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By Shukry Rashid
The Labour Movement on 2 August 2022 began its first on-the-ground engagement with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) at ITE College West.
The engagement is part of the NTUC Youth Taskforce, launched last month, and its year-long plan to engage IHLs to gain insights and support youths aged 18 to 25 before they join the workforce.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, who visited the campus, said the Labour Movement is glad to reach out to youths, who are starting to worry about their career trajectories.
“The youth may be concerned with what internships they should pursue; how they can kick start their careers and what industries they should work in. NTUC is glad to provide relevant career resources to our youth and be their guiding buddy at work, at the workplace and in the workforce,” added Mr Ng.
Part of NTUC’s outreach efforts during its first engagement with ITE College West is a focus group discussion with 50 students.
Participants shared their views, such as the definition of success, anxieties about joining the workforce and what they hope to see at their future workplaces.
One student, 18-year-old Tarvin Ashok Kumar, participated in the focus group discussions.
He said most students are not prepared to enter the workforce, especially when it comes to the transition of being student to a worker.
“NTUC got to hear more from us. And I’m sure NTUC will look into them [issues of youth] and help us with them … As a student, it is hard to imagine working life. Time flies very fast,” he explained.
Mr Ng also attended a closed-door dialogue session with 550 students from the School of Engineering.
An executive committee member of the Institute of Engineers Singapore also shared on internships and career mentoring.
NTUC Youth Taskforce will continue to hold these discussions and dialogue sessions over the next few months at other IHL campuses.
NTUC said other local IHLs such as polytechnics and universities have expressed interest in partnering with them.
“We want to be able to gather diverse insights and perspectives from students from various IHLs, who may have different aspirations, needs and challenges, before they enter the workforce,” said NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Desmond Choo and NTUC Youth Taskforce chairperson.
NTUC will head to ITE College Central and ITE College East next.
The NTUC Youth Taskforce plans to engage 10,000 students throughout its year-long series of activities and events.
Participants of these engagements can look forward to the Youth Hub, which consists of interactive elements to provide participants with useful career advice and tips.
These include learning about their employment rights, participating in career profiling tests and receiving career advice.