicly-funded and
private upgrading options available, I would strongly encourage every
student to assess their needs carefully before deciding on the pathway they
would like to pursue.
¡°The (CPE)
will also continue to review its requirements periodically to ensure that
consumers¡¯ interests are protected and (private education institutions)
meet minimum standards.¡±
SkillsFuture
Singapore chief executive officer Ng Cher Pong added that the survey
results can help students ¡°weigh (employment outcomes) against the cost
involved in pursuing external degree programmes¡±.
However,
students should exercise caution when interpreting the results, said
SkillsFuture Singapore, as it noted that some of the institution-level data
was based on small sample sizes. For instance, 18 of the schools polled had
fewer than 10 respondents, while 23 had fewer than 20.
¡°The survey
is not intended as a comparison of the quality or value of the respective
institutions, and should not be interpreted as such. Instead, our
objective is to enable prospective students to make better informed
decisions about their education and career choices, with the key findings,¡±
said Mr Ng.
Private
schools approached by TODAY said that while the survey results serve as a
reference for prospective students, it does not take into account the
employment outcomes of certain segments of their student populations, such
as graduates from part-time degree programmes.
¡°(Private
institutions) have myriad differences in their programme
offerings¡¦different student profiles and success stories. This survey only
focused on full-time graduates, which is just one part of many
considerations by both student and parents,¡± said Mr Leon Choong, president
of Kaplan Singapore.
Dr R
Theyvendran, Secretary-General of the Management Development Institute of
Singapore agreed, as he noted that the sample sizes were not a good
representation of the private education landscape.
Dr Sam Choon
Yin, dean of the PSB Academy, said that the school¡¯s graduate employment
survey, conducted yearly among full-time and part-time graduates from
degree-level programmes, found that over eight in 10 found jobs within six
months of completing their studies.
The schools
interviewed said graduate employability remains a top priority, and that
they will continue to strengthen partnerships with foreign university
partners, Government agencies and the industry to enhance the quality of
their programmes.
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