The trickiest hurdle for young adults about to enter the workforce is finding how to actually get started with their first job.
Fortunately for 10,000 of them, they’ve been able to make sense of the intricacies of the working world through Todo Todo, a career support initiative by Young NTUC and the People’s Association.
Focused on learning, Todo Todo comprises programmes that have been curated to help youths explore their career options, keep abreast of industry happenings and equip them with the relevant skills that can help them make the transition from school into meaningful careers.
Gearing Up For Industry 4.0
The fourth edition of the Todo Todo Skills Marketplace at Bugis+ on 25 January 2019 was centered on preparing youths for Industry 4.0. The event was attended by over 300 youths from institutes of higher learning.
“As Industry 4.0 unfolds, there will be changes to the way we work. Job skills that are required today can be very different from those held by previous generations. Our youth can use platforms like Todo Todo to get equipped with the relevant skills for the workplace.
“We will continue to support our youth in seizing opportunities, and forming a community that supports one another in today’s competitive global environment,” said Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu, who was guest-of-honour.
For the first time at a Todo Todo Skills Marketplace, learning partners – Nanyang Polytechnic, Dioworks (e-learning design company), U Leap by NTUC and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), Gen Infiniti Academy and the Lifelong Learning Institute – were on site to showcase different learning resources. This included bite-sized learning modules, project based e-learning and personalised learning curricula – all resources to help youths pick up new and practical skills for the workforce.
Part of the programme included meet and greet sessions with prospective employers from the financial services, infocomm and technology, logistics and retail sectors, giving the youths a chance to learn about the latest developments and career opportunities available. Business leaders from Maybank Singapore, Tata Consultancy Services, Shopee Singapore, Quirk and Shalom Movers were also part of the line-up of speakers who shared perspectives and insights on their personal career journeys.
“Todo Todo Skills Marketplace tackles the core concerns of a younger Singaporean worker — landing a job in a competitive but highly diversified market. This uncertainty is compounded by higher rate of skills erosion. The Todo Todo Skills Marketplace can help to strengthen skills to jobs search nexus and provide the blueprint for upgrading opportunities for our youths,” added NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and Young NTUC Executive Secretary Desmond Choo.
Budget 2019 Calls
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, ASG Choo also detailed what he hoped to tackle ahead of this year’s Budget 2019 announcement.
Top on his list was the hope that the Government, together with companies such as Temasek-linked ones, can open up more internship opportunities for young Singaporeans. “ This is so our young people can have a leg up in their job search,” he said.
Another item on his Budget wishlist was for more opportunities for “learning dexterity”. He said that he hoped the Government would be able to extend more subsidies for courses that will enable young people of pick up new skills, and even additional qualifications that will enable them to change career tracks depending on how the market changes.
ASG Choo also reiterated his hopes that the Government could look into making family care leave mandatory for companies. He said that this would be a big help to both single young workers looking after their elderly parents, and families with both elderly parents and young children.
Together with the hope that the Government can do more to ease the burden of infant and childcare costs, ASG Choo said: “We are committed to understanding the needs of younger Singaporeans, and translating it into policies that will help them. So that they can develop and dedicate themselves to their jobs and also take care of their families.”
