Articles

Employer Based Training

Employer Based Training (EBT) is at the foundation of a nation’s economic success. Singapore is a regional model in EBT that is interesting and important to study. While no one country’s model fits easily in a second country, we can look to those with vibrant economies for lessons to be learned.

Singapore began EBT operations in 1961 when skills development was moved from Singapore Polytechnic to its own management framework. Over the next 20 years, the partnership between TVET and Employers was strengthened until the training system was virtually an extension of the human resources development departments of Industry. By 1990, this system was clearly paying off, and a country with no natural resources except the talent of its own people became a world leader in productivity in a range of manufacturing and service areas.

It took over 25 years for this Employer Based System to mature. With it grew the companion institutional system, including the Polytechnics and Engineering Universities. The two tracks of TVET supported each other and fed into the same national economic plan.

Every country has its own path. But what we are seeing today is the emergence of the second track of TVET, Employer Based Training, to compliment the  institutional system developed over the last many years. As you will see, EBT will reach out to those who are presently shut out from further education. It will take as an objective to meet the skills needs of communities, to develop community responsive programs throughout the country. It will try to make every employer a training campus and every employee a part time learner. It will take time and resources, but the training partnership between employers and institutions is underway and EBT will be an excellent addition to any TVET system.

Information for TVET Professionals