ABSTRACT

Technical and vocational education and training (TVET) has been the backbone of Singapore’s push to build an industrialised workforce and is currently responsible for the post-secondary education of 65% of its Primary 1 cohort. Admissions to polytechnics increased from 5% of Primary 1 cohort in 1980 to 40% today while the Institute of Technical Education takes in 25% of this cohort. Under the current nation-wide comprehensive SkillsFuture Singapore initiative, skills acquisition seems to have replaced academic qualifications to become a new byword in Singapore’s education landscape. This paper traces the development of Singapore’s TVET into the current SkillsFuture epoch to analyse the tensions that have been wrought amongst knowledge, skills, habitus and curriculum frameworks. The role and place of vocational education, and its affordance and constraints within the wider hierarchy of what counts as valuable education in Singapore are also explored as questions here, including the complexities and issues around equal opportunities and social mobility, broader talent development, and the formation of life-long learners.

摘要

技术和职业教育与培训（TVET）一直是新加坡推动建立工业化劳动力队伍的骨干力量，目前负责其1年级学生的65％的专上教育。理工学院的入学率从1980年小学1年级的5％增加到今天的40％，而技术教育学院的这一比例为25％。根据当前全国性的综合性技能未来新加坡计划，技能获取似乎已取代学历，成为新加坡教育领域的新代名词。本文将新加坡职业技术教育与培训的发展追溯到当前的SkillsFuture时代，以分析知识，技能，习惯和课程框架之间的紧张关系。职业教育的作用和地位，