The project will examine developments in the education sector and the opportunities and challenges they present for regional economic integration and community building in the Asia Pacific.  For this purpose, the project will report on trends in the various modes of supply of education services across international borders and identify impediments to efficient international cooperation in this sector.  Behind these developments are a number of changes in the domestic arrangements for, and in the demand for and supply of, tertiary education around the region.  This includes the interest in achieving higher rates of participation in tertiary education, including in already developed economies.  The project will examine these trends and identify implications for both providers and consumers and for options for international cooperation.  It also aims to review work on the outlook for the demand for education in various PECC member economies, including the influence of economic growth and demographic change, and its implication for international cooperation in the provision of education services.

 

SHRI has been nominated as the country representative to prepare a case study titled- "Challenges and Opportunities in the in-employment Education Market- A Singapore Perspective”. This is one of the nine papers nominated from Asia-Pacific for this broader International Project.

Abstract

Education is a liberating force as it has the capability to empower people to think differently and to look into the world of possibilities. Education changes the face of the economy, transforms civilisations and revolutionises thought processes. The impact of education has become more prominent in the ongoing knowledge era. For an economy to prosper, flourish and maintain sustainable growth and development, an adequately educated workforce acts as a propellant.

As a small island city-state endowed with no natural resources, to be economically competitive Singapore has had to emphasise the human skills of its population. The government has stressed education and training and thus this English-speaking cosmopolitan city-state has thrived on international trade, finance and foreign investment. The Singapore economy has Asia’s second highest per capita GDP next to Japan (Corporate Training, Singapore 2004).

This paper provides an overview of the Singapore education market, looks at the country’s ‘in-employment’ education market and then considers the major challenges and issues, the Singapore Model, quality assurance, and the role of the corporate sector.

 

More information on the report overview can be found on Pacific Economic Cooperatioin Council

http://www.pecc.org/education/book.htm

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