SINGAPORE has a sterling reputation for its education system and it is little wonder why the National University of Singapore graduates are among the most employable in the world.
The university recently made the global top 10 of the latest Global University Employability rankings published by the Times Higher Education. NUS is the only higher learning institution from Singapore to have made the top 10 list and is only one of two Asian universities ranked in the highest tier.
After jumping six spots from last year’s ranking, NUS is now in the same grouping as American ivy league and United Kingdom Russell-group institutions such as Harvard University (first), California Institute of Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge and Stanford University, according to the Straits Times.
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The rankings, which have entered its eighth year, measures how university graduates perform in the job market. The global survey involved 7,000 recruiters and managing directors of international companies in 22 countries.
The survey involved 75,000 votes they felt were the best for graduates in terms of employability. Overall, the survey involved the recruitment of over 250,000 graduates in the past year.
Preparation
The president of NUS, Professor Tan Eng Chye, said in keeping up with the digital economy, NUS spares no effort in ensuring graduates were well groomed for their working years, equipping them with deep expertise that cuts across disciplines.
The students, Tan said, are also instilled with a growth mindset that allows them to adapt in ever-changing work environments that are filled with disruption and progress.
Students record the partial solar eclipse through a telescope at a sports field at the National University of Singapore in Singapore on March 9, 2016. Source: AFP
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“Students could also customise their learning journeys through initiatives that range from global study opportunities, residential living and learning experiences, to industry internships and immersion in entrepreneurial hubs in Asia and beyond,” he said.
“We’re also the first in the world to enrol our students for 20 years from the point of undergraduate admission. This comprehensive lifelong approach to education enables NUS to be a lifelong learning partner to our graduates as they upskill and reskill in their careers.”
Small footprint
THE Data Editor, Simon Baker, said with only two entries, Singapore may have “a small footprint” in the employability ranking, but that footprint was “increasingly deep”. The next Singaporean institution listed in the survey is ranked in the top 80.
Laurent Dupasquier, managing partner of Paris-based Emerging, said: “Today’s digital world makes for a constantly evolving workplace – the skills required in many roles will need regular updating and it has become impossible to determine which of them will change tomorrow, and how.
