By Ahmad Osman

PRIVATE education organisations are helping Singapore to meet the growing demand for people with the skills required by employers.

Some 2,000 students are enrolled in Queen Margaret University (QMU) Asia campus off Balestier Road.The campus, which opened in May this year, was set up jointly by QMU, a university in Edinburgh renowned for excellence in research, and the East Asia Institute of Management (EASB).

It is the first and only education institution here offering a module dedicated solely to the management of integrated resorts (IRs).

The module is in the programme for the QMU Bachelor of Arts degree in hospitality and tourism management.

Integrated resort management is the next phase in the development of the hospitality and tourism industries in Singapore and other Asian countries.

QMU Asia students learn how IRs get revenue from casinos, accommodation, food and drinks, theme parks, retail, meeting, convention and recreational facilities.

They have the knowledge and practical management skills to fill middle management jobs in the hospitality, tourism and leisure industries.

Identifying and developing educational modules relevant to the marketplace is a key feature of EASB's applied learning philosophy.

Graduates can meet the work challenges ahead of them, says Mr Reinaldo Wong, head of EASB's School for Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Management in the QMU Asia campus.

The campus also offers three year bachelor's degree programmes in events management; business management; management and marketing; and management and retailing.

There are two Master of Business Administration courses in hospitality, tourism and entreprenuership.

Like many players in the private education sector here, the campus also helps Singapore to be a global schoolhouse for foreigners seeking internationally recognised educational and skills qualifications.

One quarter of the campus students are Singaporeans and permanent residents of Singapore.

The rest are from other countries including China, Vietnam, Indonesia and India.

Business degrees

Another private institution, JCU Singapore, is the first campus in Asia for James Cook University (JCU) in Australia. It has about 1,200 students at present.

The new campus is in Upper Thomson Road. Sixty per cent of the students are foreign nationals and the rest are locals.

The bachelor and master's degrees in business programmes are the most popular among international students.

They study and live here in one of the world's leading business and financial hubs. After graduation, they can look for jobs in Singapore's economy.

The Bachelor of Psychology honours degree course is the most popular among Singaporean undergraduates. JCU Singapore's trimester academic year enables students to finish their degrees earlier than in Australia.

The bachelor's programmes in information technology (IT) and business can be completed in two years.

It takes three years to complete the bachelor's honours degree in psychology. The master's programmes in business and IT can be completed in a year.

JCU Singapore's chief executive officer, Dr Dale Anderson, says a master of international tourism and hospitality management course will be launched in October.

Psychology courses

Lee Community College in Maxwell Road was started in 1999 and was known back then as the Counsellors' Academy, with an initial class of 15 students.

It has grown over the years into a full-fledged college training more than 2,500 students in Singapore in psychology and counselling.

Students can get degrees awarded by the American University for Humanities. There is a degree programme emphasising hands-on application skills.

It provides internship opportunities for Bachelor of Arts students to get work experience and enhance their employability.

There is an increasing demand for psychology graduates who can assess people's personalities, intelligence and attitudes.

These graduates know how to use various interview techniques, design and analyse questionnaires, and help to develop children, teaching and learning methods.

Early childhood educators

EtonHouse Education Centre (EEC), on the other hand, trains early childhood educators.

Its courses are recognised by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports in Singapore and the Council For Awards In Childcare and Education in the United Kingdom.

"EEC graduates have dual qualifications that are locally and internationally recognised. They get two qualifications for the price of one," says Ms Susan Whitaker, the EEC's director of education.

There is, she notes, a constant and pressing demand for talent in the early childhood sector, where teachers in classrooms determine, to a large extent, the quality of the pre-school curriculum.

"The demand for early childhood qualifications will continue to grow in the years to come," she adds.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 31, 2008.