Examining the Success of Skills Future's Earn and Learn Program for Polytechnic Graduates

This study examines the extent of success of Skills Future's Earn and Learn Program for polytechnic graduates on entering the workforce. It explores the problem of parents preferring their children to further their studies and attain a basic bachelor degree, and the resistance of parents and polytechnics towards not going to university. The study also reviews the literature on investments in human assets and company-offered training. The cost-benefit analysis of the program is discussed, along with the role of government intervention. Overall, the study aims to provide insights into the effectiveness of the Skills Future's Earn and Learn Program for polytechnic graduates.

EXAMINING THE EXTENT OF SUCCESS OF THE
SKILLS FUTURE’S EARN AND LEARN
PROGRAM FOR POLYTECHNIC GRADUATES
ON ENTERING THE WORKFORCE.

Introduction
After independence, polytechnics were set up to train post-secondary students to fulfill job
requirements in the various blue collar industries. Working with the various companies,
polytechnics were supposed to produce workers who have hands-on experience within a dynamic
and progressive learning environment. One of the features of polytechnic education is the strong
emphasis on practice-based learning. This will enable polytechnic students to gain valuable on-
the-job experience and provide you with opportunities to work with industry experts. Unlike
junior college, training polytechnic students for university education was not the priority of the
various polytechnics. As such only 20% of polytechnic graduates continue higher education in
university (Harter et al. 2010).
Problem Statement
However it was noted that parents prefer their children who attend polytechnic to further their
studies and attain a basic bachelor degree. In addition, the polytechnic graduates who attend local
or overseas universities are not trained in skills that match the various industries. Through Skills
Future’s Earn and Learn Program, the aim lies in to shrinking education wastage by matching
industrial knowledge with employment opportunities. As such, without a university education,
Skills Future’s Earn and Learn Program helps polytechnic students attain the same salary as a
university graduate.
Despite the support from Skills Future’s Earn and Learn Program to match and train polytechnic
graduates with companies, the mind-set of parents and polytechnics remain resistant towards not
going to university (Huggins & Izushi, 2011).
Literature Review
Investments aimed at “human assets” not simply expand the individuals’ incomes and
organizations’ profits; however the affordability of organization and the development of nation-
states as well as the welfare of cultures also get the benefits. Though various parties get
advantage from the resources of human investment in the optimum circumstances, the
response to who have a duty to pay for the investment is not at all times straightforward. The
economically well-organized response to this query denotes that those who get advantage from

the undertaking of project must pay the expenses of learning and training (Ashill et al. 2019).
Nevertheless, it may not each time be clear who will get aid from investments in human
wealth since this sort of funds can generate constructive externalities (profits to entities or
persons who did not capitalize) or support to inhibit negative externalities (rates of non-
education- that get lifted to others).
In the setting of company-offered training, the conventional human capital theory propounded
by Becker specifies that—in economic labor marketplaces—staffs have a duty to support all
expenses of investments in overall human wealth. For organization-specific human resources,
proprietors and workforces must share the dealing expenditures. All-purpose human capital
remains demarcated as all talents and awareness that a member of staff can utilize across
numerous companies, while firm-specific “human wealth” refer to knowledge and abilities
which are not transportable from the prevailing proprietor to other organizations (Ghapanchi et
al. 2014).
Yet, experiential interpretations display that companies invest fairly and recurrently in
wide-ranging human capital. Subsequently this denies the concept, concerns of the principle are
essential to enhance and agree to proceed as per the legitimate settings. During 1970s there
pursued numerous such allowances of the innovative theoretical ideals. Mostly, yet not entirely,
in some approach or another, the postulation was relaxed that labor marketplaces stand as
competitive. If employment marketplaces have resistances, then these abrasions permit the firms
to capitalize in their workers’ all-purpose human wealth without exposing downfall of the asset.
They can recover the cost later by compensating remunerations under employees’ peripheral
throughput. Apart from that, companies that capitalize in training can protect currency even
in inexpensive labor markets by decreasing incomes or else by indicating healthier working
situations and in that way tempting more gifted and motivated candidates (Harter et al. 2010).

Figure: ELP Education scheme
(Source: Skills Future, 2018)
Time and again, however, resistances of labor marketplace originate with a charge, for
illustration, higher intensities of redundancy, besides every businesses cannot relish the
equivalent extent of teaching investment security from industrial market frictions (Kotler,
2012) Consequently, with the intention of enlightening modifications in the prevalence of
physical activities, distribution among nations, economic divisions or singular corporations, the
emphasis has lately re-shifted towards the query of the environments wherein or series of which
establishments can deliver overall human wealth without going into disposable costs. These
enquiries denote specific solicitation in labor markets which come near to a cost-effective
service market otherwise designed for SMEs. Small companies are further approaching to miss
their members after teaching than big companies who can deal with inner labor markets.
Consequently, SMEs need to depend on the industrious assistances of applicants throughout the
teaching period to include their training expenses (Lancaster, 2012)
Differentiation Overall Cost

Innovation Usefulness of operational Significance
Strategic method of competitive Improvement
(Source: Swanson, 2013)
.
Most businesses are not competent to trust completely on labor market resistances to cover their
training investments. Therefore, companies’ predictable net budgets of preparing the employees
all through the dissolution of a training package remain the paramount significant indicators in
businesses’ decision practice of whether or else not to afford teaching spaces for an assumed
package. When companies assume to have exposed net budgets at the completion of training, this
cannot mechanically reject the setting up of training practices. As an emergency for the situation,
predictable net budgets articulate the company in what method countless benefits it would drive
to mine from applicants either in or subsequently after the training package (Swanson, 2013).
Even if the ELP at Singapore is not unswervingly equivalent as a teaching organization with
the traineeship programs, the technique of computing its costs as well as benefits as of the
viewpoint of the coaching unit remain the same.

Figure: Costs and Advantages
(Source: Skills Future, 2018)
Supposing integrated labor marketplaces, individuals’ productive assessment at a time remains
equivalent to salaries they may possibly receive before joining at ELP. The unskilled income
might be classified as contrasting to an accomplished remuneration nonetheless it denotes to
persons with post-secondary learning. Throughout the ELP course, the productive worth of the
member upsurges as they turn out to remain progressively skilled at the works of an experienced
career (OECD, 2011). Subsequently afterward, “the ELP” member obtains the “post learning”
salary. this post-ELP income may be identical to the person’s productive worth
underneath the supposition of ideal labor marketplaces, on the other hand, it may likewise be
inferior if labor market inadequacies occur. Throughout the ELP, salaries of contestants are not
market-centered nevertheless are principally demarcated by ELP strategies. Though they

frequently increase in the course of the program, the rate accepts persistent earnings for
effortlessness (Muehlemann et al. 2010). Therefore, the training charges, of which member
earnings remain the maximum significant measure, it stands determined. Since the industrious
influence of ELP members is little at the foundation of ELP, the salaries of ELP applicants are
frequently advanced than their dynamic value. Therefore, the an investment period all
through which teaching charges surpass the contestant’s productive worth (Muehlemann &
Wolter, 2014). For the duration of the investment companies face “net costs” attributable to
supplying the ELP site. Sometime, while the ELP members come to be more creative and remain
assigned with tasks which generate a greater value for the organization, their dynamic
contributions ought to surpass the companies’ expenses for preparation and the applicant’s
income. In this stage, the ELP members generate a net advantage to the organization (United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2019).
The cost advantage design structure covers all expenditures and outflows for teaching along with
the dynamic impact of participants in the course of the teaching period. This profits the net-costs
at the completion of the teaching period. Moreover, the assessment of post training securities
those firms can accumulate in the time after training gets over to save hiring and modification
charges. Current experimental exploration has revealed that this evaluation of the
idealistic theory is essential to stretch a comprehensive representation of the teaching decisions
of companies as corporations may receive net values at the termination of the training interval if
they decide they will need substantial benefits after that (Harter et al. 2010).
Even if the contribution of businesses in any company-centered teaching model designed for the
functioning of such a structure (without companies there stands no organization-based
preparation), along with training pattern cannot work appropriately, it does not produce a
constructive level of return aimed at its prospective members also. If a well-founded institute
determines to take full advantage of its yield on a teaching program at the cost of members, it
may not catch adequate or satisfactorily endowed candidates for its additional programs (Blatter
et al. 2016). It is certainly comprehensible that best of the strictures in the cost value model
designed at companies need an uninterrupted relation to the personal “rate of return” for
members, even if none cannot compute these distinct “rates of return” to instruction for the
associates with the statistics that are composed (Tanwar, 2013). If, for instance, companies

decrease salaries of participants with the purpose of cutting the charges of the teaching, it
upsurges the net-benefit or reduces the net-expenses of businesses. Simultaneously, the changed
salary also declines the net value for associates. In the same way, if the systems analyst
escalates the period which participants devote in off-site education, it decreases the
creative influence of sponsors to the companies and thus upsurges the net-costs for corporations.
It might strengthen competitors’ advanced salaries for the motive that such packages might
develop higher efficiency graduates (Henfridsson et al. 2014). One takes to abide in mind
that, though some relationships are honest in their implications, some interferences or
program sites may have emotional impact upon numerous considerations s per knowledge
founded concept concurrently and it is for that reason not at all times strong erstwhile
coincidental whether variations upsurge or reduce net budgets for companies and the charges of
return for members of the program.
The third significant other factor to reflect in is the administration. The municipal setup
hypothetically aids in more than a few methods as of teaching investments by businesses and
individuals. Organizations become further cost-effective; entities earn extra, and accordingly
both pay additional taxes. Moreover, funds in training as well as edification support to lessen
societal transfers compensated by the administration. In the deficiency of externalities to
training costs, the regime might tax the welfares of these reserves without convincing to
build capitals on its identifiable form. Nevertheless, investments in teaching and learning
create externalities that might lead to an under asset by firms and persons. Consequently,
most administrations attempt to acquire incentives from firms and individuals to capitalize more
in teaching and learning by supporting these actions (Swanson, 2013).
The government might perform this in diverse forms of conducts, for instance by compensating
for enlightening services or unswervingly paying grants to organizations that are vigorous in
learning. By accordingly dropping the expenses of training as well as edification for firms and
individuals, the government upsurges the net advantage of teaching for companies and upsurges
the “rate of return” to training for persons, at the value of dropping the financial rate of yield to
learning. Provided that budget- and advantage sharing among the three parties remains such that
altogether get an optimistic profit to preparation and instruction, this distribution may prompt to
a “win-win-win state of affairs” (Weitzner &. Deutsch, 2014).

From the perception of the administration it is imperative to diagnose that a possibility like a
grant only produces more affluence if the Resource based concept has a underlying impression
on the performance of the supplementary two performers—organizations and entities. If a strong
institute would deal with the equivalent figure of training places with or without appropriations,
then direction, interposition would fairly transform the cost allowance nonetheless not form an
altered effect in terms of capital formed. Though one cannot compute the financial return to
work out in this examination, the cost-benefit consequence for teaching companies supports
the direction to decide whether additional communal funds are anticipated to harvest a better
aftermath. If that remained the case, it would demonstrate that supports source higher occurrence
of preparation (Mattson, 2012). If an adequately great extent of businesses can propose training
spaces without devising to stand net prices at the culmination of the program and teaching
produces a confident rate of yield to edification for the contestants, a management interposition
might merely harvest a mass forfeiture.
In conclusion, one needs to note a characteristic restriction to a motionless dimension of custody
and welfares of teaching for companies. For the reason that the net budgets one measures are at
present the significance of prevailing administrative subsidies, net prices prior to funding
expenditures are indispensable nevertheless not a adequate condition for administrative
interference (Hashai et al 2014). If companies suppose the administration to pay grants, they
might have fewer feeling to explore for conducts of reducing the charges and make the most of
the welfares of the teaching program. It might well persist that in the nonappearance of
administrative grants; companies would treasure approaches to regroup the package such that it
would point towards a breakdown of identical circumstance even devoid of grants. In other
incongruities, it is conceivable that the stationary interpretation would not grasp from an added
dynamic outlook (Ghapanchi et al. 2014).
Research purpose
The objective of this paper seeks to examine the extent of success of the Skills Future’s Earn and
Learn Program for polytechnic graduates on entering the workforce.
Research question

This paper will examine the success of Skills Future’s Earn and Learn Program using the data of
polytechnic graduates who progress to the workforce using Skills Future’s Earn and Learn
Program after their completion from the polytechnics. . To what extent is the effectiveness of the
ELP limited by the government’s establishment of new universities to cater towards the
aspirations of the polytechnic graduates?
Research design
Interpreting to the ideas of Dul & Hak (2012), there stand different types of Research design to
such as descriptive or else exploratory and explanatory .The descriptive Design helps to uphold
the aims of the understanding by suitable elucidation of the values as well as refers to the
positive outlines of statement of the significance with clear-cut and specific cause of exploration.
However, Bryman & Bell (2011) stated that, the exploratory and explanatory research points to
numerous patterns of processes which do not monitor any outstanding basis related to the
reaching of interrogations. The exploratory design refers to the theoretical power of the
confirmations causing from the decided ideas of argumentative drive of the statements that
pinnacle the reason of investigation. The explanatory design brings the associations of activities
to convinced clarification over research plus observation with operative purpose.
Justification
The investigator selects the exploratory kind of research design to find out the foremost
characteristics of the study with the grateful values. The sovereignty of reflection creates an all-
inclusive base of knowledge to standardize the possessions of analytical activities. This generates
the scope to perform the research through examination of data as well as achieve the necessary
process of hypothetical inception to prompt the confirmations. It fundamentally forms the
strategy of organization of data in future to with specific calculations and involve the knowledge
and thoughtful consideration.
Sample and sampling
There remain two different sections used by the investigator to meet the essential data for the
study. It comprises Probability sampling technique besides the Non-probability sampling

process. The researcher selects the members for the survey in a random method through
probability sampling technique. The respondents fit in the total sample size
For this investigation, the researcher has selected 3 managing executives and 55 students of
Skills Future’s Earn and Learn Program to amass the vital data for this study
Rationale
The main drive of this investigation is to realize and comprehend the influences of skill training
of polytechnic students in pursuing their career in varied fruitful organizations. This research
study might help to assess the policies of the Government, Academic and professional
organizations, the corporate units, and varied small and large scale industrial units in offering
opportunities of learning programs as well as employment potentials
Instrument (Data Collection)
There are two forms of data those are generally utilized by the investigator to conduct the
examination It consist of the Primary as well as Secondary data. Primary data represents the
fresh or raw facts those are not available anywhere so far. These facts are composed from the
respondents of the investigation. However, Bernard (2011) opined that secondary information is
the facts those remain already distributed in the journals and books plus websites, Facebook,
LinkedIn or else newspapers, articles and so on
Data Sources:
The sources help the examiner to readily analyze the objective and purposes of the research
through both the primary plus secondary data.
Primary:
The researcher gathers the primary statistics from the executives and the students of Skills
Future’s Earn and Learn Program
Secondary:
The researcher assembles the secondary facts from several relevant books, journals besides
websites.

Data Analysis
Quantitative data collection
In the contemporary research, the investigator will accumulate quantitative data by “issuing
online survey questionnaires through Facebook to 70 students of Skills Future’s Earn and
Learn Program. There will be close ended questions based on scores of nominal values and
Likert scale and examined through by numerical activities over “statistical analysis using
Excel sheets or the solicitation of SPSS software”.
Qualitative Data collection
Qualitative data will be gathered by piloting a telephonic interview with 4 executive managers
of Skills Future’s Earn and Learn Program
Ethical Consideration
The researcher has to conserve the processes of research integrities. The examiner requires
maintaining the confidentiality and the ethical code of behavior to handle the primary data
composed from the particular sample size of the students and the executive members of Skills
Future’s Earn and Learn Program. The researcher ascertained that the collected evidence will be
driven for persistence of the studies of Investigation and it would not be related anywhere. The
examiner organized the quantitative plus qualitative research questionnaire to implement the
inspection of the frame of mind and opinions concerning the training programs and employment
opportunities for the apprentices,
Limitation of the study
The main constraint for this examination is the reality of the “collected records from the
preferred participants of the investigation.” The officials of the training institute and the students
do not at all times deliver the precise and correct information to uphold the rule of secrecy of the
group. Other restrictions are the imperfect time plus limited monetary resources

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