Singapore Polytechnic, the nation's first educational institution of its kind, was set up in 1954 to train technologists and professionals to support the industrialisation and economic development of Singapore. Since then, its development has paralleled the progress of modern Singapore. To date, graduate output from Singapore Polytechnic is close to 178,000, some of whom have gone on to become Parliamentarians, captains of industries, senior executives of multi-national corporations, and successful entrepreneurs and professionals in Singapore and overseas.