New apprenticeship programme for poly grads offers roles at top firms

They will receive competitive salaries during 18-month stint in fields like auditing, energy

- Gabrielle Chan

Mr Zhuo Junhui, a cybersecurity student at Nanyang Polytechnic, was surprised to find participants would be treated as full-fledged employees in the apprenticeship programme launched by social mobility charity Access Singapore on Feb 11. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY

(GIN TAY)

Fresh polytechnic graduates looking for a new pathway after graduation can now explore 16 new apprenticeship roles in fields like hospitality, auditing, community engagement and energy.

An 18-month apprenticeship programme, launched by social mobility charity Access Singapore on Feb 11, is opening new doors for graduates to experience on-the-job training.

They will receive monthly salaries ranging from $2,700 to $3,800, matching what a diploma holder would earn, along with medical benefits and bonuses as full-time staff.

Participants will start with two weeks of classroom training at Access to sharpen their professional skills before transitioning into their 18-month stint, after which they will be evaluated to potentially be converted into a full-time employee.

The programme is designed to provide graduates more structured learning on the job at big industry players, which include oil and gas company BP Singapore, consulting firm EY Singapore and Pontiac Land Group, which runs luxury hotels like The Ritz-Carlton and Capella.

The inaugural run of the programme will begin in July 2026. Applications are currently open to polytechnic students graduating in 2026, as well as those who graduated in the last two years.

The application window opened in January and will close in March. Sixteen vacancies are available across all disciplines, and there have been about 100 applications so far.