Singapore has been recognised as a high performing education system that other countries are very keen to learn from. However, scholars have noted how meritocracy measured by academic achievement has become the main key to (material) success in the Singaporean society which has traditionally valued efficiency, quantifiable performance (appraisals) and productivity (e.g. Chong 2014). This leaves a narrow space for individuals to negotiate their individual sense of becoming successful adults.

There are attempts to broaden the conceptions of success.  In August 2021, Singapore’s Education Minister Chan Chun Sing exhorted Singapore educators and parents to broaden their definition of success beyond academic goals (Low, 2021; Wong, 2021). He also commented on the need to take care of segments of the population that may not be involved in high-growth sectors. Earlier in May 2021, now Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat noted that the traditional 5Cs of the Singapore dream - cash, car, credit card, condominium, and country club membership - no longer resonate with the youth of today, suggesting a shift in cultural values and aspirations (Lai, 2021) Yet, the education pathways are to a good extent still determined by educational success and exam results as early as after primary school with the Primary School Leaving Examination results (PSLE). The academic/vocational divide in Singapore also remains with the strong hierarchy of knowledge and skills unchallenged.  

In this paper, we will examine the nuances of the education agenda for vocational youths as they transited from school to work and into adulthood. These youths were graduates of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), the post-secondary vocational institution in Singapore, that is often not seen as a school of choice given its relative positioning in the Singapore education system. With most of them in their mid careers, investigating the narratives of their life  trajectory, looking at their sense-making over their aspirations, choices and challenges, would shed light on the meanings they accord to success as they navigate the educational system, work and stigma.  

Drawing on the constructivist paradigm, this study aims to respond to the following guiding questions: What are their subjective experiences of education, work and transitioning into adulthood? What life lessons do they hold dear and meaningful navigating their subjectivity? Class, status and politics of recognition assign privilege or injury depending on the economic structure and the cultural status order prevailing in society (see Fraser, 2007). In Singapore, academic knowledge has power, yet, as this study showcases, knowledge of power becomes visible for those with less status but who might build wisdom through experiences and struggles. 

The data was collected through a modified Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM). Focusing on those who have graduated between 1993 to 2005,  we further explored the meaning of knowledge and wisdom as constructed through their experiences of navigating choices and expectations. This study has implications for redefining the purpose of education, and rethinking the role of vocational pathways and education success in Singapore. 

The study employed a life-course approach to investigate participants’ life trajectories and school-to-work transitions situating them within the broader socio-historical context in connection to structural and institutional developments. Policy implementation concerning youths works best when their interpretations and negotiations with opportunity structures are considered. Qualitative research studies have been increasingly recognised to contribute substantially to policy-making, particularly in the area of understanding life and career transitions (Barabasch, 2018). The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) found qualitative research, particularly narrative research, helpful for understanding individual circumstances and coping mechanisms. This qualitative study thus employed an adapted form of the biographical narrative interview method (BNIM) to capture the narratives of vocational youths in Singapore. BNIM has an orientation to the exploration of life histories, lived situations and personal meanings in their socio-historical context, with attention to the complexity and specificity of lived experience and to “historically situated subjectivity” (Gunaratnam, 2011; Wengraf, 2001). The data consist of 20 interviews from the participants who have graduated between 1993-2005.

The transformation of ITE over the years has provided a positive experience for its students with many testifying to benefiting from its culture of care and improved curricular offerings. However, the school-to-work transitions of ITE students cannot be divorced from the academic/vocational hierarchical divide that exists in Singapore. It is heartening that there are current efforts to reduce the wage discrepancy between ITE and graduates of other higher education institutions. However, to fundamentally enhance the school-to-work transitions of ITE students requires systems-level effort -the divide needs to be narrowed both in school and in the broader society. To enable this change to happen, school-to-work transitions cannot be merely viewed through a human capital development framework where the emphasis is on training workers for manpower needs but also through the lens of equity where the individual’s aspirations and choices are respected and potential given the opportunity to flourish.

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