At its annual media gathering today, the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS), Singapore’s oldest not-for-profit institution for lifelong learning, announced its plans to grow its presence in Singapore and internationally. The institute is also famous among Indian students and offers courses in engineering, arts, hotel management, and humanities, among others. Key initiatives include introducing several new industry-relevant programmes with a focus on skills development, announcing the launch window of its MDIS Malaysia (MDISM) Campus, and unveiling its first dedicated School of Nursing in the private education sector. The institute also shed light on its SkillsFuture courses and trends in the private education industry.

Dr. R Theyvendran, PBM, and Secretary-General of MDIS, shared: “Throughout our 61-year history, MDIS has always been looking at ways to transform its education offerings for individuals of all ages. This is particularly important due to the increasingly competitive nature of the private education sector and ever-evolving industry requirements.”

He continued: “Locally, we will continue to invest in infrastructure and bring in new programmes from internationally renowned universities to shape future-ready graduates. At the same time, we are ramping up our regional presence to promote the ‘Singapore brand’ of education overseas.”

MDIS developments in Singapore

MDIS, which continues to be the preferred choice for many Indian students aspiring to study in Singapore, has announced that it is targeting to introduce 100 new programmes by 2020. The institute most recently introduced a Doctorate in Business Administration and Masters in Business Administration (Supply Chain Management). Other programmes in the pipeline include a drone programming course under the School of Engineering. MDIS launched almost 30 new programmes in 2017.

MDIS will also roll out courses under the SkillsFuture scheme in the next three years. Up to 20 percent of new courses will be SkillsFuture Credit eligible. For those looking to embark on a mid-career change, the Management Development & Consultancy (MDC) – the corporate training arm of MDIS – also announced plans to offer new SkillsFuture Credit eligible courses. These programmes include Leadership and People Management, Practical Business Analytics and Compliance Risk Charter and Framework, and more.

Additionally, the MDIS School of Nursing announcement comes on the heels of the government’s initiatives in the healthcare sector. The new, dedicated School of Nursing will offer a fully equipped facility for post-registered nurses to gain practical skills and exposure to the nursing profession. The School is looking to offer pre-registration nursing programmes in the near future; to meet the expected increase in demand for nurses in the coming years.

 Local Institution, Global Footprint

Beyond establishing a strong local impact, MDIS outlined its key international plans for 2018 and beyond. MDIS unveiled expansion plans for its three overseas campuses in India, Malaysia and Uzbekistan. MDIS-VELS has completed its first intake of students who will be progressing to MDIS Singapore in February 2018 to pursue their Bachelor’s programme.

This year, MDIS is focused on the launch of MDIS Malaysia (MDISM) in the Iskandar region – slated to take place during the second half of this year. Set to be one of the largest education institutes in EduCity@Iskandar, the 30-acre, full facility campus is expected to house 2,500 students at launch and accommodate 10,000 students by 2023 after three expansion phases. In addition, MDISM will be the only private education institution in the Iskandar region with a campus hostel.

MDIS’ regional developments and initiatives support the Institute’s long-standing commitment to promoting the Singapore brand of education overseas.

Date: Feb 26, 2018

  MDIS, Transformative Initiatives