Students-led forum 2010 - Outcome

Students overseas: Don't worry about jobs when you return
by Saifulbahri Ismail

SINGAPORE - There is no need for Singaporeans studying overseas to be paranoid about their employment prospects when they return, said Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan.

At a forum here attended by about 300 Singaporeans studying in Australia, he addressed their concerns about the competition from local graduates for jobs here.

Case in point: An IT graduate who returned to Singapore last month after studying in Brisbane, Australia for a year. Though it is still early in his job search, he is worried: "I think employers in Singapore would prefer graduates from local universities ... They might not even look at my resume at all, knowing I'm an overseas graduate."But Dr Balakrishnan assured the students that Singapore is a meritocratic society. "We will select the best person for the job based on his or her ability, and performance and it doesn't depend upon your race, religion, gender, wealth, social class or where you happened to have studied in, whether it's in Australia or Singapore ... You will be judged on your own merits," he said.

He observed that many overseas graduates have returned and been offered opportunities because of the value employers saw in them.But he also reminded the students to manage their expectations - they should not expect and demand success to be delivered to their doorsteps. Last year, some 7,800 Singaporeans enrolled to study in Australia.

Source: Today

Student-led Forum 2010

Happy New Year people... please take note of the upcoming event by NSSA (Network of Singaporean Students in Australia)

Titled The Meeting Point, this would be a student-led forum, organized by the NSSA. Most details have been finalized, as is the program for the day. the details are as follows:

Theme: Australia-Trained Talents for Careers@Home

Venue: NTUC Auditorium, One Marina Boulevard
Level 8, One Marina Boulevard
Singapore 018989
Tel: (65) 6213-8811
Web: www.ntuc.org.sg/conference

How to Get to NTUC Centre:
By MRT - Raffles Place Interchange
By Bus - Collyer Quay / Clifford Centre
(Service Nos: 10, 70, 97, 100, 107, 130, 131, 162, 196)



Date: 19th January 2010

Time: 1200h – 1600h

Guest-of-Honour: Dr.Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports

Registrations are via the registration page found on the wordpress site. more details are also available at the site:

www.nssa2010.wordpress.com

Aims and Objectives:

The purpose of the forum is to raise awareness of the Australia-educated talent pool. Through the forum, current students, graduates and employers will have the opportunity to meet and interact so that:

1. Australia-trained Singaporean can gain a deeper understanding of the needs of the industries
2. The employers can broaden the potential talent pool that the industries can tap.

We hope to promote a better understanding of Australian graduates:

* Diverse and sizable industry-ready graduates yearly
* Graduates who are able to adapt to different environments and working cultures
* Graduates that push boundaries and highlight some achievements

So come on down for a frank and open discussion with industry leaders, on the challenges we face and the solutions that may be implemented by us and the employers to keep us competitive and relevant.

Program Outline

1200h Lunch Reception with Representatives from Private Sector (max of 200)

1230h Registration for Forum Opens

1315h Registration Closes

1320h Opening Address by Emcee

1330h Guest-of-Honour and Keynote Address by Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan

1340h NSSA Address by Jason Shen

1355h Sharing by Industry Leaders

Mr. Clement Woon, Chief Executive Officer, SATS
Mr. Loh Hoon Sun, Managing Director, Philips Securities
Ms. Bernadette Sim, Director, Public Service Division)
1440h Discussion Panel Session

1525h End of Panel Session

1530h End of “The Meeting Point” followed by PSD-hosted Tea Reception

1800h End of PSD Tea Reception