Diploma students at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), will now have to complete an internship, industrial attachment, industry project or community project, in order to graduate. The requirement forms part of a compulsory Industry-Based Learning component, which aims to expose students to an authentic work environment, where they can pick up discipline-specific skills and become more employable.
In addition, NAFA will also beef up its Overseas Immersion Programme – a two to five-week programme conducted overseas during the school holiday, comprising lectures and workshops, industry visits or field trips – that students can take part in for credits towards their diploma.
Ultimately, NAFA board chairman, Ms Low Sin Leng, shared that these programmes are part of NAFA’s continued efforts to nurture and develop students to “become leaders in their chosen field in years to come” by allowing students to “gain critical and global exposure to new ideas and innovations in their field”.
This is another good initiative which undeniably, will complement students’ experiences. Gradually, I feel that more and more institutions are recognising the need for street smarts to complement book smarts, and are rolling out programmes that are targeted towards developing their students more holistically and equipping them with the global outlook necessary in today’s ever-changing economy.
If you want to read more about NAFA’s new initiative, click the following link:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/education/work-placements-to-be-made-compulsory-for-nafa-students