Polytechnic graduate Dian Afiqah Salaihuddin had planned to get a full-time job so she could save up for university.
The COVID-19 pandemic not only dashed her hopes of a full-time job, she also could not extend her internship.
Then her mother lost her job in March and her father stopped working at a gym because of the circuit breaker measures.
Miss Dian, who has a diploma in creative writing for TV and new media, managed to get a part-time job as a cashier at FairPrice Finest in April.
She became her family’s sole breadwinner for six weeks until her mother found a part-time job.
Other fresh graduates are also not optimistic about job prospects amid the coronavirus crisis.
But the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, which aims to create close to 100,000 job and training opportunities, has given them renewed hope.
The number of traineeships under the SGUnited Traineeships programme, introduced in the Resilience Budget, will be increased from 8,000 to 21,000 positions this year.
Targeted at recent and fresh graduates, the programme will provide opportunities to boost their employability by the time hiring demand picks up, while receiving an estimated monthly training allowance of $1,100 to $2,500, depending on their qualifications.
The traineeships will be progressively offered from June.
While the allowance does not match the pay of a full-time job, fresh graduates like Miss Dian see the traineeships as a good option to pick up skills and earn some money.
She said: “The traineeship allows us to learn more things, and if we perform well, the company may convert us to a full-time role. If not, at least we will have the job experience to give us an edge over others.”
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Source: The Straits Times, 28 May 2020