The SkillsFuture (SSG) Work-Study Programme (WSP) offers graduates from polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) the opportunity to upgrade to a higher qualification, while working in a job role that is related to their field of study. This is done through a combination of classroom learning and on-the-job training with participating employers. In this study, we examine the wage outcomes of participants in the Work-Study Post-Diploma (WSPostDip) and Work-Study Certificate (WSCert) programmes against that of polytechnic or ITE graduates who transited straight into employment.

Our findings suggest that WSPostDip and WSCert graduates from the 2018 to 2021 WSP graduating cohorts enjoyed a wage premium over their polytechnic and ITE peers who transited straight into employment after graduation. Specifically, compared to polytechnic graduates with similar profiles who went straight into employment, WSPostDip graduates enjoyed a wage premium of around 9 per cent one to two years after programme completion, and continued to see a premium of around 6 per cent in the subsequent two years. Meanwhile, compared to ITE graduates with similar profiles who went straight into employment, WSCert graduates enjoyed a wage premium of around 11 per cent one to two years after programme completion, with the premium sustained over the subsequent two years. Taken together, these findings suggest that the WSPostDip and WSCert programmes helped participants to deepen their skills and accumulate human capital that employers valued.

The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Ministry of Education (MOE), SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), or the Government of Singapore.

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