Career Guidance Programmes for Students

Ms Ellen Lee asked the Minister for Education whether the Ministry will consider giving more emphasis and creativity to career guidance programmes for students, given the rapid pace with which traditional industries are replaced by new ones.

With technological advances and new career opportunities, the average student today can expect, in his life time, to change jobs several times. MOE places emphasis on Education and Career Guidance (ECG) to prepare our students and equip them with the mindsets, skills and competencies to contribute positively in such an increasingly complex work environment.

In the revised ECG curriculum to be implemented in 2014, Secondary school students will be taught the various career sectors in Singapore and understand how jobs become obsolete and new ones emerge. They will also learn to seek opportunities for lifelong learning to improve productivity and employability. Career Coordinators are given updated labour market information to incorporate into their curriculum where appropriate.

Besides ECG lessons, schools also organise career fairs, industry visits, visits to open-houses of post-Secondary institutions or tertiary institutions, work attachments and work shadowing opportunities for their students. School counsellors provide career counselling to support students in their education and career decision-making processes.

The interactive online ECG portal implemented in schools since 2009 helps students to discover their strengths and interests, and guides them in education planning and career exploration. The occupational database, comprising jobs requiring different skills available in Singapore, exposes students to think about jobs that they may not have considered before.