Call for industry professionals to step forward as mentors for ITE dropouts

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) is calling on professionals and leaders from various industries to be mentors for youth who drop out of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

These professionals will support 100 such at-risk youth over two years to help them realise their potential in the new Career Advice and Mentoring Programme launched on Wednesday (Jan 19).

As part of the pilot programme, this group of youth will be matched with mentors from industries of their interest.

The mentors will guide them in exploring their interests and career options. They will also facilitate internships or job placements for the youth where possible.

In addition, mentors will serve as positive role models for this group of youth, for them to pick up useful life skills from the mentors, the ministry said in a press release on Wednesday.

Trybe, a social service agency that helps youth facing adversities, will run the programme in partnership with MSF.

In response to TODAY's queries, MSF said that it is seeking mentors who are preferably in mid-management level and have about five years of experience in their specific sector. They must also be able to commit to the programme for at least six months. 

Information-sharing sessions will be organised for interested applicants and after that, they will attend a selection process to assess their suitability. 

"This process will allow us to better understand their background, motivations and hobbies so we can better match them with the suitable mentees. We'll also consider factors such as if they are able to engage with the youth and if they have any volunteering experience," MSF added.

On Trybe's website, youth aged 16 to 21 and have left ITE prematurely within the last year may sign up for the programme if they can commit for at least six months. 

The youth and mentor will meet at least once a month over a period of six months as part of the mentorship programme.

The programme had first been announced by MSF during the ministry's Committee of Supply debates after the Budget last March.

Mr Eric Chua, parliamentary secretary for MSF who launched the pilot on Wednesday, said: “We believe that every youth, regardless of his or her background and circumstances, has the potential to achieve success in life, given the right support and guidance."

He added that the launch of the mentorship programme adds to MSF's ongoing mission to work closely with agencies such as ITE, community partners such as Trybe and individuals to transform the lives of youth at risk.

Those who are interested in becoming mentors may sign up at the website https://www.trybe.org/camp.