When it comes to making your mark in any field of work, upskilling is one of the corporate world’s favourite jargon to throw around. No, we’re not talking about the art of siam-ing mountains of workload or honing your foresight to chain MCs and ALs to celebrate an extra-long weekend once the public holidays hit.
Instead, equipping yourself with an updated skillset is the name of the game in this competitive job market, but committing a bulk of our time to full-time courses might not be too feasible, especially for those working a rigid 9-5. That’s where Temasek Polytechnic (TP)’s part-time and post-diploma courses come in.
From opportunities for personal development to gaining a stepping stone for a potential career switch, here’s what 3 adult learners who have experienced the school’s part-time diplomas have to say about them.
One of the main reasons why one would take up a part-time diploma is to upskill oneself by brushing up on their expertise in a given field of work. For Dylan Law, 28, that was exactly the case, but attaining a part-time diploma was doubly important for the Logistics cum Accounts and HR executive who’s currently working for Panasonic.
Dylan at his workstation at Panasonic.
Image credit: Dylan Law
That’s because in the beginning, he didn’t have the know-how when it came to work regarding logistics, as he graduated from ITE’s Higher Nitec in Human Resources & Administration course.
“Even though I didn’t really like studying, I thought it was important to have at least a diploma,” said Dylan. “Back then I was in the logistics industry for 3 years already, and because I didn’t have any logistics background in school, taking up this course meant I could deepen my knowledge and pick up essential skills.”
Dylan at his graduation last year.
Image credit: Temasek Polytechnic
And so after seeking out advice from his secondary school teachers and some encouragement from his sister, he landed a spot in Temasek Polytechnic’s Part-time Diploma in Business Practice (Logistics Management) course. Dylan was actually awarded the ITE Progression Award, also known as IPA, which is a national initiative under Budget 2024. This incentive helps cover the costs of getting a diploma and increases ITE graduates’ savings for long-term goals like buying a home or retirement.
Dylan successfully completed the diploma course last year, and found his time in Temasek Polytechnic to be immensely fruitful. When asked which lessons he found particularly helpful or interesting, his eyes lit up and resoundingly answered, “All of them”.
The course was an eye-opener for Dylan, as everything was pretty new to him, from being exposed to industry-specific expertise such as distribution management, to learning general presentation skills to aid him in meetings.
In particular, he was thankful for the Business Accounting module within the course. Although he was “not good with numbers”, the module was structured in a way that he could learn about the basics of accounting, and be better prepared to carry out his day-to-day duties. Recently, apart from the logistics side of things, he is putting what he learnt into practice, as he is also in charge of coming up with balance sheets and monthly reports.
Image credit: Ezekiel Hillary Thio Kwan Ming
Of course, not all students who enrol for part-time diplomas head into the course solely with career-driven intentions; take Ezekiel Hillary Thio Kwan Ming for instance. He has a storied work experience, having had a brush with the retail industry which saw him dealing with antiques, arts, and chocolate, as well as an 8-year stint with the Singapore Navy.
Image for illustrative purposes only.
Image credit: Age Well SG
Today, the 55-year-old works as a sales manager in the IT industry, helping companies set up anything and everything computer-related to ensure that their businesses run smoothly. During his spare time, he frequently volunteers at Active Ageing Centres (AACs), which are drop-in communal spaces in Singapore that provide timely access to healthcare and social services for the elderly.
As such, he decided to sign up for Temasek Polytechnic’s Diploma in Gerontology (Community Health & Social Care) in order to get a better grasp of senior care services. For the uninitiated, gerontology is the study of ageing, and diplomas regarding this field of study are sparse, with Temasek Polytechnic being one of only 2 polytechnics in Singapore that offer related courses.
As of writing, Ezekiel is currently in Semester 2 of his 1st year of the course, and he remarked that it has already given him a lot of insight into the industry. He recounted a recent class, where he had to head down to campus in order to learn more about the different walking aids certain seniors have to use, such as various rollator walking frames and crutches that were showcased.
Another hands-on lesson that stood out to him was when he stepped into the shoes of seniors who were stricken with chronic illnesses, such as glaucoma. The class provided certain devices and suits for students to wear in order to dull their senses and restrict their movements, to mimic what the elderly who are struggling with these nerve-sensitive afflictions could and could not feel.
“Ageing is not about coping with sickness and getting old,” said Ezekiel. “The course has taught us how to age well, what factors affect us when we are ageing, like our environment, our social health; all these things are things we don’t really think about.”
When asked about the possibility of another potential career switch, Ezekiel hinted that he might make the jump over to senior care in the future. But for now, he has set his sights on graduating with the intention of using what he learnt to further understand and help the elderly who frequent the AAC he volunteers at.
Image for illustrative purposes only.
Image credit: Temasek Polytechnic
The need to future-proof your skillset in this increasingly digital era cannot be understated. Debbie Lim Xin Yi, 30, concurs, which is why she settled on enrolling for the Specialist Diploma in AI Solutions Development course at Temasek Polytechnic, as she had a strong calling for dabbling in all things AI.
This wasn’t the first rodeo the aspiring inventor had with Temasek Polytechnic, as she had prior experience with their Specialist Diploma in Business Analytics course which she graduated from in 2018. Now, she’s back once again to keep up with the fast-evolving job market, by leveraging the pervasiveness of AI in our everyday lives.
“I wanted to learn something related to AI, because I tend to have a lot of ideas, and would like to create something, perhaps a useful app that is impactful for many in the future”, Debbie shared. “I was looking up courses which offered AI-related courses, and when I saw TP’s course outline for theirs, they had this GenAI module which got me very interested, and so I chose TP.”
The class schedule worked out well for her as she had to strike a balance between studying and working a full-time project management job in a local bank. On top of that, she also realised that she had SkillsFuture credits that were expiring, and since students can use their credits to fund part-time diploma courses at Temasek Polytechnic, the decision was simple.
Some of the modules that Debbie sat for during her time in the course included Building Machine Learning Pipelines, and her favourite, Generative AI in Practice. However, it is actually the former that she discovered to be the most relevant to her current job scope, as it taught her how to build handy dashboards that she uses in monthly meetings.
Going beyond her current career, she explained that she decided to tackle the problem of sentiment analysis for one of her projects in the course. “Online shopping is so widespread these days, and although it’s not too relevant to my career right now, I really want to understand how to do it well in case we do want to build a platform of our own one day,” the whiz said.
If you’re wondering about the class timings for Temasek Polytechnic’s part-time and post-diploma courses, classes are typically scheduled in the evening from 7pm till 10pm, so you can head for classes right after your commitments in the day.
Some of the courses are even composed mostly of virtual classes, so you need not make your way to the school’s campus in Tampines to attend lessons. This has proven to be a blessing for Debbie especially, as she can turn up for her classes virtually from the comfort of her home during her Work From Home days.
The part-time courses at Temasek Polytechnic are also very inclusive, as they welcome students from all walks of life, regardless of their field of work. “We do have a mixture of classmates,” recalled Ezekiel. “I have classmates who are medics, who are from vaccination centres, teachers, and even one who’s in the midst of transitioning from the financial sector to healthcare.”
Another thing you can expect from the classes here is the wide age range of the students. Ezekiel has interacted with classmates as young as 28, and the oldest student he has rubbed shoulders with in class was over 60. Alas, learning is a lifelong journey, and it’s never too late or too early to begin.
Image for illustrative purposes only.
Image credit: Roots.sg
Time management is essential when enrolling for a part-time diploma as a working adult. In Dylan’s case, he had to give his hobby of performing with his Lion Dance troupe a rest while he had his eyes on his studies, and Debbie relegated her drama binge-watching to happen only during Sundays, which she considers her rest day.
Image for illustrative purposes only.
As for Ezekiel, we’re not sure how he manages to fit volunteering for his AAC duties, showing up for church events, and spending time with his 2 kids all within his schedule. “It is challenging, but you just need to bite the bullet,” he advised. “It’s doable if we manage our time well, but we also have to be mentally prepared, because we have to manage our stress and emotions too.”
Debbie’s words of wisdom are to be forward-looking and know what you want before enrolling for part-time diploma courses. “I believe learning something meaningful, even if it doesn’t benefit me immediately, is important, as knowing the fundamentals is good to prepare myself for the future,” she asserted.
“Knowing what you want also keeps you motivated, because at the end of day, this diploma will only benefit yourself, so you’ve got to keep this at the top of your mind if not you may get distracted.” concluded Debbie.
Image credit: Temasek Polytechnic
Temasek Polytechnic’s part-time and post-diploma courses are geared towards adult learners, equipping them with emerging skills and knowledge to further supplement their qualifications within a particular industry. The school has over 60 of such courses to choose from which you can learn more about via Temasek Polytechnic’s website.
Image credit: Temasek Polytechnic
Their wide range of courses encompasses various occupational sectors, such as business management and advanced manufacturing. The school even has options relating to this digital day and age, which include the Diploma in Design & Media (Digital Content Creation & Management) and Specialist Diploma in AI-driven Data Analytics courses.
The course duration for their part-time and post diploma courses range from 1 year to 2.5 years, while their Stackable Skills-Based Modular Courses can be completed within 6 months.
The entry requirements for Temasek Polytechnic’s courses are very inclusive, such as just 1 year of relevant work experience to go along with your O Level, Nitec, or Higher Nitec certs. Some of the courses even accept students without any relevant academic qualifications, as long as they have enough years of relevant working experience under their belt.
While many of us have already graduated in what may seem like aeons ago, perhaps heading back to school once again is not a bad idea indeed, considering the career prospects a part-time diploma brings about. As such, spruce up your resume and polish your skillset by enrolling in one of Temasek Polytechnic’s part-time and post-diploma courses.
This post was brought to you by Temasek Polytechnic.
Cover image adapted from: Temasek Polytechnic, Debbie Lim Xin Yi
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