Work-Study Fair 2025 Celebrates 10 Years of SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes

The SkillsFuture Work-Study pathway, which aims to give Singaporeans a head start in their careers by integrating classroom learning with real-world work experience, marks its 10th anniversary this year. Since its launch in 2015, about 16,000 participants and some 4,000 companies have benefited from the programme.

This milestone was commemorated today at the annual SkillsFuture Work-Study Fair 2025 (WSF25), organised by Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) in collaboration with the other Polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), and supported by SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) as part of the ongoing SkillsFuture Festival. The event was graced by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.

Themed “Empowering Careers, Bridging Education and Industry”, WSF25 is an opportunity for interested learners to explore career pathways, engage industry partners, and discover opportunities in the Work-Study landscape. This year’s Work-Study Fair celebrates the 10-year milestone with a series of physical and online engagements, including webinars, partner booths, and an awards ceremony recognising exemplary employer partners of the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programme (WSP).

Growth of the SkillsFuture Work-Study Programme

Since its launch in 2015, the SkillsFuture WSP has evolved from 15 programmes to about 150 today, spanning a wide range of industry sectors. This expansion has been driven by the strong partnership between the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and employers, to keep programme offerings aligned to industry needs while supporting meaningful, skills-based employment. Employers come from a diversity of sectors such as Hospitality, Information Technology, Logistics, Healthcare, and Engineering, and range from Small and Medium Enterprises to Multi-National Corporations and Government agencies. 

By participating in WSPs, companies can tap on a ready talent pool and benefit from training that can better addresses the company’s needs, with support from IHLs. In turn, learners gain work experience while pursuing higher qualifications and have seen positive outcomes such as high employment rates and good wages. The IHLs also gain insights into industries’ evolving needs by co-developing and delivering the WSP curriculum with companies, supporting institutions’ curriculum design and applied research.

New SkillsFuture Work-Study Programmes

This year features five new programmes, focusing on emerging needs ranging from youth mental wellness to data science. These programmes are:

Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)

1. SkillsFuture Work-Study Post-Diploma (Specialist Diploma in Youth Development & Mental Wellness) – To commence in October 2025

Republic Polytechnic (RP)

2. SkillsFuture Work-Study Certificate leading to Diploma in Digital Media and Communication – Commenced in June 2025

3. SkillsFuture Work-study Certificate leading to Diploma in Accounting and Corporate Secretarial Practice – Commenced in June 2025

4. SkillsFuture Work-Study Certificate leading to Diploma in Music and Sound Production – Commenced in April 2025

Singapore Polytechnic (SP)

5. SkillsFuture Work-Study Post-Diploma (Specialist Diploma in Data Science (Artificial Intelligence)) – To commence in October 2025

For more information on the new SkillsFuture WSPs launched this year, please refer to Annex A. You may also visit https://skillsfutureworkstudyfair2025.polite.edu.sg/ for more details on WSF25.