From digital forensic examiners to festival staff, S’pore youth get a taste of work life

Students going though the human career library segment and the experience centre during a job taster session hosted by GovTech.

ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

BNB Diviyadhaarshini

Published Sep 07, 2026, 04:45 PM

Updated Sep 07, 2026, 04:45 PM

About 8,800 youth participated in job taster sessions in 2025, with plans to offer up to 30,000 stints annually by 2030 across more than 34 industries.

Industries with the highest uptake include Infocomm technology, financial services, healthcare and public service.

Youth participants say the sessions allow them to see how industry professionals utilise skills they learn in school.

SINGAPORE – For 18-year-old Ifra Farveen Mohamad, listening to GovTech employees talk about their jobs brought some of the lessons she had learnt in school to life.

The second year International Trade and Logistics student at Temasek Polytechnic was among about 100 youth who attended a job taster session hosted by GovTech on Sept 4.

Speaking to The Straits Times at the session, Ifra said: “I got to see how the things I learn (in school) are being applied by industry professionals.”

She also saw the session as a two-way exchange, noting that while the professionals are experts in their own fields, such engagements give them a chance to hear how young people feel about their initiatives too.

Ramiro Althea Mae Bathan, who also signed up for the session, said she was reassured to know that a person’s eventual career need not be tied to what they had studied.

Temasek Polytechnic students Ifra Farveen Mohamad (left), Jude Quek Xian Yang (centre) and Ramiro Althea Mae Bathan were among those who participated in the job taster session hosted by GovTech on Sept 4. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

Temasek Polytechnic students Ifra Farveen Mohamad (left), Jude Quek Xian Yang (centre) and Ramiro Althea Mae Bathan were among those who participated in the job taster session hosted by GovTech on Sept 4.

The 18-year-old medical biotechnology student at Temasek Polytechnic said: “Joining this session helped broaden my perspective on what types of careers there are and how my course can fit into it all.”

The sessions were aimed at introducing youth to digital governance, offering a look beyond building digital products to areas such as policy, risk and audit that shape how technology is used across government.

“Through initiatives such as job tasters , we hope to give young Singaporeans meaningful exposure to technology careers and digital government, helping them better understand the opportunities available in this space,” said Peggy Mah, senior director of culture, community and youth cluster at GovTech.

In 2025, about 8,800 youth and students took part in such job tasters, said the National Youth Council (NYC) in response to queries from The Straits Times. Nearly 80 per cent of participants said they left with a clearer sense of their possible career pathways, the council said.

The GovTech sessions were among more than 10,000 job tasters being rolled out in 2026, with up to 30,000 stints slated to be offered annually by 2030.

The expansion is part of the July launch of the SG Youth Plan , a suite of initiatives aimed at helping young people navigate their careers, friendships and personal development. Other initiatives introduced include co-living units, adulting programmes and more funding for youth-led projects .

As at August 2026, job taster opportunities have been offered across 34 industries, said NYC. Industries with the highest uptake include Infocomm technology, financial services, healthcare and public service.

The council said it hopes to see more opportunities in industries such as healthcare, financial services, environment and sustainability and engineering.

Another session, hosted by HeritageSG, a subsidiary of the National Heritage Board, gave participants a behind-the-scenes look into what it takes to organise and run the annual Singapore Night Festival, one of the country’s largest nocturnal events. Its 17th edition is from Aug 21 to Sept 5.

The job stint covered event operations, stakeholder coordination, and festival execution during the lead up to the event. HeritageSG works to strengthen the heritage sector through public-private partnerships and ensuring a supply of talent in areas such as museum services and event management.

Second year fashion management and design student at Temasek Polytechnic, Sarah Sofian, who took part in the job taster, observed and helped with different aspects of the festival like crowd control, registration and ushering. She also observed the media preview and how staff interacted with guests during the tour.

Sarah Sofian (centre) speaking to a Singapore Night Festival tour guide (left) and HeritageSG staff (right) during her job taster stint. PHOTO: NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL

Sarah Sofian (centre) speaking to a Singapore Night Festival tour guide (left) and HeritageSG staff (right) during her job taster stint.

PHOTO: NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL

The 19-year-old said she was keen to find out how a large arts festival operates behind the scenes.

She said: “One of my biggest takeaways was that working in the creative industry involves a lot of clear and strong collaboration, as well as adaptability in dealing with unexpected issues.”

The three-day stint gave Sarah a valuable introduction to the industry, adding that she would still like to learn more about the creative direction of the festival, including the curation of artists, performers, and venues.

At another job taster, a panel discussion hosted by the Digital Defence Alliance Singapore (DDAS), about 65 youth heard from industry experts what a typical day in their work might look like.

Moderated by Chua De Hui, honorary digital forensic advisor at DDAS, the session unpacked how professionals in the digital defence industry play different roles across public and private sectors.

Panelists (from left) Chua De Hui, honorary digital forensic advisor at DDAS, Plainbit Director Beon Jin Kim, RSM Singapore manager David Lim and HTX Digital Forensic Examiner Mohamad Ridzuan speaking to participants. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Panelists (from left) Chua De Hui, honorary digital forensic advisor at DDAS, Plainbit Director Beon Jin Kim, RSM Singapore manager David Lim and HTX Digital Forensic Examiner Mohamad Ridzuan speaking to participants.

ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

DDAS is an organisation dedicated to strengthening the digital defence pillar of Singapore’s total defence strategy through advocacy, education, and partnerships.

De Hui said these job tasters open up networking opportunities for youth.

“It does not have to end here, if they are interested to find out more, they can approach DDAS and we can advise them,” he said.

National Youth Council

在由 GovTech 主办的就业体验活动中，学生们正在参观人类职业图书馆和体验中心。

圣路易斯照片：阿里芬·贾马尔

BNB Diviyadhaarshini

发布于 2026 年 9 月 7 日下午 4:45

更新于2026年9月7日下午4:45

2025 年约有 8800 名青年参加了工作体验课程，计划到 2030 年在 34 个以上的行业每年提供多达 30000 个实习机会。

信息通信技术、金融服务、医疗保健和公共服务等行业采用率最高。

青年参与者表示，这些课程让他们有机会了解行业专业人士如何运用他们在学校学到的技能。

新加坡——对于18岁的伊芙拉·法尔文·穆罕默德来说，聆听政府科技局员工谈论他们的工作，让她在学校学到的一些知识变得生动起来。

淡马锡理工学院国际贸易与物流专业二年级学生是9月4日参加由政府科技局主办的就业体验活动的约100名青年之一。

伊芙拉在会上接受《海峡时报》采访时表示：“我亲眼看到了我在学校里学到的知识是如何被行业专业人士应用的。”

她还认为这次会议是一次双向交流，并指出，虽然专业人士都是各自领域的专家，但这样的交流也让他们有机会听到年轻人对他们倡议的看法。

也报名参加了此次活动的拉米罗·阿尔西娅·梅·巴坦表示，得知一个人的最终职业不必与他所学的专业挂钩，她感到很欣慰。

淡马锡理工学院学生伊芙拉·法文·穆罕默德（左）、郭贤阳（中）和拉米罗·阿尔西娅·梅·巴坦参加了9月4日由政府科技局主办的就业体验活动。（海峡时报摄影：阿里芬·贾马尔）

淡马锡理工学院学生 Ifra Farveen Mohamad（左）、Jude Quek Xian Yang（中）和 Ramiro Althea Mae Bathan 参加了 9 月 4 日由政府科技局主办的就业体验活动。

这位来自淡马锡理工学院的18岁医学生物技术专业学生表示：“参加这次会议帮助我拓宽了对各种职业的认识，以及我的课程如何融入其中。”

这些课程旨在向青年介绍数字治理，让他们不仅关注构建数字产品，还关注政策、风险和审计等领域，这些领域影响着政府如何使用技术。

“我们希望通过工作体验等举措，让新加坡年轻人有机会接触科技职业和数字政府，帮助他们更好地了解该领域的机会，”政府科技局文化、社区和青年集群高级总监马佩吉表示。

新加坡国家青年理事会（NYC）在回复《海峡时报》的询问时表示，2025年约有8800名青年和学生参加了此类职业体验活动。该理事会称，近80%的参与者表示，他们对未来的职业发展方向有了更清晰的认识。

政府科技局的这些体验活动是2026年推出的1万多个工作体验项目的一部分，到2030年，每年计划提供多达3万个工作体验机会。

此次扩建是新加坡青年计划（SG Youth Plan）7月启动的一部分，该计划包含一系列旨在帮助年轻人规划职业生涯、发展友谊和实现个人成长的举措。其他举措还包括共享居住单元、成人教育项目以及为青年主导的项目提供更多资金。

纽约市表示，截至2026年8月，已在34个行业提供了工作体验机会。参与度最高的行业包括信息通信技术、金融服务、医疗保健和公共服务。

该委员会表示，希望在医疗保健、金融服务、环境与可持续发展以及工程等行业看到更多机会。

另一场由国家文物局下属机构HeritageSG主办的研讨会，让参与者深入了解了组织和举办一年一度的新加坡夜间节的幕后工作。新加坡夜间节是该国规模最大的夜间活动之一，第17届将于8月21日至9月5日举行。

这份工作涵盖了活动运营、利益相关者协调以及节庆活动筹备期间的各项执行工作。HeritageSG致力于通过公私合作加强文化遗产领域，并确保博物馆服务和活动管理等领域的人才供应。

淡马锡理工学院时装管理与设计专业二年级学生莎拉·索菲安参加了此次工作体验活动，她观察并协助了音乐节的各个环节，例如人群控制、登记和引导。她还观摩了媒体预览活动，并观察了工作人员在参观过程中如何与来宾互动。

莎拉·索菲安（中）在体验工作期间与新加坡夜间节导游（左）和HeritageSG工作人员（右）交谈。照片：国家青年理事会

Sarah Sofian（中）在工作体验期间与新加坡夜间节导游（左）和HeritageSG工作人员（右）交谈。

照片：全国青年理事会

这位19岁的女孩表示，她很想了解大型艺术节幕后的运作方式。

她说：“我最大的感悟之一是，在创意产业工作需要很多清晰而有力的合作，以及应对意外问题的适应能力。”

为期三天的实习让莎拉对这个行业有了宝贵的了解，她还表示，她仍然希望更多地了解电影节的创意方向，包括艺术家、表演者和场地的策划。

在新加坡数字防御联盟 (DDAS) 主办的另一场工作体验活动中，约 65 名青年参加了一场小组讨论，听取了行业专家对他们日常工作的介绍。

本次会议由数字取证协会 (DDAS) 名誉数字取证顾问蔡德辉主持，深入探讨了数字防御行业的专业人士如何在公共和私营部门扮演不同的角色。

小组成员（从左至右）包括DDAS荣誉数字取证顾问蔡德辉、Plainbit总监金炳镇、RSM新加坡经理林大卫以及HTX数字取证专家穆罕默德·里兹万正在与参会者交流。（海峡时报摄影：JASON QUAH）

小组成员（从左至右）包括 DDAS 荣誉数字取证顾问 Chua De Hui、Plainbit 总监 Beon Jin Kim、RSM 新加坡经理 David Lim 和 HTX 数字取证审查员 Mohamad Ridzuan，他们正在与参与者交谈。

《海峡时报》摄影：JASON QUAH

DDAS 是一个致力于通过宣传、教育和合作来加强新加坡全面国防战略中数字防御支柱的组织。

德辉表示，这些工作体验活动为年轻人提供了拓展人脉的机会。

“事情不必就此结束，如果他们有兴趣了解更多信息，可以联系DDAS，我们可以为他们提供建议，”他说。

全国青年理事会