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Prior to 1960 vocational and technical education in Singapore received little attention. After Singapore attained self-government in 1959, a policy of diversification to accelerate economic growth through industrialization was adopted. The emphasis then shifted to technical education and training. In 1964 there was a significant move towards the establishment of secondary vocational schools and the first vocational institute was initiated; the secondary vocational schools were later phased out in favor of vocational institutes. The Industrial Training Board (ITB) was created in 1973 to centralize, coordinate, and intensify industrial training. The ITB and the Adult Education Board established in 1960 were merged into a single national authority responsible for vocational training--the Vocational and Industrial Training Board. The significant factors that have impinged upon the trend of vocational training have been the limited human resources, the New Education System of 1980, and the strategy of high economic growth based on industrial restructuring. Recent developments and major efforts to consolidate the training system have been the expansion of training capacity, refinement of the training system, and upgrading of the existing work force. Four tables and four figures are appended that depict full- and part-time enrollment, apprentice registration, and organizational structures in the educational system. (YLB)

In this paper the system of coordination within the broader framework of education and technical manpower training is examined. The development of technical education in the schools and of programs offered by the public institutions is first described. A discussion follows regarding technical manpower training, the responsibility for which lies outside the school system and which is undertaken by different public institutions. Coordination of technical manpower development is considered. The closely linked system of progression between the schools and vocational training is then elaborated upon by focusing attention on the joint efforts of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB) in introducing a mechanism of automatic registration and a Pre-Vocational Training (PVT) program. Two tables and three figures are attached that depict areas of study in the technical education program, proposed PVT projects, the system of automatic registration, and features of the MOE-VITB system of progression. (YLB)

The objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the total system of technological education in Singapore. The educational system, its history, and its response to technological needs are first briefly described. A discussion follows of the evolution of the various infrastructures, including the National University of Singapore, Singapore Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Technical College, the Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB), Economic Development Board training centers, and VITB-approved training centers. Some major changes that the various infrastructures within the total education and training system have made to respond to economic restructuring in the 1980s are then described. These include the New Education System in the schools, school program revision, a VITB project to develop a Resource and Staff Training Centre, expansion of computer studies, and the recommended establishment of the Nanyang Technological Institute to train engineers. (YLB)