BY LIM DER SHING

A polytechnic education seems to be the preferred way to go nowadays.

It was reported in a Straits Times article in June 2003 that 48 percent of the 2003 "O" level graduates opted for a diploma education, compared to only 40 percent going for a junior college education. Many of the "O" level graduates interviewed cited the poor economy as the main reason for their choice of a diploma course, even when their "O" level grades could get them a spot in a top junior college. These ‘O’ level graduates are making the pragmatic decision since the diploma courses seem to be a lot more recession-proof than a university degree.

According to the annual employment survey jointly conducted by the four polytechnics of Singapore, 70 percent of the 2002 diploma graduates found a job within three months of graduation. On top of that, the gross monthly salary offered to these polytechnic graduates remained as high as in the boom years.

The joint survey found the average salary of a diploma holder to be $1,499, a mere 2 percent drop from $1,528 during the better times in 2000. An engineering polytechnic graduate looking to work in the manufacturing field, should be expecting about the same package as their seniors who graduated during the good times at a monthly gross of $1,600 to $1,800. Their counterparts with a degree in engineering, however, should expect their package to be about $2,200 to $2,400, compared to $2,400 to $2,700 (reduction by about 11-12 percent) in a better economy.

The university graduates seem to be a totally different boat from the diploma holders. According to the annual employment survey conducted by NUS, only 56 percent of the 2002 class received their first job offers within three months. The benefit packages the fresh-degree employees are receiving are not as good as that of their seniors’. One HR manager we spoke with stated that her company has adjusted the starting pay for their degree level engineers from $2,800 to $2,450, a pretty significant decrease of 12.5 percent since the start of the economy downturn. In addition, their headcount requirement for fresh degree level engineers is purely on a replacement basis.

The demand for the diploma holders is more constant and stable. Some explained that it is due to the more hands-on approach of the diploma syllabus, while others put the more down-to-earth, more hard-working and less demanding attitudes of our polytechnic graduates as the main reason of their high employability. Their ‘can do’ attitude is what employers are looking for now, especially in this less than rosy economy.