The logo combines the letters "N", "I" and "C" to form the image of a figure in a seating position, representing the "man behind the desk" type of job. The one-way linear movement, starting from one point and ending at the head of the figurine, shows how an employee starts from the bottom and climbs their way up to the top of the work ladder.

The institute was part of a technical education system run by the Vocational and Industrial Training Board (VITB). Situated at the former Singapore Polytechnic campus in Prince Edward Road, the school offered business studies courses as part of the government's plans to turn Singapore into a "financial supermarket".