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SINGAPORE: Two special education schools will offer an accredited vocational education programme next year.
Metta School will cater to their students living in the East while Delta Senior School will have it for students in the West.
Announcing this was Senior Minister of State for Education Grace Fu, who visited Delta Senior School where one of the programmes was piloted.
The ministry will enhance the facilities of the two schools so that they are better equipped for vocational education.
Plans are underway to enhance the physical facilities in Metta School.
Delta Senior School will have a new purpose-built school building in 2011.
It will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities to support the vocational education programme.
It is also planning a second prototype which will put in a more structured phase of vocational preparation for students from as early as 14 years.
These efforts are part of a longer term plan to help students with mild intellectual disability get certified so they can be gainfully employed.
With the new programmes, it's estimated that up to a quarter of such Special Education or "SPED" students will graduate with nationally recognized certification and relevant industrial skills.
Ms Fu said: "Moving forward, MOE will engage relevant partners, including MCYS, NCSS, MOM, ITE and WDA, to build stronger ties between SPED schools and employers. These may include enhancing supports for employers to provide work-experience settings for SPED students and to make it easier for them to hire the trained graduands from SPED schools."
Ms Fu said the Education Ministry will also be piloting a common set of eligibility criteria for the vocational education programmes in the next two years.
This is to ensure that SPED students with the potential for certification are given the opportunity to do so.
The ministry will also be piloting a set of exit targets for the programmes to ensure that students graduate from the programmes with the necessary levels of competencies for gainful employment.
The vocational education programme will also be extended by a year from the current two years.
This is to better accommodate students' learning needs, and allow them sufficient time to attain certification. - CNA/vm
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