FAQ on Courses and Classes

Established as the first Continuing Education & Training (CET) Institute in Singapore since 2006, we have trained over 250,000 individuals and businesses in both the Retail and Service-related industries. This has enabled individuals to progress towards elevation in professional accomplishments and businesses to accelerate their growth through the development of in-demand skills across the full spectrum of organisational functional areas. This includes developing the necessary digital competencies and transformative skillsets to thrive in the environment of the digital revolution and consumer evolution.

All SIRS’ Courses incorporate a significant practical hands-on element that supports robust acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies that participants are able to apply in their actual job and business scenarios to drive performance outcomes.

SIRS has an extensive suite of short Courses that range from 1 to several days in duration, as well as a range of Programmes that incorporate Mentorship and Project sessions where these provide a more extensive and in-depth level of competency development.

SIRS also offers Certification Programmes under SCTP (SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme) in core demand areas of Digital Commerce and Retail Operations. This are particularly valuable for participants looking to acquire a formal certification that will support their career growth or transition into the Retail, Service-related sectors armed with in-demand skillsets especially in the digital domain.

Please contact us – our team at SIRS will be able to assist you with further advice.
Call (+65) 6222 7477
Whatsapp (+65) 9223 2979
Email courses@sirs.edu.sg

For Corporate Training, Partnership & Customised Solutions:
Please contact our SIRS Business Development Team at email: upskill@sirs.edu.sg

We have a range of eCommerce Courses and Programmes to suit different levels, needs and objectives. Some of our most popular courses include the (1) Alibaba CEO Master Programme, (2) TikTok: Influencer and Content Marketing Strategies and (3) Mastering Selling Strategies on Amazon.com. We recommend that you explore our e-Commerce course listings for more information.

Yes, SIRS offers customised training solutions tailored to meet specific needs of businesses. Our team can work closely with your company to develop bespoke training programmes that address your unique challenges and objectives.

Please contact our Business Development team at upskill@sirs.edu.sg with your request and we will assess your requirements and propose a customised programme.

Please click on the “Enhance My Skills Here” button at the bottom of the Course page. Complete the information on the form and our SIRS staff will be in touch with you soon.

However, if you have queries that require immediate attention, please email us at courses@sirs.edu.sg and our customer service team will contact you within 3 working days. 

Please click on the “Register Interest” button on the STEP Portal page. The STEP system will automatically send you a notification email when there are new Course dates opened for registration.

However, if you have queries that require immediate attention, please email us at courses@sirs.edu.sg and our customer service team will contact you within 3 working days. 

SIRS Courses are open to anyone who has a Singpass ID to register for a Course.

Course registrants may withdraw from a Course and apply for their Course Fee refund by submitting a valid Medical Certificate (MC) from a certified medical practitioner. Please login to the STEP Portal to submit your Course withdrawal along with your MC. Your request will be processed accordingly.

We apologise for the inconvenience. Course runs are subject to a few factors which may require a class to be cancelled or rescheduled.

Please re-register for another Course date if any is available. If there are no available Course dates indicated, please click the “Register Interest” button. The STEP system will automatically send you a notification email when there are new Course dates opened for registration.

You will receive a notification email with instructions to enable your PayNow by NRIC in the STEP Portal. Enabling your PayNow can be done under “My Profile” in the STEP Portal. Course refund to your PayNow Account will take about 3 – 4 weeks.

In order to apply for your refund, please apply the following steps to access “My Wallet” in the STEP Portal:

1. Step 1: Login to the STEP Portal using your SingPass.
2. Step 2: Click on the top righthand icon > “My Profile”

• > Select and Click on “My Wallet” on the dashboard on the left
• > Scroll down to “PayNow Information”
• > Click to activate the button as shown below ‘I have Registered PayNow with my NRIC’. 

Please ensure that you have linked a valid local bank account to allow PayNow with your NRIC.

We have different Class Schedules depending on the type of Course. Most of our Courses are conducted via regular daytime classes. You can check the schedule on the specific Course page of our SIRS website at www.sirs.edu.sg or in the STEP Portal.

1. Physical Classes (at SIRS Training Facilities): 9am – 6pm
2. Online Evening Classes: 7pm – 10pm
3. WSQ Certification Classes: 9am – 4pm

1. Please refer to the “Class Requirements” instructions on what you need to bring with you as this may differ for different Courses.
2. We do recommend however that participants bring a laptop and charger to any Course they are attending as this will enhance your learning experience.

In the event that a laptop is required, we do have laptops that we can provide Course participants for in-class use.

For SIRS WSQ Certificate participations: laptops are not required for the following Programmes

• WSQ Certificate in Retail (Retail Operations)
• WSQ Advanced Certificate in Retail (Retail Operations)

1. Course participants will be given a set of the relevant Course Training materials.
2. As part of the NYP-SIRS commitment to Sustainability and in support of the Singapore Green Plan movement, all Training materials will be provided in digital format, which is available via Google Classroom.

For details on our Courses, please visit the specific Course page on our SIRS website at www.sirs.edu.sg

If you require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at courses@sirs.edu.sg

Our Trainers at SIRS are carefully curated to include industry practitioners who are not just of the highest calibre in their field of expertise, but are in-tuned with the most current global and local trends across a broad spectrum of knowledge and know-how, and come with extensive training experience.

To ensure smooth scheduling of our different class runs, several different Trainers are appointed to each of our Courses. The appointed Trainer for the class that you will be attending will share their profile and experience with participants during the class.

An Asynchronous (Async) session is a part of the Course curriculum whereby participants are given an assignment that they will complete that does not require physical class attendance.

This means that participants will be given an assignment that they are to complete at their own time, but which needs to be completed within a stipulated period.

The Asynchronous assignment may include reading or viewing of materials, discovering insights to a subject matter, and/or completing a project – all of which are related to the Course taken. Participants will be able given a link to access the Asynchronous materials in Google Classroom. Participants will then submit their completed assignments to Google Classroom in the format as advised by their Course Trainer.

The following provides clarity on the duration and timings for Asynchronous Sessions using examples of what Participants may see on their Course registration details:

Examples:

A) The STEP Portal states the Asynchronous Session as after 6pm (eg. 10pm – 11pm)

• The time stated is a STEP system limitation. As stated in the previous point, Asynchronous Sessions refer to assignments that Participants will undertake without attending classes, at their own time. The duration of the Asynchronous Session is an indication of the length of time that the Asynchronous materials and/or assignment is expected to take for the Participant to cover or complete.

B) The STEP Portal states the Asynchronous Session as being held on the 3^rd day: but the Course I am taking is a 2-day Course.

• The day/date stated is a STEP system limitation. As stated in the previous point, Asynchronous Sessions refer to assignments that Participants will undertake without attending classes, at their own time. Participants do NOT have to attend any classes during the Asynchronous Session period.

C) The STEP Portal states the Asynchronous Session as being 10 days.

• The duration of the Asynchronous Session is an indication of the duration that is deemed reasonable and sufficient for the Participant to complete the materials and assignment required for submission.
• The duration of Asynchronous Sessions may differ for different Courses as this depends on the total Course duration, the Course subject matter and level of difficulty, and other factors including the extent and complexity of the Asynchronous assignment involved.

Every SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) funded Course in Singapore includes at least one Course Assessment that all participants must take. The Assessment is usually done at the end of the last day of Training.

Assessments are based on what has been taught in the Course and are aimed at ensuring that our participants have benefitted well enough to demonstrate competently their knowledge and/or skills gained. 

Participants will be able to re-take the Assessment within 30 days from the last day of the Course. SIRS will assist with arranging for the re-take session.

For WSQ modules, the assessment will consist a few components such as role play, multiple choice questions (MCQ) or short questions at Certificate level. At Diploma level, learners can expect case study application and written assessment.

For learners absent on the final day assessment, they are required to provide supporting documents such as medical certificate. Please note work exigencies are not considered valid reasons for absence.

Learners must complete the makeup assessment within 60 days, the schedule will be arranged by SIRS.

SIRS’ Courses are held at the locations indicated below. This may differ for different Courses – please do ensure that you check the STEP Portal or your Course Confirmation email for the Venue and Address that will indicate the Training Room Number.

If you require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at courses@sirs.edu.sg, call us at 6222 7477 or WhatsApp us at 9223 2979.

A) Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS)

11 Eunos Road 8, Lifelong Learning Institute

#08-03 (Take Lift Lobby A)

Singapore 408601

Getting to Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI): walking distance from Paya Lebar MRT Station.

B) Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)

Building and Unit Address will be confirmed for each Course

180 Ang Mo Kio Ave 8

Singapore 569830

Getting to Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP): walking distance from Yio Chu Kang MRT Station. 

Singapore Citizens who are 40 years old & above benefit from 90% Course Subsidy for many of our Courses.

Yes, all SIRS’ Courses are currently eligible for the use of SkillsFuture Credits.

Introduced in 2015, SkillsFuture Credit is a scheme that encourages skills deepening or reskilling into new areas outside of your current field. All Singapore Citizens aged 25 and above will receive an opening credit of $500. Trainees can use their SkillsFuture Credit for courses listed on SIRS website portal. SkillsFuture Credit can be used on top of other government course subsidies.

SkillsFuture Credit At A Glance

You can check your balance via SkillsFuture portal (you will need to login with your SingPass)

“From 01 May 2024, Singaporeans aged 40 years and above will receive a SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up to pursue a substantive skills reboot. This is a key component of the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme.”

The $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid Career) is currently eligible to be used only for (SCTP) SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes and approved (PWM) Progressive Wage Model courses. are eligible to use the SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career).

For more details, please refer to https://www.skillsfuture.gov.sg/initiatives/mid-career/credit

The $4,000 SkillsFuture Credit (Mid Career) is currently eligible to be used only for (SCTP) SkillsFuture Career Transition Programmes and approved (PWM) Progressive Wage Model courses.

For more details, please refer to SSG website.

Yes, you may use your PSEA for payment of our SIRS WSQ courses.

You can check your (PSEA) Post-Secondary Education Account balance by calling the MOE 24-hour automated PSEA hotline at 6260 0777.

For more details, please refer to https://www.moe.gov.sg/financial-matters/psea/funds-balance-and-usage

To claim under UTAP funding for eligible SIRS Courses*, you must be an NTUC member.  

NTUC members enjoy 50% of the unfunded** Course Fee up to $250 each year when you sign up for Courses supported under UTAP. NTUC members age 40 and above will get increased funding support from $250 to $500. NTUC Starter members can enjoy 50% unfunded course fee support for up to $200 per year when you attend courses supported under UTAP.

These are the steps on how you can submit your UTAP claim.

*SIRS Courses eligible for UTAP funding.

**Unfunded course fee refers to the balance course fee payable after applicable government subsidy. For details, please refer to https://www.ntuc.org.sg/uportal/programmes/union-training-assistance-programme

From January 2023, you may check your WSS eligibility by logging in to the Workfare eService with your SingPass as given in the WSS website.

For details on the WSS For more information on claims procedure process, we recommend you can please call the WSS hotline at 1800-536-8333.

A) TA is applicable only to outcome-based courses and selected courses that support the (PWM) Progressive Wage Model.

For more details, please refer to https://www.wsg.gov.sg/home/individuals/attachment-placement-programmes/workfare-skills-support-scheme and https://www.wsg.gov.sg/docs/default-source/programme/wss-infosheet-31mar24.pdf?sfvrsn=c42d136b_3

Please refer to this course directory for SIRS Courses that are eligible for PWM TA. Courses outside this list will not be eligible for TA. WSS TA will be paid based on the number of training hours approved by SSG.

B) The SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance is a scheme under the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme which provides greater support for mid-career Singaporeans aged 40 and above to pursue a substantive skills reboot and stay relevant in a changing economy.

Trainees must be Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, or Long Term Visitor Pass Plus (LTVP+) holders, fully sponsored by their company for supportable cost components (such as course fees). Trainees must also be full-time or permanent part-time employees of the company contributing to their CPF.

For more information, please refer to this SkillsFuture document.

Eligible employers can receive a one-off $10,000 SkillsFuture Enterprise Credit (SFEC) to cover up to 90% of out-of-pocket expenses on qualifying costs for supportable initiatives, over and above the support levels of existing schemes.

For more information please refer this EnterpriseSG document.