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Growing up isn’t always easy. Here’s what young Singaporeans say would help

Based on responses from over 60,000 youth, the SG Youth Plan aims to help young Singaporeans build careers, deepen relationships and find meaning

Jan Lee, Brand Newsroom

Claudia Ruth Selvakumar spent her secondary school years focused on one thing: improving her grades.

When the N-level examinations ended, she had to choose what to study next. “I was suddenly presented with so many choices and I had to make a decision,” Claudia, now 24, recalls. “It was very difficult.”

She enrolled in electronics engineering at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central in 2019 – a course she chose because of her results and the prospect of a stable income.

But she had little interest in electronics engineering. “I felt like I was in limbo,” she says.

A conversation with a senior in 2020 set her on a different path. Claudia learnt that she could apply for a different course in polytechnic.

Having organised community events as a student councillor in ITE, Claudia knew she enjoyed working with and helping people. She took the leap, and successfully applied to study community development at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

“It was the first time in my life I enjoyed what I studied,” she says.

Today, Claudia majors in social work and South-east Asian studies at the National University of Singapore. She also works as a senior executive in charge of projects at social mobility charity Access Singapore, where she helps disadvantaged students discover career opportunities she once knew little about herself.

Claudia is not alone in having felt that way.

Like her, 58 per cent of youth aged 15 to 19 polled say they want early career exposure so they can make better decisions about what to study. Yet, they often do not know how to begin.

The findings emerged from the National Youth Council’s (NYC) engagements with over 60,000 youth aged 15 to 35 between late-2024 and early-2026.

Together, the responses shaped the SG Youth Plan, a five-year roadmap to help young Singaporeans become more confident, connected, and contributing citizens.

Unveiled on July 25, the plan includes more than 20 key moves spanning areas such as career exploration, well-being, social connections and youth-led initiatives.

What is the SG Youth Plan?

Spearheaded by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and the National Youth Council (NYC), the SG Youth Plan is a five-year action plan aimed at helping young Singaporeans aged 15 to 35 to become confident, connected and contributing citizens.

It is based on feedback NYC gathered through engagements, such as outreach sessions and surveys, with over 60,000 youth from late-2024 to early-2026. Young people were asked for their opinions and thoughts on a wide range of topics, from career anxieties to challenges in personal relationships.

The over 20 new key moves outlined in the plan aims to help young people navigate uncertainty, build meaningful relationships and give back to society. More details can be found at go.gov.sg/sgyouthplan-keymoves.

Among the moves is the launch of Discover, a one-stop online platform to support youth through key life transitions. Through Discover, young people can receive personalised recommendations for career programmes, access mentorship opportunities and find out about interest-based events and hobby groups. Find out more at go.gov.sg/discover-join

Exploring what’s next

One such move is the creation of 30,000 job taster opportunities annually by 2030, starting with 10,000 in 2026. Job tasters are bite-sized career exploration opportunities that range from half a day to a few weeks, giving participants a first-hand experience of different jobs and industries.

Singapore-based decarbonisation platform Terrascope is among seven companies under the SG Digital Leaders network offering job tasters.

Tang Siang Hou, Terrascope’s senior director of product, tech and data, hopes these opportunities will help students understand what it is like to work in the tech industry.

“Tech is moving so fast now that many of today’s roles didn’t exist five years ago,” says Tang. Students only know of job titles and entry requirements, she adds, not what the work actually entails.

“That gap is what drives the anxiety we hear from students: not knowing what a role really involves, not knowing if they’d be good at it, and not having anyone in the field to ask.”

The programme will vary in scope, she explains. Some are less commitment-heavy, involving an introduction to the firm, a short shadowing stint and a chance to speak to industry professionals.

More in-depth opportunities could last several weeks, with students attached to teams in the company and contributing to projects.

“We want students doing rather than observing – that’s the point of ‘tasting’ a job instead of reading about it,” she says.

More than careers

The SG Youth Plan also aims to help youth connect with trusted figures and receive guidance as they navigate educational and career pathways and adulthood.

For Seh Jia Jun, a final-year mechanical engineering student at ITE College East, career guidance and support came in the form of mentorship.

The 23-year-old joined a six-month fellowship programme in 2024, where he was paired with two other students and mentored by two industry professionals at French energy technology giant Schneider Electric. The programme was organised by Access Singapore.

Seh attended workshops aimed at discussing and solving problems in the industry and strengthening soft skills, like his ability to work in a team.

Even after the fellowship ended, he continued to keep up with his mentors over meals. The mentorship grew beyond the programme. Now, he describes them as his older and wiser friends.

“It’s the first time in my life I’ve felt that I have mentors who are also my friends,” Seh says. “These are very authentic people; they’re not just here because of corporate social responsibility, but because they genuinely want to impart what they know to younger generations.”

Seh’s parents divorced when he was seven, and he has a strained relationship with both.

Having trusted adults to turn to has made the transition to adulthood feel less intimidating, he says.

“In times of doubt, I always reach out to them and take time to hear their thoughts,” Seh adds. “It’s made me feel more confident, because I know there is always someone I can reach out to.”

They want to feel confident

More than five in 10 youth surveyed as part of the SG Youth Plan engagements worry about staying relevant in a fast-evolving job landscape, even as they aspire to lead meaningful careers and lives.

How the SG Youth Plan helps:

• Create - 30,000 job taster opportunitieseach year by 2030, starting with 10,000 in 2026.

Nearly four in five (78 per cent) of youth surveyed as part of engagements for the SG Youth Plan say that short-term work exposure is important for their career journeys, but only 41 per cent feel that they have sufficient opportunities to explore such career options.

Job tasters – bite-sized career exploration programmes that last from half a day to a few weeks – introduce young people to different jobs and industries.

Participants can expect networking sessions and fireside chats with industry professionals, job-shadowing opportunities and learning journeys.

• Help youth - build “AI bilingualism”– the ability to combine human strengths and knowledge with the effective use of AI across different fields –

• Expand - overseas exposureby providing 17,000 short-term opportunities and 3,000 internships in Asean, China, and India annually by 2030.

• Roll out - more Adulting 101 programmeson topics like financial management and career development to help institutes of higher learning students navigate adulthood with confidence.

• Launch - mental well-being and resilience programmeswith community partners to support youth through key life transitions, such as entering the workforce, marriage and parenthood.

They want to feel connected

More than one in two youth polled want deeper, more genuine friendships and stronger family ties.

How the SG Youth Plan helps:

• Develop - 12 “third spaces”across Singapore where youth can hang out, pursue interests, make friends, and build community.

About three in five youth who took part in SG Youth Plan engagements believe that having dedicated spaces for young people will enable them to meet others from different backgrounds.

A third space is an open and inclusive social place outside of home and work or school, where people can gather, relax and connect freely.

The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and National Youth Council (NYC) are working with partners to establish 12 such spaces across Singapore by end-2026, where youth can participate in interest-based activities and hobby groups to grow meaningful relationships.

• Partner private operators to offer - flexible accommodationunits across selected co-living properties for youth to experience living independently.

• Develop Somerset Belt – the stretch along Somerset Road with SCAPE, Youth Park, and Skate Park – as a - youth precinct*by 2028.

• Provide 20,000 opportunities annually for youth to connect through - hobbies, social and interest-based activitiesby 2030.

• Introduce - Curiosity Creditswith self-help groups to support youth in discovering new interests and hobbies. Youth aged 13 to 17 will receive $500 credits to develop skills in areas that interest them, starting with arts, sports, technology, culinary and sustainability.

• Expand the - MOE-OBS Challenge Programme, which aims to build life skills, confidence and resilience, as a shared experience to the entire Secondary 3 cohort by 2030.

• Partner with social and youth sector organisations to develop - youth-centric programmes focused on family relationshipsfor up to 50,000 youth annually by 2030. These programmes aim to empower young people with knowledge and skills to strengthen their relationships with their family at different life stages.

They want to contribute

Over four in five youth surveyed say they desire to contribute. They want more opportunities to be heard, and to help shape Singapore.

• Commit $20 million to support up to - 3,000 youth-led projectsover the next five years through a new micro grant and a Youth Action Marketplace. Such projects include

Over four in five youth surveyed as part of a youth sentiments study by NYC on ground-up projects in 2023 said they are keen to join youth-led projects, but just over one in 10 are actively doing so.

NYC aims to make it easier to start ground-up youth projects by shifting from fixed, time-bound programmes to a year-round ecosystem where capability-building workshops, mentorship, networks, and resource support are always available.

• Create - 16,000 volunteering opportunitiesand- 2,000 youth leadership development opportunitiesannually by 2030 through Youth Corps Singapore, the volunteering arm of NYC.

• Set up an - SG Youth Policy Networkto bring together youth from institutes of higher learning and civic groups, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to contribute constructively to policy discussions and study issues they care about.

• Launch the next run of - Youth Panelsin 2026, a platform where youth can co-create policy recommendations with government agencies, with the focus on building a youth-friendly city. Youth Panels are organised by NYC and MCCY.

In partnership with the National Youth Council