Early exposure to the world of work is critical to ensure that students can make informed decisions about future career pathways. Yet, such opportunities are highly inaccessible, especially for pre-university students.
How might we fill this gap to ensure that youths can make better-informed decisions in their education and careers?
Reimagining Education aims to bridge the gap between the current academic curriculum and the future workplace.
The team will develop a multi-functional platform that will offer work exposure opportunities, in the form of case assignments, to Junior College students. The team will act as the middleman between the students and corporations.
Students will be assigned a challenge statement by companies regarding a pertinent problem in the industry/sector, for which they will conduct necessary research with support from their company-assigned mentor and present the solution at the end of their assignment. Throughout this process, students will be exposed to the world of work and gain a deeper insight into and a broader range of interactions with relevant industry professionals.
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
They value add by being creative, add youthfulness and enthusiasm to the team, more hands-on and willing to get their hands dirty.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
F&B, FMCG and Banking
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Provide new perspectives and pursue fresh lines of inquiry
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Consulting, public sector
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
Yes
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
By being part of a team instead of being labelled as a trainee
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Healthcare
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
Yes
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Providing fresh insights that are relevant to the younger/future generations to rejuvenate work processes/products offered by the companies
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Design, product engineering
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
To many companies, especially if students are ambitious and want to go for big companies, they will most likely be extra hands, labour, manpower. At that age only SMEs might benefit from having that outside thought, because big companies always have strict SOPs.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
tech
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Sharing & receiving the latest updates in the industry with colleagues
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
F&B
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Interns can be given more opportunities to shadow a mentor and also have opportunity to initiate projects and voice out opinions.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Computer science.
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Maybe you speak with the companies on their thoughts on interns.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Social services.
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Interns can bring new perspectives and ideas as they come from a different environment (school), bringing new ways to solve a problem/ make the process faster.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
HR (Business)
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Interesting, young perspectives. A talent pipeline.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Education, high tech, sustainability
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
I think it may be difficult for pre-u students to commit for a long period of time so a short bootcamp or experiential workshop would be good. Organising a mini competition can allow companies to obtain feedback and hear innovative ideas.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Technology
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Students can bring a different point of view to the table. Considering that today’s youths are extremely tech savvy and they are fully updated on current affairs, it might add value to the companies as well.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
I would be really interested in computer science and engineering industry. As high school students, I never had an opportunity to experience real life engineering. Coz these industries often need a particular level of educational knowledge.
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
generate new ideas, bring a neutral perspeective to issues
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
tech
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Students these days are equipped with other aspects of knowledge e.g. latest technology, latest social issues happening around the world etc. by having the younger generation interning in a company, it’s a win win situation. Interns can gain practical experience and also see first hand if they have the interest or passion for an industry / job. Whereas the company can benefit from the different thinking and mindset of the younger generation which have been brought up differently. They grew up in a world of tech, whereas the older generation grew up writing on log books, using the dial up telephone etc. they will be able to bring fresh experiences and thoughts and inject creativity and new ways of working which would be beneficial to the company.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Healthcare
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Insights about their generation’s mindset towards work, things that the younger generation are aware of or technology that they are good at.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Finance
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
I think student interns potential will amplify if they are given deeper insights training in the workplace as studies is only relevant if they can be applied.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Marketing, Advertising.
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Yes they can, they add extra manpower and fresh energy into organisations.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Creative and start up industry
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
I believe that with more opportunities provided by the company where students would get to experience first hand, they would be able to provide their own ideas and perspective which would help the company to be aware and take necessary action in improvements and upgrade themselves.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Digital marketing or anything business related
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
With the right mindset, they can inject positivity, enthusiasm and resourcefulness to get things done.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Technology
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
By providing new point of view and ideas that may be new
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Tech
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
Yes
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
definitely as it can bring in fresh and new ideas to the companies!
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
healthcare, technology
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
yes
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
startup
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Livelier workplace, think from a younger generation perspective,
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Public sector, social enterprises, NGOs
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
Value add by making workplace more fun and lively to be in. Value add new ideas, bring in perspectives from different generations, backgrounds etc.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Public service
In response to "As a pre-university student, did/do you feel sufficiently prepared to make decisions about your future education or career path?"
No
In response to "How do you think student interns can value add to companies?"
I think student interns can bring a fresh perspective on how to simplify processes and automate things to ensure that things function in a more effective and efficient manner in the workplace.
In response to "What industry would you be interested to do an internship in?"
Blockchain Industry
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
If I were a pre-university student, this platform will help me to decide my career aspirations and help me decide on my university course - I hope to see this solution being implemented! I agree with the points for the platform to fill the gap by providing opportunities to explore and gain intern/work experience as well as learn skills to prepare to become future-ready. Additionally, it\'ll be great if they can find mentors to guide them on this journey. I suggest the team to use Giving.sg as a nationwide initiative as a prototype to gain inspiration from. 1) Alike volunteering opportunities on Giving.sg, Companies can list intern/work opportunities open for students to join. Students can apply and companies can ask them for interview. 2) Organise Networking Sessions based on Industry. e.g. January - F&B Industry leader sharing, December - Banking & Finance sharing 3) Mentoring Circle Networking, pair students with mentors to exchange ideas and advice on career journey
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
The proposal is novel and would add value to a complicated space, similar to the concept of a career aggregator platform. Beyond streamlining the internship browsing, application, and documentation process, team could work with potential employers to identify key skills that interns will pick up and provide some structured process to reinforce the learning being done, for instance by having interns come together in some sort of cohort to exchange views and lessons.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
There are many job portals that can help streamline internships. My university also has a middleman portal for students to select internships; internships are also compulsory for a lot of students at my university. So your idea must stand out in terms of convenience, if not it is just another middleman portal like other search portals.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Ensure safeguards against exploitation of interns, tangible learning goals set out by companies that will be made known to the interns beforehand
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Your suggested platform is already highly saturated with other companies like Fastjobs, Gumtree, linkedin, and these are on top of traditional career agents, school based career offices, who may have their own networks to find a good internship for you. how sure are you that this solution is even going to help students place in companies, and what difference are you providing as opposed to those above companies? Work is not inaccessible per se, but these companies probably don\'t even want to hire younger students as they are deemed as inexperienced. (I am in this exact position which is sad!) So the jobs are hard to come by this way. Instead, you can make these companies provide week-long slots to train your students, which would be different from other current job seeking sites.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Find out ways to connect student and companies to gain more valuable industry experience. The companies that student applies for need not be related to their studies.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
When you say Pre-U, are you talking about the JC students? Poly and ITE students, in general, have internship opportunities. Their institutions are also including more industrial opportunities to enhance their educational experience. So if you are including them, are you exploring that they could be in internships which is vastly different from what they have been studying in school? Maybe just do more user interviews across various categories of students, you are very likely to get different responses on career options and opportunities from them.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
- The platform in progress should contact partner companies who are looking for pre-university students that are looking for internships - Platform should be only for pre-uni students only, so as to give them more chances. So perhaps can work with gov to obtain all pre-uni students each year, then to access the website, need to use the student\'s NRIC to log in. Will only be given access if your are a pre-uni student. - Should also advertise the platform in polys/jcs/ITE, or ask speakers to share about the platform so pre-uni students will know the existence of the platform. Overall, good job guys and keep it up!! :)
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Preparing both the companies and the interns well for the experience so that it\'s easy for companies to take on interns without wasting time figuring out what to do with them! Perhaps a framework, template or guidelines for how the company can set up meaningful work for an intern. Also some pre/post briefing materials for the interns to help them get the most out of it. Especially important if internships are short. Don\'t want it to be a waste of time for the intern or a burden for the company to participate :-)
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
I think many pre-u students are often confused with career paths as they spend most of their time studying. Organising short events that can fit into their schedule will certainly enhance their understanding of themselves.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
A lot of industries out there hesitate to take in pre-u students for internships as they require a specific skill set and they expect their interns to help them in certain areas. So maybe in order to be fair to these companies as well, you guys could consider giving courses or some lessons to pre-U students that prepare them for high-demanding internships.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
On top of just being a middleman to connect candidates with companies, you can expand on your current model and provide mentorship program as well. Candidates will be able to connect with mentors from the same industry or different industry to get first hand views and knowledge. After internship support can also be given to ensure that both parties benefit from this program. Internship program shouldn’t be used by a company to find “cheap labour” to do admin tasks. To be able to benefit both parties, companies should make use of this opportunity to seek for talents and learn from one another. Interns should be properly remunerated for their efforts. Companies shouldn’t have the mindset that they are paying interns to learn, because interns can also bring contributions to the company.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Companies can get more support so they can get more interns to be employed. I think the interns should also be properly remunerated for their time and effort with higher wages and also companies should give interns real opportunities in working for the company and not as short term staff that they need someone to do manual work for as they can\'t find workers to fill in the role.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Finding relevant companies would be helpful but companies themselves would have to be open minded and willing to take suggestions and also providing feedbacks. Would be good to have both parties interest and similar expectations stated
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
You will need a good differentiation plan to distinguish yourself from existing platforms with internship offerings.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Could explore using student info/ interest/ skill sets to create an algorithm that recommends top 4 industries and roles that may be suitable for them. Then instead of a short internship that focuses on 1 department, do a 1 year long internship with quarterly rotations within the same company so that the student is able to truly understand how 4 different departments work and which one is most suitable/ most interesting for them.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
there is an existing social enterprises in the same space that you could learn from - Praxium and The Astronauts Collective as well as nonprofit Access Singapore. it might be helpful to learn from them about their work!! Maybe one thing that the team can consider is to research more and figure out a gap in the system and serve that specific gap - maybe it could be JC students, maybe it could be ITE students or even nursery school kids ! most companies would prefer to hire interns that they know can complete the assigned tasks. it is difficult to assign it to pre-u students given that they do not have much experience. communicating and aligning expectations between the students and the companies is key to your project!!
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Do more market research and user research to find out what users want, what the market has so that you can design a better product. Currently it doesn\'t seem to have any USP.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
Seems like any other application platforms to me at the moment. What is the USP? guaranteed internships? Smoother applications? A nice UX? What industries are you considering to specialise in and why? Is there any demand? I think these are crucial things to consider first before going in to develop a prototype. Cheers.
In response to "How Can We Improve?"
I think that partnering with corporations and companies is a big step on your platform and when done successfully, it can be a giant leap forward. Also, I think it will be paramount to differentiate all the jobs offerings into different industries as well as list down on the platform what are the relevant skillsets and things that students can expect to learn when being onboarded onto the internship so that students can be more well versed and better prepared instead of being left clueless and helpless during the entire experience.
