Polytechnic Graduates who Dropped Out of SGUnited Traineeships Programme
Ministry of ManpowerSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the dropout rates and reasons for polytechnic graduates in the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, as raised by Dr Wan Rizal. Minister of State for Manpower Ms Gan Siow Huang reported that of the 720 graduates placed by December 2020, 23 individuals, or about 3%, did not complete the programme. These dropouts were primarily attributed to participants securing full-time employment or having undisclosed personal or medical reasons. Minister of State for Manpower Ms Gan Siow Huang highlighted that trainees are encouraged to explore both study-related and alternative sectors, though specific data on field relevance was unavailable. She also noted that those needing career assistance can access resources through Workforce Singapore, NTUC’s e2i, and the MyCareersFuture portal.
Transcript
6 Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Manpower (a) what is the number of Polytechnic graduates who dropped out from the SGUnited Traineeships Programme; and (b) what are the reasons for the drop-outs.
The Minister of State for Manpower (Ms Gan Siow Huang) (for the Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, the SGUnited Traineeships Programme was launched in June 2020 to provide recent graduates with traineeship opportunities across various sectors.
As of end-December 2020, about 720 Polytechnic graduates had been placed into SGUnited Traineeships. Of these, 23, or about 3%, did not complete the programme. The Singapore Business Federation (SBF), our programme partner managing the SGUnited Traineeships Programme, surveys host organisations and trainees who have completed the programme, or left halfway. For those who did not complete the programme, the reasons were mainly because they had found full-time employment, or had undisclosed personal or medical reasons.
The SGUnited Traineeships Programme provides meaningful opportunities to graduates to pick up skills in preparation for full-time jobs. I am encouraged to see that the majority of trainees continue to go through with their traineeships. For participants who need career assistance, they can approach Workforce Singapore (WSG) or NTUC’s e2i through physical touchpoints such as the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres, WSG’s Careers Connect and its mobile extension, Careers Connect On-the-Go, as well as NTUC-e2i’s career centres. They may also visit the MyCareersFuture portal to search for job opportunities that suit their skills and competencies.
Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): Mr Speaker, my question is, with regard to these 700-over students from the polytechnics and those who dropped out because of these issues, but those who remain, are they in the same field that they actually studied in? Is that the reason why most of them got jobs or stayed on in the programme? That would be my question, Sir.
Ms Gan Siow Huang: I thank hon Member Dr Wan Rizal for the supplementary question. Offhand, I do not have the information on whether the polytechnic graduates who opted for the traineeships are actually in sectors that are relevant to what they studied. But we do know that the Polytechnic graduates have a wide range of choices of traineeships. We do encourage them to take on traineeships in sectors that are relevant to them, but we also encourage them to keep their options open and be ready to consider other choices as well.
12.29 pm
Mr Speaker: Order. End of Question Time. The Clerk will now proceed to read the order of the day.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), Written Answers to Question Nos 7-8, 11-12 and 14 on the Order Paper are reproduced in the Appendix. Question Nos 9-10 and 13 have been postponed to the sitting of Parliament on 26 February 2021.]