New MoU signed with e2i will elevate Republic Polytechnic’s efforts to offer holistic Education and Career Guidance initiatives for students
Republic Polytechnic (RP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) at the annual RP Career Fair 2016 to strengthen Education and Career Guidance (ECG) efforts and deepen industry knowledge for both students and staff, marking a first-time partnership between e2i and a polytechnic. Besides complementing RP’s ongoing ECG initiatives, the collaboration between RP and e2i will help uplift students’ employability through targeted programmes and talks and sharpen RP staffs’ capabilities in career guidance.
Mr Seto Lok Yin, Deputy Principal (Industry Services), Republic Polytechnic said, “This partnership allows RP to tap on e2i’s expertise and resources in areas of employment and employability, and complements our existing ECG programmes. The concerted effort provides well-rounded career guidance programmes and ensures that every student will develop a solid understanding of the industry and develop the relevant skills to make a smooth transition from school to the workplace.”
Under the MoU, RP and e2i will work together to:

1. Deepen students’ industry knowledge: e2i will work with each of RP’s seven schools through ECG Counsellors and ECG Champions to organise sectoral-level career programmes that will allow students to discover their career interests and expose them to potential career opportunities. On 14 Jan, RP held its first sector-based career talk in partnership with e2i, with speakers from the Economic Development Board and BioSingapore to help School of Applied Science students garner greater industry insights.
2. Develop platforms for students’ gainful employment: RP and e2i jointly organised the RP Career Fair 2016 for the first time, and are working towards organising more sectoral level career events in the coming months.
3. Build ECG capabilities: RP’s ECG Counsellors, staff and e2i Employability Coaches will share best practices, experiences in career advisory and their industry knowledge to strengthen ECG capabilities for the benefit of students.

Mr Gary Goh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Professional Services), e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) said, “e2i has been working close to the ground with partners to identify the relevant skills that our workers should be equipped with to be future-ready. We look forward to a fruitful partnership with RP, the first at the tertiary level, to provide new platforms for students to help them understand their career options in the various industries and further develop their employability.”
Playing a pivotal role in RP’s ECG programmes is the newly-opened RP Career Centre, which commenced operations in October 2015. Co-designed with the input of RP students and end-users, the RP Career Centre is a comprehensive, integrated, multi-functional and configurable space that can accommodate different usage requirements. At 477 square metres, the centre also functions as an ECG training hub for students and staff, complementing RP’s structured ECG curriculum through counselling, workshops and training. The facility has the floor space to host ECG learning journeys for a class of up to 40 students, on-site recruitment interviews by companies and can even be configured to house mini career fairs for up to 15 companies. An interactive gallery for experiential activities also enables students to gain insights on education and career options.
At this year’s career fair, a new Career Networking Session will also be organised for companies who are keen to interview students. Students can look forward to meeting with representatives from the Land Transport Authority, Micron Semiconductor Asia Pte Ltd, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, and more. Over 100 participating companies across a wide range of industries including aerospace, engineering, hospitality, information technology and public services, will be exhibiting at the career fair, held on 22 and 25 January. Returning to RP Career Fair this year are CPF Board, DBS Bank, Rolls-Royce Singapore Pte Ltd and Wing Tai Retail Management Pte Ltd, among others, while new exhibitors include MOH Holdings Pte Ltd and Singapore Telecommunications Limited. The career fair will be the ideal platform for RP students and alumni to learn about career opportunities that await them, as well as for companies to interact with potential job candidates.