Once, I asked an interviewee why I should hire him for an engineer role (he came from somewhere that works like ST) and his reply was that because he has a degree. (He got a distance learning degree on top of his engineering diploma). So I followed up with a second question. "So how do you think your degree is going to value add to my team?" To be honest, I was trying to test his brain reflexes by pushing him hard with his own answers. Auditors do that all the time. If he can't catch that question with a convincing answer, he will end up as the weakest link for the auditor to overwhelm us with Nonconformities. This is only known to us by experience, something you cannot learn with a degree. He was caught completely off guard with the question and couldn't reply coherently. apparently he didn't think it through before he took his degree. In the end, I hired someone from China who spent years in the US before returning to Singapore to keep his PR.

That diploma poster asking about ST is already making higher and doing better than what ST will offer him. I believe he has the wisdom to see that. It is just plain stupid to systematically limit your staffs potential who otherwise will help drive your organization higher and better. Even with a degree, there is no guarantee that he will do better than what is he doing now. What puts people ahead in the real world are:

Competence
Good Reputation
Consistent Results delivery
Good Communication
Teamwork
EQ
Integrity
Pragmatism
Critical thinking
Humility
Continuous Improvement and Learning

Let's see... Which of this is a common trait in ST?
(I don't come from ST and will never consider ST)