Thursday 28 Mar 2024
By
main news image

SINGAPORE (Sept 8): Scholarships continue to be the preferred method of financing further education among students, according to CareerBuilder Singapore’s latest findings from the 2016 BrightSparks Scholarship and Education Survey.

This year’s edition also saw a rise in popularity of scholarships offered by the public sector, as well as a continued preference for the healthcare industry.

In a Thursday release, CareerBuilder says 72.5% of students surveyed have indicated a preference in financing their further education in Singapore via scholarships, while 56.2% voted to finance through their parents.

Yet, a small percentage of top JC and IB diploma students (14.5%), JC and IB diploma students (18.4%) and polytechnic students (12.9%) are still hesitant about applying for scholarships. Their key concerns include not wanting to be bonded, or an absence of interest in pursuing a career with the organisations offering scholarships.

Based on the survey’s 2016 rankings, six among the top 10 preferred scholarship providers are from the public sector.

The Public Service Commission ranked the most preferred scholarship provider, followed by the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

While the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) jumped eight spots to rank fifth this year, GIC has appeared in the top 10 list for the first time at 10th position.

Jessica Ang, marketing director of CareerBuilder Singapore, says a renewed interest in the public sector is not surprising, given the “slow growth in today’s economy”.

“Students are cautious about their job choices, seeking one that offers income stability and most importantly, job security. Ultimately, a job in the public sector is still seen as an iron rice bowl,” she explains.  

Industry-wise, the healthcare sector moved up two ranks from its third place last year to emerge as a top choice across all student categories in this year’s edition of the survey.

Ang deems the recurring interest in the healthcare industry as a positive sign, and highlights a need for the sector to continue implementing effective HR measures, which she says will help in reaching out to a wider pool of talent such that Singapore’s healthcare scene will benefit from it.  

The 2016 BrightSparks Scholarship and Education Survey was conducted from June to August this year, and based on a total of 1,002 polytechnic, junior college (JC) and international baccalaureate (IB) diploma student respondents.

BrightSparks is a scholarship and higher education portal owned by CareerBuilder Singapore.

      Print
      Text Size
      Share