1955
In 1955, a group of personnel managers got together to discuss industrial relations problems and issues facing them at the time. It was this coming-together that sparked off the formation of SAMTAS, or the Supervisory and Management Training Association of Singapore.

Understanding that supervisors were probably the best people to identify and solve any labour problems, training was catered primarily to these supervisors on aspects from job relations to industrial safety. Certified courses, seminars, lectures, film shows and excursions were organised on a regular basis. The main challenges facing SAMTAS at the time were the availability of good lecturers and lecture venues. The first inaugural meeting was held on 29th November 1955 where Mr Loke Wan Tho was named its first President. In April 1956, SAMTAS was formalised.

1963
In 1963, SAMTAS pioneered the Training-Within-Industries (TWI) courses in Singapore. In line with the Singapore government's plans to promote industrialisation in the country, these were courses on supervisory skills initiated by the then Ministry of Labour.

MDIS - 1984 to the Present

The vision to upgrade SAMTAS' status to that of a professional Institute was initiated in 1982. The change of name from SAMTAS to MDIS, or the Management Development Institute of Singapore, was made official on 8th February 1984. The purpose of this move was to give a more professional image and to upgrade the individual membership by allowing the use of designatory letters.

SAMTAS, and then MDIS, is the oldest professional institute in Singapore today.

From as early as 1986 to today, MDIS has collaborated with various renowned universities in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Australia to offer credible certified courses. Besides its certified courses from Certificate to Master's level, MDIS also conducts seminars, in-house training and consultancy services and offers membership services and privileges.

1995
Since 1995, MDIS had explored the feasibility of recruiting students from abroad. This had proven to be worth the while and an International Affairs Department was set up in 1998 to handle the affairs of foreign students studying with MDIS. In March 2001, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Singapore announced that MDIS is a recognised educational institute in China. To date, MDIS has helped almost 3,000 foreign students attain better academic qualifications through its courses.

MDIS was accorded charity status on 23rd August 1996 under the Charities Registration Act, 1994. On 19th November 1997, MDIS was awarded the ISO 9001 certification. On 7th November 2000, MDIS received the People Developer Standard certification. The MDIS Education Trust Fund received its Institution of a Public Character and Charity status in 2002. In 2003, MDIS was among the first seven education institutes to receive the Singapore Quality Class award for Private Education Organisations(PEOs).

MDIS actively takes the lead and involves itself in many community projects. Some of these are cited here:

• Scholarships and Bursaries to organisations like the four self-help groups (Yayasan MENDAKI, CDAC, SINDA and The Eurasian Association), NTUC, SAFRA, CDANS and SPANS, and students from the secondary schools, junior colleges, ITEs and Polytechnics have been given out yearly since 1996. From the year 2001, together with the support from generous donors like our university partners and other organisations, about a quarter of a million dollars were presented each year.
   
• In 1999, MDIS collaborated with the drama and dance faculty of the Oklahoma City University to present the American Spirit Dance Company's performance from 23rd to 25th April, and the Charity Gala Dinner. A total of $272,000 was raised in aid of the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) and the MDIS Education Trust Fund.
   
• In 2001, MDIS worked jointly with the ITE to collect cans in aid of the Community Chest and ITE. The "I Can Do It", project brought in almost 450,000 cans and a total of about $120,000.

Source: MDIS