A new programme to help young Singaporeans to be future-ready with career opportunities in ASEAN through networking and career mentorship has been launched by Temasek Foundation and NTUC’s youth wing, Young NTUC.
The programme, called the LIT (Learning Is Triggered) ASEAN Careers, will help young Singaporeans with work exposure in the ASEAN region to enhance their skill sets.
Through this programme, the organisers hope that young Singaporeans can add value to both the local and regional markets.
The initiative is supported by the National Youth Council and was officially launched by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu on 5 October 2019 at the Suntec City Convention Centre.
The LIT ASEAN Career programme consisted of three-parts – a conference that highlighted key industry trends and development in the region, an ASEAN Showcase that shared resources and information on business culture, and an ASEAN Mentorship programme.
Young NTUC Executive Secretary Wendy Tan said: “At Young NTUC, we want to empower and support youths in mastering skills for the workforce, which is why the LIT series was created and launched since 2018. However, today is the first time we are giving an ASEAN flavour to a LIT event.
“ASEAN is one of the most successful regional groupings in the world. Growth in recent years has exceeded the global average and will continue to do so, barring significant external factors. By 2030, ASEAN would be the world’s fourth-largest economy.”
About 400 young Singaporeans and 30 young regional industry professionals, who volunteered as ASEAN Career Guides attended the inaugural event.
Amazon Web Services, Gojek and Surbana Jurong were some of the companies present at the launch to share on the latest ASEAN economic developments and opportunities.
The mentorship programme connected 400 youths with ASEAN Career Guides who have had work experience in the ASEAN region. The youths were given the option to be matched to an ASEAN Career Guide for a four-month mentorship after the networking session at the event.
The ASEAN Career Guides are experienced young Singaporeans and young professionals from ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and Young NTUC Advisor Desmond Choo said: “The ASEAN mentorship is an expanded version of Young NTUC’s Youth Career Network (YCN) programme which has been running since 2017. Over the span of three years, 400 industry professionals have mentored more than 10,000 youths.
“Today, 400 more youths will be getting regional mentorship by ASEAN career guides and through the process, expand their networks and inroads to ASEAN. This is significant as this means that our youths now have an added advantage to compete in the global markets. ASEAN is expected to become the fourth largest economic markets in the world by 2030, and I am confident that these new programmes will be an invaluable stepping stone for youths to explore the world, expand their networks, open more gateways for themselves and eventually bring back valuable experience.”
In a survey conducted by Young NTUC with about 1,200 youths in June this year, more than half of the respondents said they were willing to take up a two-year opportunity to be based in an ASEAN country.
Some of the reasons cited were to boost their work prospects with overseas work experience and interest in understanding another country’s culture and work environment.
