Broader career exposure for students as MOE targets 2,000 industry partners by 2027

SINGAPORE - By 2027, more students can get a glimpse of working life and different careers, through avenues like career talks and learning journeys.

The Education Ministry (MOE) is matching schools with more industry professionals and organisations through a new digital platform called Education and Career Guidance (ECG) Match.

The move aims to help primary, secondary and pre-university students explore industries, and discover their interests and career aspirations.

Announcing this at a school-industry partnership appreciation event on Nov 11, Education Minister Desmond Lee said connections beyond the classroom will matter even more as schools reimagine learning.

As such, the ministry is making a bigger push to grow partnerships with industries across schools, he added.

“MOE has long played the role of ‘matchmaker’. Colleagues across many divisions help schools and industry partners build fruitful partnerships,” said Lee at the event held at Gardens by the Bay.

To date, Lee said MOE’s partnerships engagement office has engaged over 180 organisations, and facilitated over 60 school-industry partnerships.

It started with 200 partners in 2025, and has since grown to 700. The aim is for the platform to reach 2,000 partners by 2027.

On the platform, schools can indicate the sectors and opportunities they are looking for, while professionals and organisations can indicate their availability and areas of expertise.

The system then recommends suitable matches, so both sides can connect with each other.

Lee encouraged partners including alumni to contribute through ways like sharing career stories, hosting learning journeys, supporting career fairs or joining a class for short virtual sessions.

These engagements are flexible and can range from a single one-hour session to multiple activities across the year.

“Share your expertise and your experience. Open up your workplaces if you can. Work with our educators to create meaningful experiences for our students to learn,” Lee said.

MOE’s director-general of education Liew Wei Li told The Straits Times that the platform “democratises access” to industry professionals, especially for schools that may not have alumni to count on.

And it is not too early to introduce primary and secondary school students to the world of work, she said.

“When you are trying to see how what they’re learning pertains to what is needed in future, it is not too early to do that. We actually motivate students by giving them some ideas about the endpoint. Otherwise, their eyes are just fixed on the next school,” said Liew.

Working professionals can also contribute as individuals without waiting for their companies to organise partnerships, she said.

By sharing their own journeys, students can see varied pathways and learn how people navigate rejection, layoffs or career changes.

“We want to expose them to a range of people with authentic stories, and this is where it’s almost like a human library,” said Liew.

Beyond work experience, the objective is to help students determine their purpose and discover their personal qualities, she added.

Building students’ confidence

For 25 students from Juying Secondary School, a partnership with local bakery Edith Patisserie offered more than a chance to learn professional baking skills.

Through seven after-school baking sessions between February and October, the Secondary 1 to 3 students learnt to work with others, build confidence and recognise their strengths.

Senthil Silvarajoo, 40, the school’s head of Character and Citizenship Education, said teachers identified students who would “benefit from positive social interactions”.

“These are students who have various needs. Perhaps not being able to see their self-worth yet, lacked confidence, had anger management issues, or just needed to know that they matter,” he said.

Ethel Tan, 35, the bakery’s co-founder, said the three-hour sessions used the collaborative nature of baking to help students connect with one another in a supportive environment.

“We wanted to present different perspectives... that there are different definitions of success. And to help the students feel that they are successful and valued members of the community,” she said.

At the end of each session, students also had something tangible to show for their efforts - a baked treat to take home or give to someone else.

For Secondary 1 student Damien Luke, the sessions helped him step out of his comfort zone and connect with his peers more confidently.

By working in rotating teams and taking on specific baking roles, the 13-year-old learnt to communicate with others. He now feels a sense of belonging with his peers and is passionate about baking.

“I had to work with people I am not familiar with, but my passion to bake motivated me to speak to my new team members each session,” he said.

“I realised that I can be confident in new environments if I recognise my purpose and strength.”