Will ITE technical diploma be considered up to the mark?

I read with interest the report “ITE, NUS to roll out new work-study programmes” (March 8).

The Institute of Technical Education’s Technical Diploma is being extended to courses in sectors such as mechanical and electrical services, design and supervision, offshore and marine engineering, security system engineering, and rehabilitation therapy.

The apprenticeship-based diploma will be open to ITE graduates to apply for after they have earned a National ITE Certificate (Nitec), higher Nitec or a few years of work experience.

In short, more of them will be able to earn a diploma even when they do not make it to a polytechnic. I wonder, however, if the students and employers would view the qualification as second-rate.

Moreover, a polytechnic graduate with a grade point average of around 3.4 may now stand a chance of admission to local universities, depending on the course of study.

Will Technical Diploma graduates be given an equal opportunity, considering the gap in academic content and standards between the ITE and the polytechnics?

Also, will there not be a need to redefine what a polytechnic diploma is — more academic, or less technical?