Learners for life
NUS students will be enrolled in the University for 20 years from point of undergraduate admission, while all NUS alumni will be automatically eligible for CET courses under the new NUS Lifelong Learners programme
NUS alumni will find it easier to return to the University for classes under the new NUS Lifelong Learners (NUS L3) initiative announced by Minister of Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung in his speech at the Ministry of Education’s Committee of Supply Debate in Parliament on 5 March.
Blazing the trail in lifelong learning, the initiative, offered by NUS’ School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE) in collaboration with the University’s Faculties and Schools, will recognise every NUS student enrolment as valid for a period of 20 years from point of undergraduate admission, said Mr Ong.
Upon graduation, all current and future NUS students would therefore have ready access to a curated catalogue of publicly available skills-based, industry-relevant Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses for upskilling or reskilling, and remaining competitive in the future economy. Similarly, all 288,600 NUS alumni would be automatically eligible for these courses.
Professor Ho Teck Hua, NUS Senior Deputy President and Provost, said that lifelong learning is the key to ensuring that NUS students and alumni stay updated on the developments and disruptions that globalisation and digital technologies bring to the workplace.
“This is part of our new NUS L3 programme, which will enable our alumni to acquire new skills and knowledge to better prepare them for their current jobs, new responsibilities, or alternative careers. NUS L3 is a bold initiative, the first of its kind in Singapore. It represents our strong commitment to our students and alumni, as well as our ambition to be their anchor for lifelong learning,” said Prof Ho, who is also Tan Chin Tuan Centennial Professor.
NUS L3 expands on the existing Lifelong Learning Initiative for NUS Alumni announced in May 2017, which saw an overwhelming response with more than 8,000 applications for 404 places in 79 courses received during the pilot phase.
CET courses under NUS L3 will match the eight priority and emerging skills areas identified under the SkillsFuture Series — Data Analytics; Finance; Tech-Enabled Services; Digital Media; Cybersecurity; Entrepreneurship; Urban Solutions; and Advanced Manufacturing. Beyond the publicly available courses, they will include courses currently offered to NUS students, as well as those designed specifically for adult learners.
A first edition catalogue of 500 courses will be launched in phases, with the initial suite of courses to begin this August.
The University will offer virtual vouchers that offset the cost of one NUS CET course to alumni who are new to lifelong learning at NUS. Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents who opt to stack up additional skills-based courses towards certification will receive a 70 per cent course fee subsidy under the SkillsFuture framework, while others may choose to pursue a Graduate Diploma, Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree by reading additional selected courses.
Applications for NUS L3 courses through SCALE will open on 1 July.
For more information, please visit http://scale.nus.edu.sg/AlumniLifeLongLearning/index.html
See press release and media coverage.
