SINGAPORE - More than 1,000 students attended the inaugural career fair organised on Wednesday (Nov 25) by the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) and Temasek Polytechnic.

In a joint statement, the organisers said the "persisting manpower crunch" prompted the recruitment drive, called ASME Forum @ TP.

Another reason is to develop a strong, high-quality workforce with relevant skills, ASME and TP said.

More than 30 employers from the IT, service and food and beverage sectors put up booths at the one-day event at the Temasek Polytechnic in Tampines.

Guest-of-Honour Low Yen Ling urged students to take part in work-study programmes to be future ready.

"With the increasingly fast-changing business landscape, the skills you possess today may be obsolete tomorrow," said Ms Low, Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Trade and Industry.

"Mastering industry-relevant skills is critical for career advancement," she added.

Third-year business student Clarence Kee, 19, said that he attended the fair with his friends to "check out the opportunities".

He plans to join a local start-up to support Singaporean businesses so the fair was, he said, a "good place to start".