Adult Learners
Make a Difference in Little Lives!
Be the Change Young Children Need – Kickstart Your Journey Become an Early Childhood Educator!
Are you:
- A mid-career professional seeking to embark on a meaningful career?
- Passionate about nurturing and inspiring young minds?
Look no further! Your path to early childhood education begins at NIEC.
With no prior experience needed, our early childhood courses are designed to guide you from passion to profession. You’ll nurture their curiosity, spark a love of learning, inculcate values and equip them with essential life skills.
Here’s why NIEC is your gateway to an enriching career as an early childhood educator:
- Nationally recognised expertise: We are set up by the Ministry of Education (MOE) to uplift the quality of early childhood training.
- Experienced faculty: Our faculty have deep knowledge in diverse areas
- Student experience: Our students will be part of the wider EC fraternity where you get to network with other fellow educators-in-training and other early childhood practitioners across our campuses
- Sponsorship & Funding Support: Explore sponsorship options such as the Career Conversion Programme and other financial schemes available such as using SkillsFuture Credit to offset course fees
🌱 Ready to embark on this meaningful journey? Explore our courses and discover how you can make a difference in the lives of young children.
Certificates
Advanced Certificate in Early Years (ACEY)
Advanced Certificate in Early Childhood Care & Education (ACECCE)
Diplomas
Diploma in Early Childhood Care & Education – Teaching (DECCE-T)
Diploma (Conversion) in Early Childhood Care & Education
Downloads
Learn all you need to know about being an EC educator!
Get your copy of the Starter Ki(d), a handy A-Z guide on EC training for mid-career switchers.
More Reasons To Join The Sector
Growing Demand for Early Childhood Educators
The 24,000-strong early childhood workforce will require over 2,500 more educators by 2025.
Great Career Progression
With the right qualifications and competencies, you can go on to be in leadership positions.
Support from the Government
The Government’s annual spending on the sector has increased from $1 billion in 2018 to $1.8 billion in 2021 and is expected to double over the next few years.
What It Takes to Be an EC Educator
Qualities for a good fit
- PASSION to give every child a good start
- LOVE of interacting with children
- ENTHUSIASM to learn and work well in teams
- CARE for others, have good values & social skills
A big heart to shape little minds
What Courses Can You Take?
For those who have completed Sec 4 education
For those with 3 O-level credit
For those with 5 O-level credits
For those with a degree or local poly diploma
Watch what our students go through in the video above!
Find out more about the NIEC student experience.
Student Testimonials
The theories behind early childhood are so interesting! It amazes me how different theories explain children’s behaviour and how it might affect their future. I want this generation to be even better than ours!
One of my favourite parts about being in NIEC is having schoolmates not just from my campus, but from NIEC (ITE) and NIEC (TP) too! We get to exchange tips and notes about what we learn from each other!
How to Apply for Our Courses
Step 1
Ensure you have met the entry requirements and possess the relevant qualifications and work experience for the course.
Step 2
Ready to apply? Click "Apply Now" on the respective course pages.
Step 3
If your application is successful, you will receive an email with instructions on how to accept the offer.
You may qualify for certain financial schemes for course fee payment, e.g. SkillsFuture Credit, MOE Bursary.
Other ways to apply
1. Enjoy full course fee sponsorship by your employer for your EC training under the Career Conversion Programme (CCP)!
The day intakes of selected courses are eligible for Workforce Singapore’s CCP, where your employer may sponsor your training at NIEC and provide a monthly salary during your course. Here’s how it works:
- Secure sponsorship by an early childhood development centre (ECDC) licensed by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA). Visit the ECDA website for job portals and contact the centres directly for CCP opportunities. You may need to fulfil a bond to work with your employer.
- Apply for our courses within 6 months of being hired. Upon successful enrolment, you will start your training at NIEC while working at the centre.
- Enjoy full course sponsorship and a monthly work salary, provided by your employer!
The CCP is open to all company-sponsored applicants who:
- Are Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents aged 21 years and above;
- Graduated or completed National Service, whichever is later, at least 2 years at the point of application;
- Are newly-hired by participating ECDA-licensed ECDCs;
- Are not in the same job role prior to joining the CCP.
To be eligible, you must be employed as a trainee teacher for no longer than 6 months from the course application date. Other terms and conditions apply.
Learn more:
2. Apply via the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE) for Working Adults to enjoy a holistic poly/ITE experience.
The EAE is only applicable for these full-time courses:
- Diploma in Early Childhood Development & Education at NIEC (NP)/NIEC (TP)
- Diploma in Tamil Studies with Early Education at NIEC (NP)
- Higher Nitec in Early Childhood Education at NIEC (ITE)
The EAE for Working Adults is open to Singapore Citizens and Singapore Permanent Residents only with at least 2 years of relevant work experience. For more information, visit the EAE website.
When to apply:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Still unsure? Click here to find out more about the frequently asked questions by applicants and students.
