The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is hosting its Graduation Ceremony from 23 to 27 February 2021, in celebration of the achievements of the university’s Class of 2020. The main session, held at The Theatre at Mediacorp, is graced by Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Transport.

Close to 2,200 graduates from 47 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are receiving their degree scrolls. This includes 783 graduates from SIT-conferred programmes, 524 graduates from SIT-overseas university (OU) joint programmes^[1], and 882 graduates from degrees conferred by SIT OU partners^[2].

Singapore’s First Locally Trained Allied Health Professionals to Meet Demands of Healthcare Sector

The occasion also marks the graduation of the first batches of Allied Health students from SIT’s Diagnostic Radiography, Occupational Therapy, Radiation Therapy and SIT-Trinity College Dublin Physiotherapy programmes – the first degrees of their kinds by an Autonomous University. In a preliminary employment survey conducted by SIT^[3], 97% of the 211 graduates in these programmes were contributing to Singapore’s healthcare workforce as much needed frontline workers.

All Allied Health students at SIT undergo curricula that were developed comprehensively in consultation with Singapore’s public and private healthcare institutions. The Diagnostic Radiography, Radiation Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy as well as Speech Therapy programmes are recognised by the Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC). Students are also required to fulfill a 30- to 40-week Clinical Practice Education during their course of studies, where they are placed in a variety of clinical settings to hone their clinical skills.

The demand for Allied Health professionals in Singapore continues to rise to cater to the nation’s ageing population. At the same time, there has been a growing awareness and interest amongst today’s youths in the Allied Health professions.

Pioneer Batch of Graduates with Deep Technical Expertise in Civil Engineering

The university is also graduating its first cohort of students from the SIT-University of Glasgow Civil Engineering degree programme, which has strong relevance to the Built Environment and Construction Industry Transformation Map (ITM), one of the 23 ITMs identified by the Future Economy Council (FEC). Launched in 2016, the programme aims to address the need for local manpower with the necessary civil engineering professional qualifications, in the face of sustained building and infrastructure developments.

The pioneer batch of 48 Civil Engineering graduates has been equipped with the practical knowledge and skills to plan, design, construct, maintain and operate infrastructure such as roads, rail, buildings and underground structures, as well as to rehabilitate ageing critical infrastructure in service. Graduates have also gone through an eight-month work attachment as part of SIT’s signature Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP), where they get to work on authentic hands-on tasks and projects together with their employers.

SIT Graduates Highly Employable Amid Challenging Economic Climate

Based on SIT’s preliminary employment survey^[4], 91% of the respondents from the university’s Class of 2020 have secured employment since the completion of their studies. Graduates from the Information and Communications Technology (Software Engineering), Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land) and Marine Engineering programmes obtained a 100% employment rate.

Professor Tan Thiam Soon, President, SIT, believes that this is a result of SIT’s industry-focused curriculum, as well as the success of its IWSP, which is mandatory for all students of SIT-conferred and SIT-OU joint programmes. “We are thankful to have received strong support from our industry partners, allowing SIT to maintain high relevance of its programmes through continual consultation, adoption of best practices, applied research projects and IWSP. With the duration of IWSP lasting between eight to 12 months with well-defined learning outcomes, students are assigned projects with a longer timeframe, and thus are able to learn more from this attachment and also make more significant contributions to the company. Upon graduation, our students can hit the ground running because of the solid foundation they received during their IWSP stint,” commented Prof Tan.

Support Measures for Class of 2020

In line with the university’s commitment to encourage lifelong learning, SIT has been offering its alumni, including the Class of 2020, $2,000 worth of SITizens Learning Credits since 2019. The Credits can be used to apply for Continuing Education and Training modules offered by SITLEARN Professional Development, the lifelong learning division of SIT. These modules will allow graduates to pick up new skill sets to complement the competencies that they have acquired in their undergraduate years, and some of these modules can be stacked into Postgraduate Certificates. 

Made possible through the generosity of various donors, the Student Relief Fund at SIT (COVID-19) has been established to assist students, including the Class of 2020, who are facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. Eligible students may receive up to $2,000 each to help them with their daily living and education expenses. More than $2.2 million has been donated towards the Fund, benefitting 690 SIT students thus far.

To provide more employment opportunities for its graduates, SIT is also participating in the SGUnited Traineeship (SGUT) programme as a host company, with 17 divisions within the university offering traineeship positions for graduates. SIT graduates have also taken up SGUT opportunities in various other companies, including the university’s industry partners, and benefitted from their experience of working in the industry.

Visit SIT Graduation Ceremony 2020/21 for the ceremonies' schedule, live streams and details.

Footnotes:

• [1] OU partners conferring joint degrees with SIT: DigiPen Institute of Technology, Massey University, Newcastle University, Trinity College Dublin and University of Glasgow.
• [2] OU partners conferring their own degrees: DigiPen Institute of Technology, Technical University of Munich, The Culinary Institute of America, The Glasgow School of Art, Trinity College Dublin, University of Glasgow and University of Liverpool.
• [3] Data is accurate as of 31 December 2020, and obtained from graduates who responded to a preliminary employment survey conducted by SIT.
• [4] Data is accurate as of 31 December 2020, and obtained from graduates who responded to preliminary employment survey conducted by SIT.