Nearly Half of Singapore Graduate Traineeships Lead to Jobs

Singapore's Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) program has seen over 140 fresh graduates complete its courses, with nearly half securing employment afterward. The initiative, launched by the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), aims to provide practical industry experience and facilitate the transition into full-time roles for those struggling to find their first job.

Kenneth Chow, a 25-year-old business graduate, found the GRIT program invaluable. He participated in a three-month traineeship with LinkedIn, which allowed him to explore a potential career in technology sales. The experience provided him with the confidence to pursue this path, leading to a full-time offer as a sales development representative upon completion of his traineeship.

The GRIT program offers traineeships ranging from three to six months, with the government subsidizing 70% of the monthly allowance. As of July, over 590 of the 800 available places were filled. Notably, about four in 10 employed trainees were hired by the companies that hosted them, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in creating direct hiring pathways.

These traineeships span various sectors, including financial services, information and communications, wholesale trade, electronics, and public sector agencies. The program has been extended to the 2026 graduating cohort, addressing a job market that has become more cautious. Recent graduate employment surveys show a dip in the percentage of graduates finding jobs within six months of their final exams, falling from 94.4% in 2021 to 83.4% in 2025. However, longer-term employment outcomes remain resilient, with about nine in 10 graduates from the 2025 cohort employed 12 months after graduation.

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I was questioning … whether I should venture into tech sales. GRIT gave me the confidence because it allowed me to work on real stuff that I would do if I were in a full-time role.