BMC Academy

ONE dropped out of school when he was 17, while the other had resigned herself to working as a domestic maid.

But a chance to further their studies proved to be life-changing for them.

Maria Grace Andrade, 32, came to Singapore from the Philippines five years ago to work as a maid.

Her second and current employer, a semi-retired businessman, urged her to further her studies.

She joined BMC Academy's advanced engineering diploma course, having worked in the electronics industry before.

BMC has been in the business for over 40 years, and offers certificate, diploma, advanced diploma and degree courses.

Subjects offered include accounting, business administration, travel and tourism, computer studies and marketing.

Maria, who has a diploma in accounting, started the BTEC Higher National Diploma in Electrical/Electronic Engineering course in January 2005. It is awarded by Edexcel International in the UK.

"My employer paid for my tuition fees and books. He even bought me a laptop so I could do research," said Maria, who graduated in September last year.

"The assignments were challenging and I sometimes slept at 5am. I also had to learn how to use the computer."

Still studying

At the same time, she also enrolled part-time for the Nitec in Electronics (Computer & Networking) course at BMC as it was related to her diploma course.

She has sent her CV to several electronics and semiconductor companies in the hope of getting a job.

And she's grateful that her employer is supportive of this.

Said Maria, who plans to do a degree programme in electronics at BMC: "I don't have much, so education is wealth to me. You seldom get opportunities like this."

Also benefiting from further education here is Muhammad Husain Mansoor Hallaj, 21.

He spent much of his adolescent years shuttling between Singapore and India with his parents, who had businesses there.

This affected his schooling and he kept having to repeat his studies.

When he finally returned to Singapore in 2003, he was told he would have to do his Secondary 2 education again despite having completed Sec 3 in India.

Muhammad Husain, who was already 17 then, said: "I lost hope. I felt that I was wasting my time, so I decided to work."

Money was also an issue as his parents were declared bankrupt after their businesses failed.

He worked at various jobs before settling into a sales staff position at a department store, where he earned $1,500 a month.

"The job was boring and I didn't feel motivated. After a few years, I still had the same pay," he said.

He tried looking for other jobs, but many required O-level qualifications. So he enrolled in BMC's 10-month O-level course.

He later worked as a part-time lab technician at BMC to finance his studies. He earned extra giving tuition on Sundays.

Focused

Having to juggle his 10am-to-2pm classes and work was challenging.

"I didn't have much time to study, so I made sure I focused in class."

For his exams, he scored an A1 in science and B3s for the rest of his subjects, and got his O-level certificate in October 2006.

He then got a diploma in teaching and training at another private institution and is now a freelance trainer, teaching primary and secondary students.

In a recent good month, Muhammad Husain earned more than $3,500.

In October last year, he set up his own training consultancy with a partner.

Reflecting on how far he has come, he said: "My happiest moment was when I received my O-level certificate. I always had the urge to study but my situation didn't allow me to. Now I can move on."

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