Fresh graduates find direction, jobs with traineeships
With a lean labour market, many graduates have scrambled to send out hundreds of applications, hoping at least one will bear fruit.
Nanyang Business School graduate Chua Jia Yi, 24, applied for more than 100 jobs before landing a human resources traineeship role in NCS Group.
It was a one-year contract, but the information, communications and technology company offered her a full-time job three months into her traineeship, which she gladly accepted.
The human resource business partner told The New Paper: "I'm glad I went through a traineeship role before jumping on board full-time. It allowed me to gain experience and build up my skills and abilities."
SGUnited Traineeships provide a viable alternative to fresh graduates who are unable to secure a full-time job.
"Graduates on traineeship can gain industry-relevant experience and build their networks as pathways to future job opportunities," Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang said in her Committee of Supply (COS) speech on March 3.
About nine in 10 graduates from institutes of higher learning who entered the labour force last year found jobs or traineeships within six months of graduation. Among them, 5,400 were on traineeships, added Ms Gan.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat also said in the Budget statement on Feb 16 that the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package will be extended to March 31 next year. It will support the hiring of 200,000 locals and provide up to 35,000 traineeship and training opportunities.
Since its launch in June last year, traineeships have offered the chance for fresh graduates to understand an industry before fully committing to a career.
A mathematical sciences graduate from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), who wanted to be known only as Ms Q. Zhu, 24, told TNP while she was grateful to have secured a traineeship in a banking sector as a data analyst, she decided against converting into a full-time role there.
Ms Zhu, whose nine-month contract ends in April, said: "I learnt a lot...but I think this industry is not for me. In a way, I'm glad that I had this opportunity to test the waters before going full-time immediately."
Ms Bianca Tan, 24, a customer care technology trainee in the e-commerce sector, said traineeships allow fresh graduates to get an idea of what a job is like before committing to it.
On whether she feels like a part of the lost generation, Ms Tan said: "I know it has been challenging, especially for those wanting to work in declining sectors.
"But it was made easier after the traineeship openings came along. Now, many of us have secured good jobs."
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