The age cutoff for the award was set at 30 to encourage ITE graduates to pursue a diploma earlier and reap the benefits of better career opportunities over a longer term, said the Education Ministry.
With the cutoff at age 30, ITE students can enter the workforce for two years after graduation and then choose to pursue a diploma, it added. “We think that does give them enough runway to make that decision.”
Over 7,000 eligible ITE graduates are expected to enrol in diploma programmes this year, said the ministry. The incentives are expected to cost the government at least S$105 million per year, which could grow depending on the take-up rate.
About 13,000 students graduated from ITE each year for the past five years. More than one in three students from the 2022 cohort enrolled in a diploma programme immediately after graduation, up from one in four in 2018.
Some ITE graduates opt to work before furthering their studies, MOE said, adding that about one in two obtain at least a diploma within 10 years of graduating from ITE.
From 2012 to 2022, the median real gross monthly salary of ITE graduates increased by S$310.
The gap in median real starting salaries between ITE and polytechnic graduates increased from S$560 in 2012 to S$600 in 2022, while that between ITE and university graduates increased from S$1,780 in 2012 to S$2,130 in 2022.
Obtaining a diploma narrows this gap and helps ITE graduates secure more job opportunities, said MOE.