04/01/2016

Enhanced Support For Aspiring Early Childhood Leaders Through SkillsFuture Study Awards

The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) has introduced the SkillsFuture Study Award for Early Childhood (EC) sector to develop and deepen the skills of EC educators to assume leadership responsibilities. This complements the suite of programmes already available to support EC educators at various stages of their career. EC educators who have been nominated by their employers and successfully accepted into the new Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Leadership (ADECL) programme can apply for the SkillsFuture Study Award.

Offered by Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic, the new ADECL prepares Senior Pre-school Teachers to be centre leaders. It replaces the Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education – Leadership (DECCE-L) and will welcome its first intake from April 2016. With a greater emphasis on instructional leadership and management skills, the ADECL equips Senior Pre-school Teachers for centre leadership, to mentor their staff and manage high quality centres. In line with the national SkillsFuture movement, the programme will involve practical, hands on training to better prepare the candidates for centre leadership.

Successful applicants of the SkillsFuture Study Award will receive a monetary award of $5,000, which can be used to defray any out-of-pocket expenses associated with the ADECL. The award is bond-free and can be used on top of existing Government course fee subsidies. Applications for the SkillsFuture Study Award for EC sector will open from 15 February 2016. More details can be found in Annex A.

Annex A: Factsheet on SkillsFuture Study Awards For Early Childhood (EC) Sector
Annex B: Factsheet on the Advanced Diploma in Early Childhood Leadership (ADECL)