For the past few years, Tanjong Pagar Distripark (TPD) has been the site of several live events.

The former logistics hub turned arts cluster is not only home to the Singapore Art Museum and a whole litany of art galleries, but also a popular spot for various types of events, from beer festivals to Singapore Art Week to even acclaimed Japanese dance music fest Rainbow Disco Club.

However, on Oct. 30, the venue announced that it had paused all outdoor music events.

TPD stated that loud music might "cause some disamenity" to the surrounding community, and announced that they would be "asking [their] licensees and tenants to take a step back" and "temporarily pause" such events. 

And just a day prior, local party and DJ collective Ice Cream Sundays made an Instagram post saying they would no longer be able to host events at TPD "for the foreseeable future" due to a noise complaint.

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A post shared by Ice Cream Sundays 🍦 (@icecreamsundays_)

The complaints were pointed in particular at Rainbow Disco Club's Singapore debut at TPD on Oct. 3, co-hosted by Ice Cream Sundays.

Notably, the collective called the complaints "outrageous and provably false".

An outpouring of sadness and frustration from commenters and fans ensued, who bemoaned the loss of yet another venue in land-scarce Singapore.

Many called for the authorities to review their complaint mediation process.

But this was a measure taken by TPD's management, Mapletree, and not mandated by any government agency, said Ice Cream Sundays in response to Mothership's queries.

What happened exactly? We spoke with them to find out more.

Anonymous

Jake Camacho, 34, one of the co-founders of Ice Cream Sundays, told Mothership that around the start of August 2026, they received an email from an anonymous complainant calling for TPD to stop hosting live events.

He said that several government agencies, TPD tenants, as well as the building management were copied in the email.

Curiously, various other businesses that Ice Cream Sundays founders had links to were also copied, despite having no links to the events.

The sender claimed that the events were creating "a disturbance for the neighbourhood", and signed off simply as "Singapore resident".

They also claimed to be staying at the residential area opposite TPD, across the Keppel Viaduct highway.

This began a series of complaints that this individual would make over the next few months.

Another co-founder Daniel O’Connor, also 34, added that TPD reached out to the complainant to arrange a face-to-face meeting to hear their concerns and mediate the situation.

However, they never responded to the offer.

Instead, O'Connor claims that they escalated the situation, threatening to raise the situation to the media and take legal action.

Ice Cream Sundays was allegedly not the only event organiser implicated, with the complainant making reference to other upcoming events at the venue.

Measures taken

In response to the complaints, Ice Cream Sundays took a long list of precautions before their Oct. 3 event.

Three weeks before the event, the collective made the decision to move the outdoor segment of the event from the carpark to an area further within the compound.

This was so that the noise would be blocked by the TPD building itself, standing between the event and the residential side.

Camacho noted that this was no "small undertaking".

"We did take the complaint seriously, and we did want to demonstrate that we're not here to cause a disturbance," he said.

As for the indoor segment, they also added extra sound barriers "like the kind you see at construction sites", added O'Connor, after venue management asked them if they could take additional measures.

In addition, they modified their speaker arrangement to reduce the amount of sound projected towards the residential area.

All of this was fully licensed and approved by the authorities, Camacho and O'Connor stressed.

"So this is a system that has been proven to work for us in in many situations, and has also been signed off by the police when they issue us a licence as well.

That's why we also find it hard to believe that the sound could escape to that extent."

Not enough

This was not enough to satisfy the disgruntled resident.

A new complaint was soon lodged, in which they claimed that they had gotten an "NEA-registered noise consultant" to monitor the noise from the residential area, recording levels "exceeding 115-125 dBc".

According to the American Academy of Audiology, that would be the equivalent of a jet plane taking off.

Ice Cream Sundays' sound engineer called this "nigh impossible", said O'Connor.

"You know, we're not unrealistic. We understand that music events are loud, but the extent to which these claims are being made... it doesn't add up to the lived experience on the day."

As part of their agreement with the venue, Ice Cream Sundays monitored noise levels every two hours during the event, from both within the TPD compound as well as from the residential area.

Their measurements were ultimately several orders of magnitude lower than the complainant's findings.

O'Connor claimed that while at the residential area, his team recorded levels hovering around 60 dB.

This, he alleges, was entirely attributable to the ambient noise of the area, in particular from road traffic from the highway next door.

"Our staff member who went and took the readings said they literally could not hear our event when they were taking the reading," he said.

Camacho also noted that they had received other noise complaints in the past, warranting a police visit.

However, if directed by the police to turn the volume down, they would comply.

But the police never came down to the Oct. 3 event, he noted.

"We didn't receive any complaints during the event, which is strange, right? Because if the the noise levels are as loud as this person is claiming that they were, you would expect there to be many complaints, and that that was not what we experienced."

Illicit activities?

However, the complainant took a step further, accusing Ice Cream Sundays of being a hub for illicit activity.

"These types of events promote the abuse of alcohol, public drunkenness and smoking including illegal drugs and vaping which are offences and extremely harmful to Singaporean society," the email read.

O'Connor simply called these allegations "disappointing".

"If anyone comes to our event, you can see that we we have adequate security. We do bag checks, we have a list of house rules that sets out the expectations of the kind of behaviours that we expect people to uphold at our events, and our events are fully licenced.

"So, if that's the case, it must mean the authorities are satisfied with the measures that we're putting in place at our events."

Notably, in a list of house rules that the collective posted on Instagram, the third line reads: "No vapes or illegal substances."

O'Connor also remarked that their events were now "pretty family friendly", with various workshops and activities catering to different eventgoers.

Not the venue's fault

Ultimately, Mapletree decided to temporarily suspend outdoor music events at TPD.

O'Connor called it "a shame", but quickly clarified that he did not lay the blame on the venue.

"I want to be very clear that I don't that we don't blame them. We certainly don't blame any government agencies. I think what we're talking about is a wider issue of... the complainer always winning in Singapore," he stressed.

"And it takes someone who doesn't even name themselves, or show themselves, with claims that they don't have a lot of evidence to back up... to ruin the prospect of having events there again, for not just us but also for a lot of promoters."

Camacho added that they empathised with the venue, having been placed in a "difficult position" after being threatened with legal action. 

But it is a "bigger challenge than ever" to find spaces to host events now, he noted.

Lamenting on the loss of venues in Singapore, Camacho said that it was difficult to find places that are accessible but also not close to residences.

O'Connor also remarked that people have pointed him towards hosting events in Fort Canning Park or Marina Bay.

But those sit firmly outside of Ice Cream Sundays' budget, as a "DIY party".

"And I think that's why the post went kind of viral, right, because it resonates with both industry people, but also punters who who like to go to these types of events.

"I think it reached a lot of people who have never been to an Ice Cream Sundays before, but just understand that these challenges are getting harder and harder to overcome."

A man was photographed partially inside a blue recycling bin in a public housing estate in Singapore.

The image of him apparently rummaging for recyclable items has sparked debate online.

Also photographed next to him was a red plastic bag hanging from a bicycle that apparently contained empty containers.

The post on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page alleged that the man was searching for containers to get deposit refunds from the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS).

Should he take the containers out?

Opinions were divided.

Some said the man was "going too far", even though they were "all for collecting cans".

Another called the man's actions "unbelievable" and questioned why he would do this for a 10-cent refund.

Others said the man was simply taking the items from one receptacle and transferring them to another receptable.

Moreover, recycling bins, unlike rubbish bins, should not contain random trash and food waste, which makes them "less dirty".

There were also others who wondered if he had dropped something inside and was searching for it.

The man's actions also drew flak based on comments from other Facebook posts.

What is BCRS?

BCRS kicked in fully from Oct. 1, 2026.

All plastic bottles and cans from 150ml to 3 litres cannot be sold, unless they have the 10-cent deposit mark.

Under the scheme, administered by the National Environment Agency (NEA), customers are charged 10 cents extra for each drink purchased.

They can get the 10 cents back when they deposit the used containers into a Return Right Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs), which is a reverse vending machine.

Illegal

Rummaging through public refuse bins, removing items from them, or leaving or spilling waste on the ground are against the law, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu in response to a parliamentary question recently.

Fu was asked whether measures were in place to prevent unhygienic practices under BCRS, and if separate collection bins and facilities for liquid disposal would be provided at high-use locations.

BCRS was launched on Apr. 1, 2026.

A well-known restaurant in Chinatown was allegedly targeted in a scam attempt after someone claimed to have found a cockroach in a dish and demanded S$300 in compensation.

However, the owner of Kok Sen Restaurant along Keong Saik Road became suspicious after noticing several inconsistencies in the complaint, including a photograph he believed had been manipulated.

The restaurant's owner, Huang Zhaoqiang, 50, subsequently lodged a police report, according to Shin Min Daily News.

Demanded S$300 over alleged cockroach in food

Huang told Shin Min that he received a WhatsApp complaint at around 8am on Oct. 31 from someone who claimed to have found a cockroach in a dish while dining at the restaurant the previous day.

The person claimed to have found a cockroach in a dish and demanded S$300 in compensation, despite the accompanying receipt showing a bill of just over S$110.

Huang said he was alarmed by the complaint and apologised to the person, assuring them that the restaurant would take responsibility.

However, he became suspicious when the person refused to wait a week for the restaurant to investigate the complaint, claiming to need the money urgently.

The person also threatened to report the matter to the authorities and post about it online if the restaurant did not provide immediate compensation.

Restaurant owner spots suspicious details

Huang later examined the photographs and receipt provided by the complainant and noticed several discrepancies.

One of the photographs appeared to match an image from a recent Google review of the restaurant, leading Huang to believe that a cockroach had been digitally added.

The receipt also raised questions.

Although the complainant claimed to have visited the restaurant on Oct. 30, the receipt was dated Oct. 22.

Huang also noticed that the person was using a Malaysian phone number and had enabled disappearing messages on WhatsApp.

Huang tells complainant he will contact police

Huang then informed the complainant that he would report the matter to the police.

"I'm telling this story mainly to warn restaurants and hawkers that similar scams have been appearing recently," Huang said to Shin Min.

The blueprint for the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) will be launched in December 2026 by Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

This was announced to the media at a doorstop on Nov. 2.

Strong bilateral relationship

Speaking at the doorstop, Singapore's Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat said the bilateral relationship between Singapore and Malaysia is "very strong", adding that the countries have made "very good progress" since the JS-SEZ was formed.

He was very heartened to see the investment projects that have been approved and the jobs that have been created, noting that this is the beginning of many more to come.

Chee added: "We can only achieve this because we have been working very closely together as partners, reinforcing the pro-business environment that the Johor Singapore SEZ is able to provide to investors."

He was also glad to know that many of the investors are from Singapore, as well as many investors coming from around the world.

Chee pointed out that this "continued strong interest from the investment community, from the business community", is the result of this "strong partnership and collaboration" among Singapore, Malaysia, and Johor.

"So we would certainly want to continue this partnership, work even more closely together, and see how we can take this collaboration forward and do more together for the benefit of our people, our communities, and our businesses," he added.

Strategic move

Calling it a "very strategic move" by both countries, Malaysia's Minister of Economy Akmal Nasir brought up the numbers from the JS-SEZ from 2025 to June 2026.

He said RM88.83 billion (~S$28 billion) was recorded in terms of approved investments, adding that out of that, 45 per cent has been realised.

"So, in that sense, it's not just about having great potential, but the real challenge and the commitment by...both countries, to deliver this prospect with a really good outcome," Akmal said.

He added that the joint investment forum will be held by the first quarter of 2027 and as such, they "want to keep up this good momentum", noting that it will benefit both countries, its people and the business communities in both regions.

Blueprint

In that regard, the plan is for the blueprint to be announced and launched by Singapore and Malaysia's prime ministers in December, to coincide with the upcoming leaders' retreat.

"I think both sides have been working very well together to develop the various initiatives to support this blueprint," said Chee.

"The blueprint represents a medium to longer-term vision of what we want to achieve for the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone."

"But to be able to realise this vision, a lot of hard work needs to go in between the various agencies to iron out some out these specific initiatives," he added.

That includes talent development, facilitating the movement of people and goods, as well as trade and investments, and looking at transportation and connectivity.

Chee said these are "important supporting elements to make the blueprint come to life, and to be able to realise the benefits for win-win cooperation".

Mutually beneficial outcome

In addition, Chee said: "We see the Johor–Singapore Cooperation Ministerial Committee (JSCMC) as a very important and useful platform..."

He noted that it allows the ministers from both sides to discuss areas to strengthen cooperation, and added that they are also looking at how to strengthen connectivity.

Raising the enhancements of the cross-border taxi services between Singapore and Johor as an example, Chee added that enhancements to connectivity will be "further boosted when the Rapid Transit System (RTS) comes into operation in February 2027".

"The important thing is this: the benefit of this cooperation leads to a win-win, mutually beneficial outcome, and that is what I believe will be important to make this a sustainable collaboration," Chee said.

He added: "...It reflects the larger bilateral friendship and partnership between Singapore and Malaysia, and between Singapore and Johor."

"...In the time like this, when the world is more uncertain, less predictable, actually like-minded partners and close neighbours, we need to work even more closely together, and achieve this growth, prosperity, and benefits, good jobs, for our people."

JS-SEZ agreement

An earlier report mentioned that the JS-SEZ agreement was signed by Singapore and Malaysia on Jan. 6, 2025, and it aims to:

1. Improves cross-border goods connectivity between Singapore and Johor
2. Enables freer movement of people, and
3. Strengthens the business ecosystem within the region.

With the agreement, Singapore and Johor would strive to complement each other in ways that increase their value proposition to each other and companies seeking a destination for global investments.

Singapore's strengths as a global hub for technology, business, and finance and Johor's abundant land and resources could open the JS-SEZ to many twinning opportunities.

The JS-SEZ aims to deepen cooperation in 11 economic sectors, such as manufacturing, energy, financial services, and the digital economy, to help companies expand their regional footprint.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is investigating around 45 companies involved in airport operations at Changi Airport for suspected offences and infringements under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990 (EFMA).

This includes false declarations and illegal deployment of foreign workers, MOM said in a Nov. 2 press release.

Suspected offences, infringements

The agency found Employment Pass (EP) holders deployed to perform baggage handling services during a recent inspection at Changi Airport.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the salaries and occupations declared to MOM for these EP holders were false, the release stated.

It added that other work pass holders were also found performing baggage handling work, which was different from their declared occupations.

Investigations have so far identified around 270 workers whose deployment may not have been in compliance with work pass regulations.

These workers were employed by the Singapore Airport Terminal Services' (SATS) contractors and subcontractors, the release noted.

Strengthen oversight

MOM has directed SATS to strengthen its oversight of the companies they have contracted, including verifying that foreign workers are deployed in accordance with their work passes.

This also includes rectifying any compliance deficiencies, the release stated.

MOM has also issued an advisory to other companies involved in SATS' operations, underscoring their obligation to comply with the EFMA and applicable work pass requirements.

Penalties

The release noted that MOM takes a serious view of work pass offences.

Investigations are ongoing and MOM will take enforcement action if breaches of the EFMA are established.

The agency will also continue to conduct checks to ensure compliance with work pass requirements.

The release stated that under the EFMA, making a false declaration in a work pass application carries a fine of up to S$20,000, up to two years' jail, or both.

Employers who illegally deploy a foreign employee may face a financial penalty of up to S$10,000. They may also be barred from hiring work pass holders.

According to the release, members of the public who are aware of suspected work pass infringements may report them to MOM through its Report an Infringement eService.

A private jet in the U.S. plunged toward the ground in Florida on Nov. 1 (U.S. time), killing nine people.

Air traffic control has revealed the final moments from the jet before the incident, reported the New York Post.

The private jet was headed from Austin, Texas, to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

It crashed in Greenacres, Florida, a community for modular and mobile homes.

Chilling audio

The pilot had initially reported moderate turbulence and manageable ice to the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.

However, the pilot soon radioed: “We’re descending 8,000 - mayday, mayday - we’re descending 10,000 ft per minute."

This was followed by: “We’re going to crash into the ground.”

About 35 seconds after the first mayday call, the last thing heard from the cockpit was a female crew member screaming, “Holy f*ck, we’re out of time.”

Videos uploaded to social media captured the jet plummeting to the ground, erupting into a fireball that left behind a large hole in the ground.

WATCH: Dashcam video captures the crash of a $2 million Learjet 60 (N722BD) in Palm Springs, Florida. https://t.co/8jmiOMG9ys

— Scope Report (@ScopeReport_) November 1, 2026

Chang Cheng Hokkien mee in Serangoon closed on Oct. 31 after 32 years in business.

Located at Yu Xiang Coffee Shop in Block 237 Serangoon Avenue 3, the stall was operated by a couple who worked over 10 hours a day, six days a week, Shin Min Daily News reported.

After more than three decades in the business, Wu Fushun (transliteration), 64, and his wife, Lin Rongduan (transliteration), 61, reportedly decided to call it a day to prioritise their health.

Well-wishes from customers

News of the closure prompted customers who had not visited in a while to pay one last visit.

During their final week of business, the stall saw a 50 per cent increase in customers, Wu told Shin Min.

An 11-year-old girl also wrote a letter thanking the couple.

Wu shared that the girl's parents had been patronising the stall since before they got married. After starting a family, they continued bringing their daughter along.

Lin took the letter home as a keepsake.

The daughter of another regular customer also made a special trip to the stall with a box of chocolates to bid the couple farewell.

Wu shared that a customer, who was in his 80s, had not visited the stall in some time.

They later learnt that he had passed away a month earlier.

"I had known him for over 30 years. When his daughter shared the news with us, our eyes welled up with tears. After all, a bond had formed over time," Wu said.

Lin revealed that the 32 years of running the stall had taken a toll on Wu's health.

Ultimately, the couple decided to close the stall and prioritise their well-being.

Over 112,000 people discontinued their optional private health insurance add-ons in 2025 after policyholders faced rising premiums.

According to The Straits Times, 65,000 people dropped their Integrated Shield Plan (IP) riders in 2024; compared with 2025 figures, that is a 72 per cent increase.

Around 5.6 per cent of the 2 million-odd pool of IP rider policyholders quit in 2025, ST noted, citing figures they received.

Minister for Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Ong Ye Kung, said that as prices of IP and IP rider premiums rise, policyholders have downgraded or cancelled their plans in a September parliamentary reply, reported ST.

Downgrades and cancellations stood at 99,000 in 2023, 105,900 in 2024 and 128,200 in 2025.

Likewise for riders, the drop was 84,800 in 2023, 103,400 in 2024 and 181,800 in 2025.

What is an IP and its rider?

MediShield Life, the national healthcare insurance scheme, insures all Singaporeans across their lifetime, covering expenses such as hospitalisations and surgical procedures.

However, for those who want additional coverage, they can choose to purchase an IP.

An IP is an optional plan offered by a private insurer. It provides additional coverage for private wards and private healthcare institutions, according to MOH's website.

On top of the base IP, policyholders can buy riders.

Riders are optional add-ons to reduce out-of-pocket payments. They may also cover additional benefits with higher premiums.

Figures

An MOH spokesperson provided ST with a breakdown of rider figures, which revealed that for those who lowered their coverage, over 60 per cent stopped their riders while less than 40 per cent downgraded their policy.

For those who ceased purchasing riders, the numbers remained similar at 66,100 in 2023 and 65,000 in 2024, with a sharp increase to 112,300 in 2025.

Downgrades to lower-tier riders also rose from 18,700 in 2023 to 38,300 and 69,400 in 2025, reported ST.

In a parliamentary answer in May 2026, Member of Parliament for West Coast – Jurong West GRC, Hamid Razak, said that from December 2021 to December 2024, private hospital IP premiums and private hospital rider premiums have been rising at a yearly average of 8.6 per cent and 17.2 per cent, respectively.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) also noted in a forum reply that annual premiums can reach up to S$9,000 for a rider policyholder aged 70, and even higher when they get older.

Additionally, ST noted that annual rider premiums could triple when policyholders age from 50 to 70 years old.

ST added that IP policyholders with riders could pay around S$12,700 to S$22,700 depending on the insurer and IP coverage.

About 71 per cent of Singapore residents, approximately three million people, held IPs at the end of 2024.

During renovations of their Build-to-Order (BTO) Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat, a homeowner was shocked to notice that an unknown man was trespassing into the unit at will through the open front doors.

The incidents were captured on the homeowner's CCTV camera, which they also used to communicate with the man.

According to the clips posted on Instagram, the man entered the flat twice in a week.

In the first instance, he was seen clad in a bright yellow shirt and carrying a backpack while using his phone to snap pictures of different rooms inside the flat.

Days later, he trespassed again, this time clad in a teal shirt and accompanied by an unknown woman, supposedly his wife.

According to the homeowner, the man had tailgated Building Service Centre (BSC) workers entering the flat.

The homeowner then decided to confront the duo and talk through them through their CCTV system.

When asked why he was back, the man claimed he had not been in the flat for long, according to the video.

At the same time, his wife could be seen walking deeper into the flat, ostensibly into the bedrooms.

"Thank goodness we installed CCTV and nothing was stolen," said the homeowner.

Homeowner installed keypad lock days before

They wrote in the post: "The craziest part? It happened just ONE DAY after we installed our keypad lock and CCTV!"

The homeowner told Stomp the first incident happened in late July, when contractors were carrying out air-conditioning installation works.

The main door was left open to allow the workers access to piping outside the unit.

According to Stomp, the homeowner expressed their surprise and concern about having an unexpected visitor in their unit.

They had initially not intended to highlight the issue as they thought that the man was simply curious about the unit.

However, when he returned days later, they were more concerned, in particular about the privacy and security of the home.

"It made us realise that it would be worthwhile to raise awareness that, regardless of the circumstances or intention, entering another person’s home without permission is not something that should be encouraged," the homeowner told Stomp.

They added that while they believed in maintaining the "kampong spirit", respecting boundaries is an important part of it.

The homeowner added that they did not wish to blame or shame anyone, but simply wanted to raise awareness about unauthorised entry.

In the tech field, AI is rapidly replacing junior-level tasks. Young tech workers have borne the brunt of slower hiring and a preference for experienced talent.

But the pursuit of short-term productivity cannot undermine the development of experienced professionals in the years ahead.

So whose job is it to bridge this gap? Tan Kiat How, patron of the TIP Alliance+, and Lim Bee Kwan and Gavin Chua, co-chairs of the TIP Alliance+, offer their insights.

Tan Kiat How is Senior Minister of State of for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI).  Lim Bee Kwan is president of the Singapore Computer Society, and Gavin Chua is chairman of SGTech.

By Tan Kiat How, Lim Bee Kwan, and Gavin Chua

For young Singaporeans preparing to enter technology careers, this should be an exciting time.

AI can write software, build applications and help small teams achieve what once required many people.

Yet excitement is increasingly accompanied by anxiety: fresh graduates see restructuring, changing entry-level roles and headlines about hundreds of job applications going unanswered.

Some wonder whether they chose the right profession.

These concerns deserve more than reassurance. They deserve a practical response.

Singapore’s technology workforce grew 3.8 per cent to more than 222,000 in 2025. Almost six in ten technology professionals now work outside the Information and Communications sector, as opportunities expand in finance, manufacturing, healthcare and other industries.

A technology career need not begin in a technology company. But a growing profession does not necessarily mean an easier entry into it.

AI can enable smaller teams to complete some tasks faster, even as employers seek new hires who can contribute earlier. Strong technical foundations remain essential, alongside AI fluency, domain understanding and practical judgement.

When the first rung changes

Stanford University’s Digital Economy Lab found weaker relative employment trends among young U.S. workers in highly AI-exposed occupations, with slower hiring appearing important.

Reporting on India’s IT sector also points to reduced graduate recruitment and a preference for experienced talent.

These are warning signs, not proof that AI caused the changes or that Singapore faces identical conditions.

They nevertheless raise a question we cannot ignore. Junior engineers traditionally learnt by writing simpler programmes, testing systems, making mistakes and receiving guidance from experienced colleagues.

AI can now assist with much of that work. If the tasks through which people learnt their craft are changing, how will tomorrow’s professionals gain experience and judgement?

Problem-solving

We should not allow the pursuit of short-term productivity to undermine the development of experienced professionals our economy will need in the years ahead.

Yet this burden cannot fall on any one party — least of all young people.

An employer may reasonably automate junior tasks and hire experienced staff. But if every employer does so, who will develop the next generation of engineers, architects and technology leaders?

Schools cannot recreate workplaces on their own. Students cannot create vacancies or change recruitment practices themselves.

What makes sense for individual organisations in the short term may not produce the best outcome for the economy as a whole.

Even government cannot close the gap simply by subsidising courses.

That is why we have been working through TIP Alliance+, bringing ITEs, polytechnics, autonomous universities, employers, industry associations and government agencies together.

The partnership connects three things that must evolve together: what students learn, how they gain experience, and how employers recognise their capabilities.

Three practical changes

First, bring industry closer to education.

Industry-led skills pathways in AI, cloud and cybersecurity are being made more accessible. Domain pathways help students understand how technology is applied in financial services, government and, in future, healthcare.

The aim is not merely to teach more technology, but to connect strong foundations to real problems.

Second, bring apprenticeship into the curriculum.

Through Bridge2Tech, we aim to provide 3,000 year-long Enhanced Internship opportunities over three years across ITEs, polytechnics and autonomous universities.

The enhancement is not simply duration. It is the close co-design between educational institutions and employers of what students learn and contribute.

These credit-bearing, curriculum-linked placements last 10 to 12 months, meet course requirements and involve meaningful industry projects.

Students can follow substantial work through, learn from experienced colleagues and receive feedback, while employers benefit from their contributions.

Early results are encouraging. In MOE’s Internship Survey, Enhanced Internship participants reported better outcomes than regular interns in supervision and mentorship, training quality, career preparedness and satisfaction.

In an IMDA survey, 94 per cent of participating employers intended to continue offering Enhanced Internships; 83 per cent said they would hire their intern if a suitable vacancy existed.

Turning principle into practice

But these are reported experiences and intentions, not proven long-term employment outcomes.

Making this possible requires commitment on all sides. A year-long placement represents one-third of a three-year diploma.

Institutions must adjust curricula and schedules; employers must provide substantive projects, mentorship and developmental feedback; government helps reduce barriers and support participation.

This is partnership in practice — not simply organisations agreeing in principle, but changing how they operate.

As the model expands, we want to raise the quality bar further: help students learn when to rely on AI and validate its outputs, give them progressive ownership of real work, and strengthen structured coaching in judgement and professional responsibility.

We should automate the task, not the learning.

Third, bring hiring closer to demonstrated capability. More than 200 employers have pledged support for skills-based hiring through TIP Alliance+. Degrees and diplomas remain valuable, but employers should also recognise practical projects, industry certifications and demonstrated skills.

The next test is whether commitments change job advertisements, assessments and hiring outcomes. We cannot change how students learn without also changing how employers hire.

Work in progress

TIP Alliance+ and Bridge2Tech are concrete steps, not complete solutions.

Success is not measured only by courses completed, internship places offered or employer pledges. It is whether young people develop meaningful capabilities, enter good jobs and progress in their careers.

So we must keep listening, evaluating, and improving.

Employers also have reason to invest. Young people can bring fresh perspectives and AI skills that create value now, while mentorship and apprenticeship develop the experienced talent every organisation will need later. Developing that talent is a shared investment whose benefits reach across companies and generations.

Imagine a virtuous exchange: AI-native students bring fresh perspectives and hands-on familiarity with generative tools, complementing the experience and business knowledge of senior colleagues.

Together, they translate business challenges into practical solutions, while helping the wider workforce build confidence and capability in adopting these technologies.

We cannot promise that every job will remain unchanged. But we can make sure young people do not have to navigate the transition alone. We must develop tomorrow’s professionals even as we improve today’s productivity.

If AI is changing the first rungs of the career ladder, we must build new bridges — together.