UniSIM survey shows benefits of upgrading

UPGRADING has paid off for working adults who attended SIM University, according to a new study commissioned by the school.

About half of the private university's students saw their salaries increase after graduation, while about 20 per cent moved to different jobs after finishing their courses.

The poll, done by The Nielsen Company, is the first comprehensive survey on the impact of continuing education on the working lives of adults here.

Of the UniSIM graduates whose salary increased, the average rise was about 15 per cent while nearly one in five saw an improvement of more than 30 per cent.

Those who changed jobs reported a 21 per cent wage increase, compared to the national average of 6 per cent per last year, said UniSIM yesterday.

One UniSIM graduate, Mr Kit Chan, 29, switched jobs after completing his Bachelor of Arts in business studies. He is now working at a local bank as an assistant vice-president and received a 30 per cent pay increase.

Mr Chan, who had a diploma in electrical engineering from Singapore Polytechnic, said returning to school improved his career prospects.

'My degree definitely played a part in landing my current job. In the process, I also learnt better time management as I juggled studies with my work,' he said.

Apart from a better salary, 50 per cent of students who changed jobs within two years of graduation moved to a different industry.

UniSIM is a privately-funded university recognised by the Education Ministry.

Established in 2005, it provides higher education programmes for 8,000 adult learners and issues its own degrees.

The poll of its former students included responses from just over 1,000 graduates who earned their degrees between 2002 and last year.

The majority of those who responded were between 30 and 40 years old. Most worked in the public sector and multinational corporations.

Read More...

Surge in UniSIM degree applicants

SIM University (UniSIM) has seen a surge in applications after the Government introduced hefty subsidies for degree programmes earlier this year.

The number of applicants jumped 60 per cent in the wake of news that the State would cover 40 per cent of the cost of part-time courses there and at Singapore's three publicly funded universities.

The subsidies are for working adults who are citizens and have not had subsidised undergraduate education here, to give them a shot at higher qualifications.

More than 3,000 people applied for the July intake at UniSIM, which caters to working adults in their late 20s looking to upgrade their skills, advance in their current jobs or make a job switch.

To keep up with the demand, the school increased its intake by 50 per cent to 1,800 students. The school, which has 8,000 students, has two intakes a year.

The most popular degrees include those in business, aerospace systems, business analytics and human resource management. The four saw up to two applications for each opening.

With the subsidy, a four-year part-time degree at UniSIM - which would cost about $30,000 - would cost just $18,000. In comparison, undergraduates in an average four-year full-time degree course at Nanyang Technological University or the National University of Singapore would pay about $25,000.

UniSIM president Cheong Hee Kiat said the fact that the subsidy was extended to the school is a recognition of its quality. He said it was key that UniSIM was 'recognised as part of university space' and that it was the only institution, apart from the other three universities, to be given degree- granting status by the Education Ministry.

UniSIM, set up in 2005, started offering its own degrees the following year targeted at working adults.

The university is looking to expand its course offerings for this group and is planning to add more postgraduate programmes and lifestyle courses.

To entice more to sign up, it plans to increase the number of modules in its general studies degree to include fine arts, wine appreciation, film studies and traditional Chinese medicine.

It has also tied up with other institutions, including the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa), to offer courses like visual communication with business, so students can take advanced courses in visual communication at Nafa but go to UniSIM for the business modules.

Such 'twinning' programmes would offer students the best of both worlds, said Professor Cheong.

He added: 'We recognise that we do not have all the knowledge that will allow us to produce many of the programmes we want to do. So we look for partners who are already experts in certain areas so we can offer students as wide a repertoire as we can.'

UniSIM is holding its third convocation next Thursday for 851 graduates.

Read More...