Some undergraduates have been forced to be more resourceful in hunting down internship opportunities, as companies withdraw offers and overseas programmes grind to a halt.
In April, Yale-NUS College student Adriel Yong created a spreadsheet of about 300 internship listings, each offering two or three places. The online document was also circulated to Singaporean students in overseas universities.
Mr Yong said: “Singaporean students were being recalled back from exchange programmes and overseas internships, and others were having internship offers rescinded or put on hold.”
He decided to ask some start-up contacts in a WhatsApp group if they were keen to hire interns, and also approached friends for help. Some Yale-NUS alumni also contributed to the listings.
He estimated that employers filled about 80 positions through the spreadsheet.
Similarly, the Nanyang Technological University Students’ Union created an internship portal in April to help students. Its president Bryan Chiew and his team contacted over 100 companies, ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises to large corporations and government agencies.
They have since put up about 40 internship listings, each with several openings.
Mr Chiew said the students’ union received more than 500 applications from students for internships, but he does not keep track of how many of them secured places.
At the National University of Singapore, its students’ union engaged the university’s Centre for Future-ready Graduates to increase the number of internship and job opportunities available for students.
The union also started a new $200,000 fund for up to 800 needy full-time undergraduates. Eligible students will receive a one-time financial aid of $250.
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Source: The Straits Times, 5 July 2020