HDB inks deals with two polys to offer internships to students

Two agreements signed on Sunday morning will offer polytechnic students internships with the Housing Board that will help them gain hands-on experience related to their area of study, such as project planning and management.

Under these two partnerships, students will also learn how to engage with residents and seniors effectively and meaningfully, and utilise their skills to design and implement outreach activities, said Second Minister for National Development Indranee Rajah.

Ms Indranee, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance, witnessed the signing of the two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) at HDB Hub in Toa Payoh on Sunday.

One is an agreement between the HDB and Singapore Polytechnic’s School of Architecture and the Built Environment – which offers a diploma programme in integrated events and project management.

The other is a renewal of an agreement with Temasek Polytechnic’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences, which has a diploma programme in social sciences in gerontology.

The HDB will also conduct talks about community interaction to boost students’ knowledge in the area and offer book prizes to reward them for community engagement efforts.

Ms Indranee said that in the last three years, the HDB’s partnership with Temasek Poly saw more than 500 students running engagement sessions with over 6,300 senior citizens. These sessions included mass workouts and activities such as music and arts and crafts workshops.

Under the MOU with Singapore Poly, about 100 students from the partnered course each year will work with the HDB to organise events and activities to engage new HDB home owners and promote strong bonds in the community.

Both MOUs are for three years, from this month to May 2025.

The signings took place during the HDB’s Friends of Our Heartlands Volunteer Engagement Day.

Ms Indranee also presented awards and certificates to volunteers from the Friends of Our Heartlands Volunteer Network for their contributions.

A total of 704 individuals and 15 organisations received a gold, silver or bronze award, or a certificate of appreciation, depending on the number of hours and years volunteered.

The network, set up in 2017, now has close to 14,000 volunteers.

One bronze award winner was Rachel Sonsun, who joined the network in 2020 when she was 14. To spread the message of environmental sustainability and ecoawareness, Rachel organised four eco-tours in Punggol town earlier this year with 70 participants.

During the tours, the Secondary 4 student from St Margaret’s Secondary School introduced the ecofriendly features of the town to the participants. These included solar-powered lights, how the blocks are positioned for maximum wind ventilation, and tips on green and sustainable living.

Rachel also co-created an e-resource kit with the HDB, and this is being used by teachers to prepare students to organise ecotours themselves.

“With climate change and global warming, sustainability is really important. I have a passion for learning about sustainable initiatives and championing them as it is really meaningful,” she said.

West Spring Primary School, which received a silver award, used food to bring residents in an HDB neighbourhood in Bukit Panjang together. Its pupils engaged with about 100 residents through a virtual cook-along session at the end of last year and taught them how to make ondeh ondeh – pandan-flavoured glutinous rice flour balls filled with gula melaka. They also collected food recipes from residents and consolidated these into a community recipe book.