SIT collaborates with Siemens to develop degree specialisation in Industry 4.0

THE Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is partnering Siemens to develop a new Industry 4.0 degree specialisation within its Robotics Systems programme.

The specialisation track will equip graduates with the relevant skills and knowledge in technologies for the advanced manufacturing sector, such as robotics and artificial intelligence.

SIT and Siemens signed a memorandum of understanding for this collaboration at the Applied Learning Conference on Thursday (Jan 20).

The new specialisation will commence in the academic year 2023, and allow students to have firsthand experience working in the advanced manufacturing ecosystem while pursuing a university degree.

SIT and Siemens will bring in ecosystem partners and co-develop the curriculum, recruitment strategies and assessment frameworks this year.

"With Siemens' expertise in developing advanced engineering technologies and SIT's strengths in applied learning and research, I am confident that the degree specialisation will further enhance the industry relevance of our education and the career-readiness of our graduates," said SIT president Chua Kee Chaing.

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The programme will be based on a "term-in, term-out" model, allowing students to alternate between spending 1 to 2 trimesters in SIT and at the workplace. While at the workplace, students will acquire work-related skills that augment their classroom learning.

Collaboration between academic and industry was a key principle that Minister of State for Education Gan Siow Huang highlighted in her speech at the conference, in which she shared the importance of adapting higher education from a knowledge-focused model to competency-driven model.

"Applied learning can only be effective if there is a strong nexus between academia and industry," said Gan. "This ensures that the course content is up-to-date and student and adult learners are equipped with the skills and knowledge in sync with industry needs to boost employability."

The Applied Learning Conference is organised by SIT as one of its key platforms to discuss and share best practices in academia-industry collaboration in applied learning and talent development.

Following Germany's dual education model, applied learning incorporates interdisciplinary skills and pushes students to apply their knowledge in different contexts. In 2009, SIT was the first autonomous university to establish the applied learning pathways for undergraduates.

"Siemens believes that providing innovative and future-oriented education and training opportunities is key to the sustainability of our company," said president and chief executive officer of Siemens Dr Thai-Lai Pham. "I am confident that this model will help to train relevant talents with both theoretical and practical expertise."