New Mentoring Initiative to Support ITE’s 2030 Target of a Yearly Intake of 2,000 Work-Study Trainees

The Institute of Technical Education (ITE), together with Quantedge Foundation Singapore (QFS) and The Astronauts Collective (TAC), has launched JumpStart - the first mentoring initiative for ITE’s Work-Study Diploma (WSDip) programme. As part of the collaboration, ITE will partner youth organisation, The Astronauts Collective, to deliver the mentoring programme, while philanthropic partner, Quantedge Foundation, will provide funding and strategic support. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for JumpStart was witnessed by Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Dr Janil Puthucheary, who graced the WorldX event at ITE College East as Guest-of-Honour.

Guiding ITE Students in the School-to-Work Transition

As part of the JumpStart Career Mentoring programme, TAC volunteer professionals will walk alongside ITE students in three stages of their school-to-work transition:  

●        Career Discovery: Mentoring of current ITE students to explore, discover and consider the WSDip as a meaningful upskilling and career pathway

●        Career Access: Mentoring of graduating ITE students to boost their likelihood of securing a WSDip placement with WSDip partner companies

●        Career Preparedness: Mentoring of new WSDip trainees to ensure they will thrive in the workplace

Over the next five years, with the generous support of QFS, the three parties aim to engage hundreds of mentees across the three ITE colleges annually, to guide them through their transition from education to employment with WSDip partner companies, covering everything from career exploration to job readiness.

Ms Low Khah Gek, Chief Executive Officer of ITE, said, "School-to-work is a significant transition for our students. Having mentors with different industry and work experience to guide and advise our students for a period of time from pre-graduation to placement and working in WSDip companies, will boost our students’ readiness and success in their WSDip job roles and subsequent career progression.”   

Mr Marvin Kang, Co-Founder and Executive Director at The Astronauts Collective, said, "The JumpStart programme is envisioned to be a game-changing mentoring initiative that supports youths through their school-to-work transition - especially in today’s climate, where many feel uncertain and anxious about their career prospects. In a society like Singapore, where work is closely tied to one’s identity and sense of purpose, every youth, regardless of educational background, deserves the opportunity to pursue meaningful careers and achieve career well-being."

Mentoring with a Longer View of Building Careers

To date, JumpStart has supported over 150 students across the three ITE colleges and is on track to support 250 students by the end of 2025. Designed for Higher Nitec students on internships, aspiring WSDip applicants, and new trainees in the WSDip programme, JumpStart offers well-rounded mentoring support through:

●        Structured Curriculum: Each JumpStart run features a curriculum tailored to students’ career progression stages, addressing key needs in their school-to-work transition: job search, securing a job, starting a job, and sustaining a job. Based on TAC Academy's evidence-based framework, the programme equips mentors through training workshops on relationship building and career guidance before they begin mentoring. 

●        Personalised Mentoring: Each student is matched with a dedicated mentor who builds a trusted relationship and provides career guidance based on the student’s current stage in the school-to-work transition. Mentoring sessions are held monthly, and mentors are supported by a full-time Mentoring Case Manager with experience in youth engagement and social support.

●        Community Building: Beyond 1:1 mentoring, students connect with fellow mentees and mentors through milestone group sessions that foster reflection and bonding. TAC and ITE also engage and train ITE alumni as volunteer mentors, strengthening the ITE community. Over time JumpStart aims to grow a cycle of giving back, with mentees returning to mentor future cohorts.

Chiew Weng Hong, a trainee in the Work-Study Diploma in Facilities Management course and a JumpStart Mentee, said, “As a Work-Study Diploma trainee in Facilities Management, my mentor has been incredibly helpful in supporting me to navigate through my struggles and worries when I embark on new projects or when the learning curve is too steep. My mentor has also provided me with a safe space to share about my stress, worries and problems at work. She is able to understand and relate well to the challenges I encounter at work.”

Ms Lim Yu Xian, Weng Hong’s mentor and a Building Infrastructure Manager from the Infrastructure and Court Resources Division at the Singapore Courts, said, “Prior to being a mentor in TAC, I did not have any formal training in this area. Fortunately, TAC organised a workshop to help us prepare. In May 2025, we started the mentorship and Weng Hong has been open in sharing his experiences and the challenges he faced. That gave us plenty of opportunities to work together, explore different perspectives, and find solutions or insights that help him make sense of various situations. All in all, the mentoring journey thus far has been incredibly fulfilling.”

A Shared Vision for Social Mobility

The JumpStart Career Mentoring programme exemplifies how cross-sector partnerships can be leveraged to expand support for ITE students as they navigate the challenging transition from school to work, and in so doing, build new pathways for social mobility.

By embedding mentorship into the school-to-work journey, JumpStart creates a supportive bridge from education to employment, enabling WSDip trainees to build the confidence, clarity, and capabilities to thrive in the workplace and pursue meaningful careers.

Mr Xie Yao Quan, Chief Executive Officer of Quantedge Foundation Singapore, said, "We are pleased to embark on this strategic partnership with ITE and TAC. This cross-sector partnership is a pathfinding effort that exemplifies the best of ground-up social innovation. QFS is committed to supporting ITE students to pursue opportunities, fulfil their aspirations and become the best versions of themselves. Uplifting ITE students will be a key focus of QFS' philanthropic work going forward.”