Local university offers targeted programmes for students hoping to work abroad and find meaningful careers after graduation

Taking part in leadership programmes that include overseas experiences is one way to gain soft skills like flexibility and resilience, which are sought after by employers.

Young Singaporeans today are looking for more out of their careers.

Almost two in three Singapore workers are willing to relocate overseas for work, revealed a 2024 survey by jobs portal Jobstreet by Seek. The majority (72 per cent) of these are young professionals aged below 30.

This openness to global opportunities is not unique to Singapore. A 2021 global study by Into, an education and recruitment partner to universities, found similar results: More than three-quarters of the 1,200 Gen Zs surveyed wanted to work abroad.

At the same time, young people are seeking purpose – not just a paycheck. Sixty-seven per cent of Gen Z and millennial workers in Singapore want a career that aligns with their passion, according to a 2024 study conducted by market research firm Kantar and commissioned by The Straits Times.

Conducted in May 2024, the study surveyed 1,000 workers aged between 18 and 43.

As industries shift rapidly and technology reshapes the job market, how can students prepare to meet their personal and professional dreams?

Nanyang Technological University (NTU) president Professor Ho Teck Hua shares insights on how students can seize opportunities and build the skills they need to stay future-ready.

Q: I’m interested in working and living overseas in the future. What are the benefits of doing so, and how can I access such opportunities using my university education?

A: The benefits of global exposure cannot be overstated, says Prof Ho. Living and working abroad offers benefits that “cannot be replicated in the classroom or by going on a vacation”.

“Living and working in a foreign land helps one develop a variety of soft skills,” he says. This includes independence, resilience, and the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.

Such qualities are highly sought after by employers around the world, he adds, pointing to findings from the World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Work report. It found that analytical thinking, resilience, flexibility and leadership are some of the most coveted skills.

One way students can gain these skills is by participating in leadership programmes that include overseas experiences.

For example, NTU’s new NBS Global Leaders Programme, offered by the Nanyang Business School, includes a year spent studying at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, on top of internship opportunities abroad.

Set to launch in August, Prof Ho notes that the programme “gives students a springboard for careers with leading global firms”.

Those who are interested in artificial intelligence (AI) can consider NTU’s Turing AI Scholars Programme, he says, which also allows students to spend a year overseas studying at a partner institution like UC Berkeley.

Students will also have the opportunity to intern at an AI industry giant, and attend masterclasses taught by professors from the University of Oxford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Prof Ho adds.

Q: I want to build a meaningful career that aligns with my values. What else can I do to improve my chances of success while studying?

A: You should take advantage of co-curricular experiences that prepare you to lead, innovate and drive positive change, advises Prof Ho.

One such opportunity is NTU’s new Tech-For-Good (T4G) Service Learning Course, offered to students in the university’s signature programmes such as the NBS Global Leaders Programme and Turing AI Scholars Programme.

The course aims to train students to “effectively harness technology and use it to build tangible solutions that uplift the community”, says Prof Ho.

The university also launched the NTU President Award this year to recognise 20 students who exhibit high levels of ambition, drive, and desire to make a positive impact.

With the goal of nurturing these students into confident leaders, the NTU President Award aims to “unlock personal growth” through one-on-one mentorships with NTU alumni and industry leaders, explains Prof Ho.

Recipients of the award will join select students from the T4G Service Learning Course to tackle their chosen real-world challenges in interdisciplinary teams of eight to 10. Each team is given a seed fund of $2,000 per team to execute their plans.

The top 10 groundbreaking ideas will receive an additional $20,000 to scale up and create real impact, he adds.

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Published Mar 17, 2025

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