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Graduating students from Temasek Polytechnic (TP) will now get a boost as they embark on their first careers with the launch of the Career Kickstarter Programme 2025. Designed to address the immediate needs of the graduates, this comprehensive framework offers strategic support, which includes free upskilling courses, curated job opportunities and practical career guidance to kick-start their journey.

The Career Kickstarter Programme will benefit current graduating students, as they face potential employment challenges amid escalating economic uncertainties. 3,900 TP students from TP’s full-time diplomas will graduate this year.   

The initiative reflects TP’s proactive approach to support and empower its graduates to better navigate the evolving job market, overcome career-related challenges and be well-positioned to seize future opportunities.

In alignment with TP’s commitment to support its students’ smooth transition from education to employment, some of the opportunities in the Programme will also be extended to TP alumni who graduated from 2023 onwards.

The Career Kickstarter Programme, which includes both new and enhanced initiatives, is focused on three key areas to give TP graduates a head start in their new pathways. They are: Upskilling, Career Opportunities and Career Resources.

Empowering Graduates for the Future: TP Offers Complimentary Upskilling Courses

In a transformative move to drive lifelong learning and ensure graduates are equipped with the skills needed for the fast-evolving job market, TP is offering complimentary access to cutting-edge upskilling courses. With a value of up to $3,000 per graduate, these courses are designed to empower TP graduates with expertise critical for success in the future economy. From mastering emerging technologies to gaining industry-specific insights, this initiative equips graduates with the tools they need to stay competitive. These courses are extended to TP’s Graduating Cohort of 2023 and onwards.

Skills-Based Modular Courses (SBMCs)

Graduates can choose one course from a curated list of Skills-Based Modular Courses (SBMCs), designed to equip learners with essential core and emerging skills needed to excel in the modern workforce. These courses are stackable towards a Specialist Diploma course.

Micro-Learning Courses

Micro-Learning Courses (MLCs) are online courses that run on mobile devices enabling learners to learn anytime, anywhere. Graduates are eligible to enrol in one MLC for free. Courses include visual merchandising and sustainable urban farming. 

Short Courses

Two Short Courses in high-demand areas, such as generative AI and social media marketing, will be offered complimentary. Short courses are aimed to deepen learners’ expertise in high-demand areas like through convenient, industry-focused learning.

Career Opportunities: Multiple Pathways to Enter the Workforce

Graduating students can access a wide range of career opportunities through contract roles, internships, and train-and-place programmes. These options offer real-world experience and sharpen graduates’ competitive edge in the dynamic job market.

Kickstarter Contract Positions

Fresh graduates can look forward to a meaningful career headstart, through contract roles offered directly by TP. A structured job-matching process is in place to ensure strong alignment between each graduate’s strengths, aspirations, and the available opportunities. Graduates will be given the opportunity to put their skills into practice, gain valuable real-world experience, and build a strong foundation for long-term career success. These roles lasting up to 12 months, will offer practical experience across in-demand functions such as HR, communications and AI Application Development.

Job Opportunities with Industry Partners

Graduating students will also have access to a curated suite of job opportunities with TP’s trusted industry partners. Examples of companies and their job roles include Trainee Restaurant Manager at Hanbaobao Pte Ltd, Hospitality Trainee at Resorts World Singapore and Chemistry Lab Technologist at Micron Technology, Inc.

Work Study Programme

Graduates can also consider the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programme (WSP) offered by TP. This structured pathway allows learners to gain valuable industry experience while pursuing recognised qualifications. TP offers a variety of WSPs in high-demand sectors such as Digital and Green economies. These programmes provide a strong head start by combining on-the-job training with career-relevant skills, making graduates highly employable and industry-ready.

In addition to the new initiatives, TP is continuing existing efforts to partner organisations in curating more opportunities for future graduating cohorts. TP’s Internship to Career Integrated Programme (ICIP) provides direct employment opportunities with identified companies through internships such as ST Engineering and OCBC. These students undergo tailored training and are often placed on accelerated career pathways. Over 90 full time internship positions were taken up this year, and this figure is set to increase to over 150 for the graduating cohort of students next year.

TP’s thematic internship programmes also offer students project-based internships tailored to high-demand sectors aligned with their academic disciplines. These curated experiences, such as the Structured Human Resource Accelerator Programme (SHAPE) and ESG-TP Trade Internship Programme (ESG-TIP) bridge classroom learning with real-world industry needs. By aligning students’ skills with sectoral demands, these internships open pathways to meaningful employment opportunities.

Career Guidance and Resources To Navigate Their Career Paths

TP offers dedicated career guidance and resources to help students better understand the evolving needs of the job market and stay future-ready. Personalised individual coaching sessions are available to guide students and alumni, up to three years after graduation. Using profiling and assessment tools, TP’s career coaches help individuals uncover their strengths and explore suitable career paths.

Tailored career preparatory workshops are also conducted for targeted groups, such as pre-ORD and post-NS graduates, and international students, ensuring holistic, needs-based support. Job-search success is further strengthened through practical workshops covering resume hacks, interview mastery, and effective job-hunting strategies. These sessions are designed to give students a real edge in today’s competitive job market.

TP plays an active role in opening doors to employment by facilitating strong connections between students and prospective employers. These partnerships enable timely dissemination of job opportunities and foster collaborative initiatives that align with students’ career aspirations. These platforms include:

TP Opportunity Fest

The annual TP Opportunity Fest is a career fair that brings students face-to-face with industry partners through engaging roadshows, further education talks, and exclusive "human library" sessions where professionals share candid insights from their industries. These interactions help students gain a deeper understanding of workplace realities and emerging opportunities.

Career Guidance Platforms

Targeted career guidance platforms are organised in collaboration with industry partners and employers to spotlight specific sectors. For example, TP’s School of Business hosted its biggest-ever career event, the Business Career Escapade on 30 April 2025. The event brought over 40 top employers including KPMG, Singapore Airlines, Marriott International, and Forvis Mazars, offering more than 800 exciting roles spanning internships, apprenticeships, and full-time or part-time positions.

As part of the post-graduation support, TP actively reaches out to graduates to share curated career resources, job portal links, relevant workshops and upskilling opportunities. With this integrated suite of initiatives, the Career Kickstarter Programme 2025 empowers TP graduates to step into the future with confidence, resilience, and purpose, ready to create their tomorrow.