Rae Woo, Author at Goody Feed

Do you recall your first internship experience? To some, it may have been the best time of their life, but to others, it was just a horror story waiting to unfold. If you're an up and coming NTU student, this may serve as good or bad news to you. But hey - every work experience, whether good or bad, ensures you learn much more to prepare yourself for the outside world, right? You Get An Internship, And You Get One Too Starting from the beginning of the academic year in August 2021, all new Nanyang Technological University (NTU) undergraduates enrolling this year will have to go on an internship within their course of study. Work stints that will begin from their second year will count towards their graduation requirement, which can either be completed locally or overseas. Students will then be assessed on their work performance. For those who had previously been in a polytechnic, this would actually not be something unfamiliar, as many polytechnic students are also required to go on an internship in their final year. Internships will also remain as an option for graduate students. Mandatory internships have so far only been required for some schools in the university, including the six engineering schools, the School of Biological Science, Nanyang Business School, School of Art, Design and Media, as well as Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. Come August, other schools such as Asian School of the Environment, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, School of Social Sciences and the School of Humanities will require their students to go on internships. The school said that of every 10 students who go on such internships, which can be anywhere from 10 weeks to 20 weeks long, three of them had received full-time job offers. Actually, NTU isn't the only school to do this, as other autonomous institutions here have already made this requirement compulsory. These include the Singapore Management University, the Singapore University of Technology and Design and the Singapore University of Social Sciences. Making Industry Connections In conjunction with this move, NTU president Subra Suresh said that the university is exploring and planning to extend industry connections they have to their students. A little known fact: NTU actually has corporate labs within their campus set up alongside big industry partners such as HP Inc, Rolls Royce, Singtel and ST Engineering. Students may take on research internships here. Through developing new technologies, the current ten or so labs play a huge part in generating new products and services. NTU is also continuing to enhance further education by expanding their range of courses for fresh graduates and adult learners to help them stay on track in the ever-changing working world. There are currently 39 MiniMasters certificates available in areas such as early childhood education, business analytics and construction management as micro-credentials. Through this programme, course credits earned can be used towards pursuing a full master's degree later on. It seems like NTU's making changes in every aspect to improve the wellbeing and development of the school's staff and students as well, as they revealed in their NTU 2025 plan this Monday, 25 Jan. An Institute for Pedagogical Innovation, Research and Excellence will be set up to focus on areas including innovations like online learning and continuing education to strengthen the teaching and learning practices in the school. Furthermore, the mental health of staff and students will be prioritised with the establishment of a University Wellbeing Office, which aims for timely intervention and improving counselling services. Featured Image: Postmodern Studio / Shutterstock.com