New mentoring programme encourages more ITE students to pursue work-study diplomas

SINGAPORE – Students at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will now be able to receive guidance from mentors, in efforts to encourage more Higher Nitec students to pursue a Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) after graduation.

JumpStart, ITE’s first mentoring initiative for its WSDip programme, will be funded by non-profit organisation Quantedge Foundation Singapore for five years. The programme will be run in collaboration with youth organisation The Astronauts Collective.

Calling the timing of this partnership significant, Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary said that career mentoring comes at a crucial time in an uncertain economic climate.

“Rising trade tensions and technological shifts are reshaping jobs, industries and the nature of work,” he said.  

He was speaking to 300 ITE students at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between ITE and the two partner organisations at the WorldX event – an annual career exploration festival for ITE students – at ITE College East on Aug 12.

Dr Janil, who is also Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, said the increasing challenge of securing jobs that meet students’ expectations may cause anxiety, but the Education Ministry is “closely monitoring the employment situation”.

Students can enter the six-month mentorship programme at three points – during their internship in the final year of their Higher Nitec course; the application period for the WSDip programme; or the first year of their WSDip course.

Voluntary mentors, comprising industry professionals and senior ITE alumni, will provide students with ongoing support and career guidance as they transition into the WSDip programme and start working.

There will be a minimum of six mentoring sessions throughout the programme.

An ITE spokeswoman said the programme has supported over 150 students across the three ITE colleges since it began in March 2025, and aims to support 100 more by the end of the year.

ITE’s chief executive, Ms Low Khah Gek, said ITE hopes to expand the number of mentees each year, to support its target of an intake of 2,000 WSDip students by 2030.

“This is a significant increase of 400, compared with this year’s intake of 1,600,” she added.

The ITE spokeswoman said its first mentorship programme is targeted at WSDip trainees to jump-start the process of students gaining meaningful employment and skills upgrading via the WSDip programme.

She added that with positive employment outcomes for WSDip graduates in terms of starting salaries and full-time employment rate, the ITE hopes to encourage more ITE graduates to pursue this progression pathway.

Dr Janil said that with the median starting salary for ITE WSDip graduates being comparable to those of full-time polytechnic diploma graduates, more students should have access to the WSDip programme.

He added that mentoring is crucial to help students discover their interests and equip them with the confidence and skills needed to better transition into work.

“Having someone who can share their experience, provide practical advice and offer encouragement can make a significant difference in helping our youth make informed decisions about their education and their career path,” he said.

Mr Muhammad Zulfaqar Muhammad Rizal, 21, joined the mentoring programme on the first day of his WSDip course in facilities management at ITE College West in April 2025. He will graduate in April 2028.

He has since met his mentor, Ms Goh Ying Xuan, 28, at least five times to discuss the challenges he has faced during the programme and how to overcome them.

Ms Goh, a former ITE student and polytechnic graduate, is currently pursuing an engineering degree in infrastructure and project management at the National University of Singapore under a scholarship from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Mr Zulfaqar said Ms Goh was able to use her own experiences as a frontline worker during her five-year stint as a public servant to advise him on how to overcome challenging situations at work.

“There are times when I have to speak to clients, like tenants and contractors on-site. And some of them can be hard to handle. She told me not to take it personally as they come and go,” he said.

Mr Zulfaqar said that during their discussions, which can last between one and three hours over a meal, Ms Goh taught him how to speak and interact with others more confidently.

Apart from discussing workplace scenarios, she also checks on his well-being and imparts other skills like time management.

“Although I’m in school, I’m actually at work. So she taught me how to differentiate between the two and manage my time better by focusing on one thing, instead of letting work and school interfere with each other.”

He noted that having a mentor was especially beneficial in building his confidence to enter the workforce, as he had never experienced what it was like to work before starting the WSDip programme.

“A mentor can help emotionally and in hard times... especially to teach how to handle stuff that we don’t usually experience when we are in school.”

Correction note: The story has been edited for clarity.