Singapore University of Social Sciences to get new campus at former Rochor Centre site by mid-2030s

SINGAPORE: The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) will get a new campus at the former site of Rochor Centre, which will be ready by the mid-2030s, the Education Ministry announced on Thursday (Mar 6). 

The central location will increase the university’s accessibility for both full-time students pursuing their first degree and working adults seeking further education, the ministry said.

SUSS offers programmes that cater to different learners, including working adults, and many classes are run after working hours, said Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing in parliament while laying out his ministry’s spending plans for the year. 

SUSS is one of six autonomous universities in Singapore. It offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programmes across five schools:

• S R Nathan School of Human Development
• School of Business
• School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences
• School of Law
• School of Science and Technology

Since becoming an autonomous university in 2017, SUSS has seen more than 22,000 graduates, Mr Chan said. 

"Currently, SUSS is spread across multiple rented premises, including its main location at Clementi. This is not an ideal arrangement," said Mr Chan. 

"It is time for SUSS to have its own, consolidated campus to accommodate its growing enrolment."

Rochor Centre, which was known for its trademark rainbow-coloured blocks, was built in 1977 and demolished in 2018 to make way for the North-South Corridor. 

SUPPORT FOR MID-CAREER WORKERS

As announced in Budget 2025, the SkillsFuture mid-career training allowance will be extended to workers enrolled in part-time training. 

Starting in 2026, these workers can apply for a fixed allowance of S$300 (US$220) a month to help cover learning expenses​. 

More details, including which part-time courses qualify, will be announced at a later date.

For those taking full-time courses, applications for the training allowance start on Mar 10. The allowance is set at 50 per cent of a worker's average income over the previous 12 months, capped at S$3,000 a month. 

About 600 full-time courses, which will be listed on the SkillsFuture website, are eligible for the income-based training allowance.

Singaporeans aged 40 and above can receive up to 24 months of training allowance over their lifetime, applicable to both full-time and part-time training.

SUPPORT FOR ITE STUDENTS

From June, the Institute for Technical Education (ITE) Progression Award will be extended to graduates aged 30 and below who enrol in diploma programmes under the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ). 

Introduced in Budget 2024, the award provides two government top-ups – S$5,000 in their Post-Secondary Education Account upon enrolment and S$10,000 in their Central Provident Fund (CPF) Ordinary Account upon completion. 

As a one-time provision, all Singaporean ITE graduates already enrolled in a WSQ diploma as of Jun 1 – regardless of age – will receive the S$10,000 top-up upon graduation, said the Education Ministry. Additionally, those aged 31 who enrol in a WSQ diploma between Jun 1 and Dec 31 will also qualify for the award.

With this extension, more than 30 diploma programmes will be eligible for the award, on top of the current 300, said Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman on Thursday. 

About 100 ITE graduates aged 30 and below take up WSQ diplomas each year, and about 50 graduates are expected to benefit from the one-time arrangement, said MOE. 

The ITE-SG Enable internship and employment support programme will be expanded to assist more ITE students with special education needs. 

Launched in mid-2024, the programme provides training in areas such as resume writing, interview preparation and workplace communication to prepare students to join the workforce. Students are placed in suitable internship or job roles and supported by a job coach to help them adapt to the workplace, said the ministry. 

An increasing number of students with special education needs progress from mainstream and special education schools to post-secondary education institutions, including ITE, said Dr Maliki. 

“ITE will expand the internship support provided, so that more students with SEN (special education needs) can benefit from such structured job support,” he added.