From May 2020, 16,000 fresh graduates from the Class of 2020 across the six Autonomous Universities (AUs) will enjoy four complimentary Continuing Education and Training (CET) modules offered by their alma mater.
This is a joint effort by the Ministry of Education (MOE), SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and the AUs. This is in recognition that with the uncertain economic outlook, some fresh graduates may want to continue their learning and pick up additional skills to complement the competencies acquired in their undergraduate years. This will enable them to access more job opportunities across different sectors.
All Singapore Citizens (SC) and Permanent Residents (PR) graduating from full-time undergraduate degree courses this year will benefit from the four free CET modules. Graduates will be able to access about 1,700 CET modules across areas such as Advanced Robotics, Data Analytics, Data Science, Finance, Professional Communications, and Systems Thinking. SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will provide a baseline subsidy of 70% of course fees for SC and PR graduates, with the AUs subsidising the remainder.
All graduates will continue to receive close support from their respective university Career Offices for their job search. They will also continue to benefit from education and career guidance, and further hone their job search skills, with the support of the Offices. Details on the additional initiatives of each AU are available on their respective websites.
Other Government Support Measures for Fresh Graduates
In addition, to boost the employability of fresh graduates, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) have introduced the SGUnited Traineeships Programme. This programme aims to provide up to 8,000 paid traineeship opportunities for fresh graduates1 to develop industry-relevant skills and build professional networks. To date, more than 280 companies, including institutions of higher learning, have come forward to offer over 4,000 traineeship opportunities. Details can be found at http://wsg.gov.sg/SGUnitedTraineeships-Trainees.
The Government had also earlier announced a one-year suspension of loan repayments and interest accrual of Government loans in the Resilience Budget. All fresh graduates with outstanding Tuition Fee Loan, Study Loan and Overseas Student Programme Loan will be automatically granted the suspension of loan repayment and interest accrual from 1 Jun 2020 to 31 May 2021.
As we support fresh graduates entering the workforce in these exceptional times, we also encourage them to give back and contribute to society. Graduates can visit sgunited.gov.sg to learn how they can support ongoing community initiatives or initiate their own projects. They can also download the SG Cares app for updates on the latest community efforts, and consider signing up for volunteering opportunities, such as helping charities on their fundraising campaigns, or tele-befriending seniors.
1 Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who (i) graduated or graduating in calendar year 2019 or 2020 from ITEs, polytechnics, universities, or other educational institutions (e.g. private universities and overseas institutions) or (ii) graduated earlier from above institutions and completed National Service in 2019 or 2020 are eligible to apply for the SGUnited Traineeships Programme.
