Studying During Breaks & Holidays: Keeping Your Motivation For Study

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For students who are undertaking full-time study in Singapore has an education system that aims for both academic excellence and skills development. However, with such a focus on academics, there is the pressure to keep up with one’s studies even during semester breaks or the holiday season.

If you find yourself in such a predicament during a school break, here are some tips on how you can stay motivated to study during breaks and holidays so that you will be able to get your full time and part-time diploma.

1) Check your course schedule.

If you haven’t checked your course schedule in a while, now is the time to do so. Aside from the topics that you are assigned to study during the break, take note of those topics that you don’t fully understand. You may need to review those early topics first before you move on to your break assignments.

2) Work out a break study place and schedule.

With so many potential distractions during breaks, you need to work out a schedule for studying and determine a great place where you can study in peace. Make sure that you allot an hour or two for study during that time of the day wherein you are doing nothing. Or, in the case of the holidays, you can set study times before or after you go out Christmas shopping. If you want total peace and quiet, study in the library.

3) Let your family in on your study plans.

Family obligations, including visits to relatives, may interfere with your study plans. Inform your parents and/or other family members about your study schedule. Tell them that you need to study during the break/holidays and, if possible, they can work family obligations and visits around your sked. It will be much easier for you to get the quiet time you need for study if your family members understand your situation.

4) Synchronise your learning with the things you love.

Given that you’re supposed to be resting or enjoying yourself, you may find yourself feeling lazy to study. Trying synchronising the topic you are studying with your interests. For example, if you happen to be studying a topic related to sales and business management, utilise the principles you have learned in selling Christmas fruit cakes, pastries and other foods that you love to cook and bake.

5) Stay healthy.

To keep your motivation high, make sure that you stay healthy during the breaks and holidays. Eat a healthy diet and get in some regular daily exercise to keep those “feel good” hormone levels high.

Tips on Surviving Your First Year in Polytechnic

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If you are reading this article, you may have gotten a scholarship or can afford to go into Polytechnic. You are raring to go to school and meet new people, but at the same time, you may be somewhat afraid of the challenges ahead.

Well, let’s take a look at some tips on how you can survive your first year in Polytechnic.

1) You will need a planner.

Don’t believe what some tipsters tell you that Polytechnic is more relaxed than your secondary school. The only reasons why the environment seems freer and relaxed is because you are supposed to be given sufficient time to study and do your assigned homework and projects. Once these things start piling up because you are always gallivanting around, you begin to feel the pressures.

Having a planner will help you to schedule other activities around your school time. Early on, set study times during breaks between classes or an hour or two before going to bed. Malling, hanging out with friends, and other recreational activities should be set Friday afternoon or early evening or Saturday. Make Sunday your rest day.

2) SkillsFuture is your best friend.

There will be times when you feel that you are not getting enough information out of a class. This is the time when you should use your SkillsFuture credit to good use. Check out a related part time or online course in the directory and apply for it with your SkillsFuture $500.

3) Start all projects immediately.

Procrastination has no place in Polytechnic. If you are assigned a project in one class, you need to start doing them immediately, so you can make significant headway before being given another project in another class. There is a tendency for homework, papers, and projects to pile up in Polytechnic. If you want to get things done early so you don’t scramble to finish them days before deadline, better start your projects as soon as they are assigned to you.

4) Make friends with both schoolmates and teachers.

No, this does not mean that you have to suck up to people to get better grades. But it will make your life in Polytechnic more comfortable if you don’t have enemies. Go out of your way to make friends with some of your classmates who share your interests. Remember that the friend you make in school will become your study buddy. Being on the good side of your teacher is also something to keep in mind especially if you are having problems understanding lectures. Teachers prefer that students take the initiative to ask them questions about topics they don’t understand.

5) Get into Co-Curricular Activities (CCA)

Joining CCAs will enable you develop skills like leadership and teamwork, which potential employers look for. Any achievements you make in a CCA will also add lustre to your career portfolio. If the CCA is an activity you enjoy, it will also help lessen your stress.

How to Choose Among Multiple Scholarships

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If you are thinking of getting full-time study Singapore has many courses available via the SkillsFuture programme. However, if these courses are still beyond your financial means, there are scholarships that you can apply for so that you can still get the education you desire. One good example is the scholarship in Singapore for ITE graduates.

If you are faced with many scholarships to choose from, here are some tips so that you will be able to determine which scholarship is right for you.

1) Determine your career goals

It is important that you already have a set of career goals in mind prior to choosing your scholarship. Is it your goal to zoom straight up the corporate ladder to an executive position? Do you want to contribute to the success of the company? Perhaps you want to empower the leadership and employees of the company toward more civic-oriented causes? These are just some examples of career goals that you might have.

2) Research on the scholarship provider

Scholarships may be provided by educational institutions, government agencies or even private companies. It is important that you do a thorough research on the background, vision and mission of the provider. Are the provider’s goals the same or similar to yours? Do they have an organisational structure, culture or values that will allow for the fulfilment of these goals? Make a list of all of the scholarship providers that share your career goals.

3) Consider opportunities for career advancement

All scholarship providers also give opportunities for career advancement in the form of internships, actual workplace training through a mentor, or job rotations. If you are not afraid of taking risks or challenges, you might want to choose an organisation with a wide variety of functions. Exposure to various tasks both within the organisation and through job rotations with other companies will enable you to develop skills outside of your field of study. In addition, you will also learn how to adjust your working pace depending upon the working environment. Skills, flexibility and adaptability are abilities that you need to develop before you enter the working force full time.

4) Get feedback from others

Some of the best information that you can get about a scholarship provider is through communicating with individuals who have had experience with the organisation. Your parents may recommend a provider because they themselves received a scholarship from them. For more updated information, you can ask your teachers and senior students. Ask about the things you will learn and if you still need to take part time courses to augment what is being taught in the organisation. Inquire about the challenges you are likely to face, both in the classroom and workplace.

When you have multiple scholarships to choose from, always weigh your decisions carefully to ensure that you will be matched with the best scholarship provider.

SkillsFuture: Reaching Out to Communities

The year 2016 has not been a good year economy-wise in Singapore. Because of the slowing down of the country’s economy, many leading companies saw it fit to lay off thousands of employees to cut down on costs. Now without jobs, these workers are in a haze of confusion, uncertain of which direction to take in their careers.

Thankfully, SkillsFuture Singapore is reaching of to these retrenched workers and other jobless individuals in the communities through two new initiatives, namely SkillsFuture Engage and SkillsFuture Network. And their message is simple – “There are many jobs out there; you only need to learn and develop new skills.”

What is SkillsFuture Engage?

SkillsFuture Engage is the initiative that seeks to reach out to Singaporeans in their various communities. It hopes to create Community Development Councils (CDCs) and Self-Help Groups with advisers who are trained in providing advice and various resources so that Singaporeans will be able to make well-informed decisions about education, training, their chosen career and possible alternative career opportunities.

Part of the SkillsFuture Engage initiative is to guide the public in the use of their SkillsFuture credit. Singaporeans will also be guided on how to access the SkillsFuture courses list and help them to determine which specific courses they will need to take in order to stay upgraded in their current jobs or start a new career entirely. Perhaps the most important of all, Singaporeans will be directed to job search resources so that they will be able to find the career they have long wanted.

What is SkillsFuture Network?

SkillsFuture Network is similar to Engage in that it is an advisory and guidance initiative. While Engage holds a supervisory position over all community groups in the country, SkillsFuture Network is specifically based within a single community alone.

The initiating community for the Network initiative is the South West Community Development Council. Called SkillsFuture Network @ South West, the group plans to reach out to all members in their community. Not only will they provide them with advice on education and career choices through the SkillsFuture programme. They will also direct individuals, particularly women and seniors who wish to be productive and earn a living, to work opportunities that are within reach of their own homes. Such an initiative is very helpful to people who see a large percentage of their salaries going to transportation and commuter costs.

But SkillsFuture Network has a much larger goal in mind. By providing residents with education and job opportunities within their respective neighbourhoods, they will essentially contribute to the progress and development of their communities, ensuring jobs for future generations.

Indeed, SkillsFuture’s community initiatives, Engage and Network, should be best emulated by the rest of the world who wish to see their citizens become productive, financially stable and happy in their chosen careers.

4 Reasons You Need to Apply For a Personal Loan to Get An Education

For individuals who wish to study full-time courses in Singapore is a virtual paradise of education in the entire world. The reason for this is that Singapore is arguably the only country that offers an extensive variety of both full-time and part-time courses which citizen can avail of through the SkillsFuture programme.

However, getting a good education is not really cheap. While government subsidies are in place that will considerably reduce the costs of courses, most education opportunities are too expensive which would necessitate getting an education loan. The worst case scenario is your option is to get a personal loan.

What is an Education Loan?

As the term obviously denotes, an education loan is a loan used for purposes of getting an education. Upon approval of your loan, the money will not be given to you. Instead, it will be deposited in the account of the school or university that is providing the course/s you are going to take.

Compared to personal loans that have a 5 to 8 percent interest rate, education loans have interest rates of around 4 percent per year. It is because of the lower interest rate that individuals prefer to apply for education loans.

But what if you don’t qualify for an education loan?

4 Reasons You Need to Apply for a Personal Loan

Let us take a look at the 4 major reasons why you will need to apply for a personal loan to get an education in Singapore...

1) You don’t qualify for the education loan

Most individuals are unable to get an education loan because they don’t meet the eligibility requirements. Most education loans require applicants to be at least 21 years old. They should also not be studying full-time. In addition, the annual income of the family is should be between $24,000 and $30,000.

While a guarantor, such as an immediate family member or relative, can get the loan for you, they should also meet the above minimum criteria.

If you and your guarantor don’t meet these criteria, you need to get a personal loan.

2) The course you chose is not eligible for education loans

All education loans have lists of approved courses and course providers. If your chosen course and the institution that will be teaching it are not in the lists, your application for an education loan will be automatically rejected and you will need to take out a personal loan instead.

3) You’ve reached the limit of your education loan

Education loans have limits of between $80,000 and $200,000. If you exceed these limits, you have to get a personal loan especially if there are other courses that you would like to pursue.

4) Insufficient SkillsFuture credit

Although most SkillsFuture courses are reduced by government subsidies and your SkillsFuture $500 credit, some courses are just too expensive so that you need to get a personal loan.

Applying for Part Time Diploma Courses? Do A Skills Self-Assessment First

Applying for part time diploma courses is not something you automatically decide on. After all, you don’t want to end up depleting your SkillsFuture $500 on a crappy course. It requires assessing the current skills that you have, discovering skills that you have developed but are not aware of, and developing new ones to keep you upgraded at your job.

In order to perform a good skills self-assessment, get a pen and paper for jotting down notes and then ask yourself the following questions...

“What knowledge/skills do I have right now?”

First of all, think about what knowledge and skills you have been using that are enabling you to effectively perform your job. This does not include whatever skills you have learned throughout the years in school. Jot down all of these skills and rank them according to importance. If one skill has not been upgraded in some time, you might want to consider taking a training course.

“Did I develop additional skills while on the job?”

The next step is to examine how you have been performing at your job. Unless you look closely at your current skills, you wouldn’t realize that you have developed other useful skills as an offshoot. For example, if you are in the field of products and services, you may already be aware that you are good in explaining to suppliers and clients the various offerings of your company. What you don’t know is that in the process of communicating with various people in the supply chain, you have developed excellent negotiation skills which have enabled you to secure lucrative deals for your company. These offshoot skills increase your value to your employer, and it is important to hone them further by getting yourself an education.

“What do I want out of my job?”

Once you have your list of skills, determine what exactly you want out of your job. Obviously, everyone wants to get promoted and get a higher salary. You might also want to consider how satisfied you are at your job. Do you find yourself stuck at your desk all day, but deep inside you want to communicate with clients? Do you want to put greater input into improving the work environment for all? Perhaps there are unfair conditions in your company which you know you can change if you possess the skills to initiate such changes? Make a list of all the things you want changed or done in the future and rank them based on your personal priorities.

“Can you tell me more about myself?”

A part of self-assessment is knowing how your bosses and co-workers view your job performance. Get their feedback, both positive and negative. Ask for advice on how you can improve and what courses you can take.

Use the knowledge you have gained in your self-assessment to narrow down your choices of part time courses.

Continuing Education Through Part Time Diploma Courses

When you hear the term "continuing education", what immediately comes to mind are the various medical, nursing and related health fields wherein discoveries in diseases and advancements in diagnosis and treatment requires that doctors, nurses and health personnel acquire much needed training in order to be updated with the latest protocols and techniques. However, continuing education does not only apply to scientific fields. Because new technologies are being developed and existing ones are being upgraded, there is a consequent need for every working Singaporean to be updated as well.

This can be accomplished by taking part-time courses in Singapore.

Part Time Courses Explained

Part time courses consists of learning and training modules that an individual can take anytime he or she chooses, for as long as he/she is able to complete the course within the prescribed duration. Most courses require at least an hour or two’s attendance by the student and can take as long as 5 to 6 months or longer to complete, depending upon the complexity of the subject matter.

Because of their flexible schedules, these courses are particularly suited for working individuals who want to improve in their job skills but are confined to their place of work for 8 to 10 hours a day. Some modules may be studied by a person during his/her lunch break; longer ones require study during weekends.

A plus for part time courses is that you can go back to any past modules which you don’t understand. You can review previous modules many times as you can until you fully understand it and can apply it to your job.

SkillsFuture Credit and Part time Courses

With the implementation of the SkillsFuture Credit programme this year 2016, Singaporeans have full access to over 10,000 full time and part time diploma courses in Singapore from the best educational institutions.

To know which courses you need to take, simply consult with your supervisor and/or your company’s Human Resources Department. They are in the best position to discuss your strengths and weaknesses and offer suggestions on which courses can help you develop and/or improve in your career. Once you have your list of courses, you can learn more about them by visiting the SkillsFuture Course Directory. Just click the course you are interested in taking and you will be provided with additional details. Once you have decided upon a course, the next step is to log in to your SkillsFuture Credit Portal.

Now don’t be dismayed if your existing credit of $500 is not sufficient to pay for the course. You might want to look into the possibility that the course might be government subsidised, which means you will be paying only a small percentage of the fees.