08 July 2020
Some undergraduates have become more resourceful in searching for internship opportunities, as companies withdraw offers and overseas programmes slow down significantly.
For example, Yale-NUS College student Adriel Yong created a spreadsheet of about 300 internship listings, each offering two or three places. The online document was subsequently circulated to Singaporean students overseas colleges.
Mr Yong, 22, who has just completed his first year of university, also asked some start-up contacts in a WhatsApp group if they were keen to hire interns, and also approached friends for help. 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.
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.