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The five-year roadmap aims to enable young Singaporeans to become confident in their abilities, connected to their communities, and equipped to contribute meaningfully to the world around them.
As part of SG60, Singapore's Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), the National Youth Council (NYC), and their partners created the The SG Youth Plan, a roadmap to help young Singaporeans become 'confident, connected, and contributing' citizens. Under its Confident pillar, the plan will support youths in navigating uncertainty, building future-ready skills and strengthening their mental and physical wellbeing.
Excerpts of what the pillar entails, shared by the Ministry on 25 July (Saturday), are as follows.
Preparing for a changing world of work
The world of work is changing rapidly. AI and new technologies are reshaping industries, transforming established roles, and opening up career paths that did not exist a few years ago.
With an aim to help youths make informed choices at key transition points, the SG Youth Plan will provide more opportunities to explore careers early, gain skills and perspectives beyond the classroom, and access mentors and resources.
Try out different industries and jobs
NYC will work with partners across the public, private and people sectors to create 30,000 'Job taster' opportunities annually by 2030. Job Tasters are bite-sized career exploration programmes that allow participants to learn about different jobs and industries to allow youths the opportunity to visit a company or connect with experienced professionals.
Job tasters can also take the form of career human libraries, learning journeys, hands-on activities, job shadowing, project work, and case challenges.
Harness the power of AI
As AI becomes increasingly integrated into work and everyday life, NYC will partner corporates to help youths build AI literacy and familiarity.
The aim here will be to help young people better understand how AI can be used responsibly, develop confidence in using emerging technologies and prepare for workplaces where digital skills will be increasingly important.
To build these capabilities, Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE) will integrate AI literacy into the curriculum, ensuring age and developmentally appropriate learning experiences for all students:
- In schools, students will learn to use AI to generate ideas, refine arguments, and evaluate sources, while critically assessing AI outputs and contributing their own voice.
- Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) will keep curricula industry-relevant by giving incoming students foundational AI literacy and teaching domain-specific AI use, from design workflows in arts, design, and media, to AI-integrated company processes in business.
- Graduates pursuing AI careers can join AISG’s AI Apprenticeship Programme, which has trained 400 AI talent through hands-on projects in programming, machine learning, and data technologies.
- For working youths, the Government will build practical AI capabilities by providing Singaporeans who take selected AI training courses with six months’ free access to premium AI tools, and expanding IMDA’s TeSA programme to help 100,000 workers become AI bilingual, starting with accountancy and legal.
In addition, NYC will partner corporates to broaden AI literacy for youths, with a particular focus on those supported by Self-Help Groups or from less advantaged backgrounds.
Develop global-ready skills
The SG Youth Plan will also equip youths with international exposure and cross-cultural perspectives. NYC will expand its Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP) opportunities by 8,000 to provide a total of 17,000 short-term overseas exposure opportunities annually by 2030, including Youth Corps Expedition Project (YEP) opportunities.
Through immersion trips, industry visits, service-learning and cross-cultural exchanges, youths can gain a deeper understanding of the region, build adaptability and develop skills for regional and global career opportunities.
Further, MOE will provide support for 3,000 IHL students to embark on overseas internships to ASEAN, China and India each year by 2030, up from 1,500 today.
Find a mentor to answer your questions
Under Mentoring SG, the mentoring pool will grow to 5,000 mentors, with up to 20,000 mentoring opportunities each year by 2030. These opportunities will include both short- and long-form mentoring programmes, giving youths access to different perspectives, industry insights and practical support as they navigate life’s choices.
Youths will also have access to two forms of mentoring programmes:
- Short-form mentoring programmes, which connect youths with professionals, providing a platform to ask questions and explore potential education and career pathways. These can range from one-off conversations to a series of sessions held over one to three months.
- For youths who require more sustained guidance, long-form mentoring programmes offer relationship-driven support tailored to their individual needs. Conducted either one-to-one or in small groups, these programmes pair youths with mentors for at least six months. Mentors will provide ongoing guidance and support for their personal growth and career development.
Get support for the transition to adulthood
The new Adulting 101 programme will provide support to IHL students, aiming to guide them managing the practical decisions and responsibilities that come with entering the workforce and adulthood.
This includes financial management (e.g., CPF, healthcare), home ownership (public housing policies and subsidies), career development (e.g., job exposure and overseas exposure opportunities), and marriage & parenthood (e.g., support measures for couples).
The above aside, under the Confident arm, the SG Youth Plan aims to support young peoples' mental and physical wellbeing through:
- Fostering healthy digital habits,
- Building skills and confidence to deal with life's stressors,
- Applying resilience skills through OBS,
- Discovering the joy of sport and building healthy habits, and
- Co-creating the next bound of youth participation in sports
READ MORE: Singapore's MOM launches alliance for stronger focus on workplace safety and health
Lead image / SG Youth Plan
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