Pre-school children in Singapore are introduced to design through ManyWaysOfSeeing, a sensory-based workshop series funded by DesignSingapore Council, to help them cultivate haptic skills, stimulate sensorial development, and develop inquiry skills for discovering new things. The national Early Childhood Development Agency has adopted the programme since 2014 and will implement it in pre-schools. Primary and lower secondary school students attend Compulsory Art Education programmes, where they learn and value art and culture – the foundations for design. The DesignSingapore Scholarship is a financial award by the Singapore Government to develop future creative leaders. It is open to design students. Successful applicants can pursue design studies at reputable local or overseas universities. Design competitions and awards for students are organised by various design industry associations. The Singapore Art Museum has a dedicated art and design space for children.
Ling, Ms Azelia Ng Wei Zhen, Ms Rachel Ng Shiqian, Mr Chua Jia Xiang and Ms Victoria Koo Wei Ai.
The Design Thinking & Innovation Academy, established in 2010 by DesignSingapore, is a life-long learning institution that helps to train the creative workforce and enables businesses to acquire design capabilities for productivity, competitiveness and sustainable growth. Trainers at the Academy conduct courses and workshops to promote design and nurture creativity. Design associations have specialised training academies for industry professionals in various design practices. To pursue formal education in design and the creative arts, there is a specialised arts school, the School of the Arts, established by the Government, that offers a six-year integrated arts and academic curriculum leading to the International Baccalaureate; five public polytechnics offering three-year diploma courses in design; three public universities and two private education institutions offering degree courses in design and design management; and regulated small private schools offering certified design courses.
The Asian Insights & Design Innovation Lab established by DesignSingapore conducts research on Asian consumer markets, socio-cultural trends and design innovation to enable Singapore-based creators and enterprises to expand into Asian markets. The Design Incubation Centre is the first dedicated industrial design research laboratory based at the National University of Singapore to research new tools and practices of design. The SUTD-MIT International Design Centre of the Singapore University of Technology and Design is a scholarly centre for technologically intensive design science, research and practice. The Centre For Liveable Cities established by the Government conducts research on sustainable development and urban planning to create knowledge and urban solutions for current and future challenges relevant to Singapore and other cities. The Live Well Collaborative is an independent research centre focusing on product design and innovation for people in Asia, aged 50 and above.
