Temasek Polytechnic Opportunity Fair (TPOF) saw overwhelming participation from students at the Foyer in Temasek Polytechnic (TP). Held on Nov 21, there was a wide array of exhibitors such as Marina Bay Sands as well as educational institutions like Yale-NUS College. Representatives from the public service sector such as the Singapore Armed Forces and the Central Narcotics Bureau were also at the event.

With over a hundred exhibitors present at TPOF, students could interact with representatives from different fields to find out more about specific industries or companies. Hildya Yong, the first chairperson of the fair commented: “It is actually a good time for students to come in and explore and to meet these different people. At the same time, for people who already know what they want, they can come in and you know, go and really look for and go to the booths that they want to visit.”

There was also a booth where students could consult Education and Career Guidance (ECG) counsellors. The ECG booth allowed students to talk to counsellors regarding their resumes, LinkedIn profiles as well as get tips on how to prepare for an interview. Students who consulted the ECG counsellors would be able to claim a free laptop sleeve as well.

“I like that there are various companies here and they even have a section for further education, so there really is something for everyone here,” said Deidre Soh, a Year 2 Hospitality & Tourism Management student. 

On top of the variety of booths, there were also scheduled talks for students to attend. The talks feature topics such as “Unlocking the Next Step of Your Educational Journey” where guest speakers from different Universities like Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and National University of Singapore (NUS) shared about the school’s programmes. Not to mention, students who have attended the talks can claim coupons in exchange for a free slushie. 

For students who have already decided on their career paths, representatives from certain companies were going around the foyer in search of graduating students to offer them jobs. Students could have also headed down to the photobooth where they could borrow blazers and get their pictures professionally taken for their resumes or portfolios.

For others, TPOF was somewhere to simply start planning and get their #FutureUnlocked. A year 2 Business Information Technology student, Darilynn Yap commented “I think TPOF is really good for students who want to learn more about the industries and plan their future, like what they are going to do after they graduate.” 

By Charlene Jiang Jia’En and Seo Soo Bin