Employment Assistance for Fresh Graduates from Private Universities

52 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry has plans to assist fresh graduates from private universities to gain employment in the workforce and to change the perception of their value-add to the marketplace amongst employers.

Mrs Josephine Teo: To help graduates from private education institutions (PEIs) secure good employment outcomes, PEIs must equip graduates with industry-relevant skills and take responsibility for the employment outcomes of their graduates. This is why the Ministry of Education (MOE) regularly highlights to PEIs the importance of maintaining the relevance of their programmes to meet the changing needs of industry and potential employers, and why PEIs offering degree programmes are assessed via the EduTrust scheme on their graduate outcomes. MOE is also helping our students make better informed decisions in the career and learning journey. We have (a) stepped up Education and Career Guidance (ECG) efforts in schools; and (b) made it mandatory for PEIs with degree programmes to conduct and publish the PEI Graduate Employment Survey, which is similar to the Graduate Employment Survey by the autonomous universities.

Increasingly, employers look beyond education qualifications to identify candidates with good fit. Together with our tripartite partners, the Ministry of Manpower also promotes progressive hiring practices which encourage firms to assess candidates holistically, including through the use of competency assessment tools or work trials where appropriate. These practices are outlined in the Tripartite Standard on Recruitment Practices which was launched in November last year. Employers which voluntarily sign up to the Standard commit to adopt fair, merit-based and inclusive recruitment practices. As of June this year, more than 560 employers, accounting for about 340,000 workers, have adopted this Standard.