SIT to give undergrads nearly 2 years’ work experience for better job prospects in age of AI

Since the launch of IWSP in 2014, SIT has worked closely with more than 1,000 companies to offer each SIT student an average of three positions to choose from.

IWSP is compulsory for the 2,500 SIT students outside of the institution’s health and social sciences courses. Those students go on clinical placements instead.

Close to half of the students who went on IWSP internships received advance full-time employment offers from their IWSP employers, according to SIT’s Graduate Employment Survey 2025.

Chua said what is most important for universities today, given the easy availability of content knowledge, is to help students strengthen their fundamentals, which will equip them to continue learning beyond their studies, and hence strengthen their employability for life.

The four degree courses were chosen for the 2+2 pilot because the companies in these fields have high hiring needs, Chua said.

He elaborated: “The semiconductor industry is gearing up for quite a lot of expansion, and they are already very keen to mould young people to their needs.

“There’s a real shortage of good cybersecurity people… you need people who really know how to protect systems, especially… as AI is able to probe your vulnerabilities much faster.”

ICT students on the 2+2 programme will return to campus for classes one day a week during the first eight months; some modules will be delivered online. After the first eight months, students will continue their work attachments full time while they work on their capstone project.

Participating engineering students will similarly spend their first two years completing their foundational curriculum before beginning the 2+2 programme in their third year.

During their internships, students will also study to acquire the relevant micro-credentials – such as a specialist certificate in data analytics in engineering – online and on campus, as well as complete their capstone project.

Chua said the 2+2 model takes IWSP a step further, as it will require the company to develop students with SIT. “We’re starting with a pilot with companies that we are quite confident will have the ability and the bandwidth to co‑nurture the students with us.”

Students will take on projects in the company to fulfil what the company needs, but also to fulfil the learning outcomes of their academic programmes. Their work will be assessed jointly by the company’s workplace supervisors and SIT’s academic staff, who will meet regularly to discuss the students’ progress.

Chua said that 2+2 will not replace IWSP, as he wants to provide choices for students.

“For students who value more time in the industry, we would want to encourage them to do this. But some students still think that they learn better in the university, so we want to give them a choice.”

Chua said the programme is beneficial for both students and companies. “I always tell companies that they have eight to 12 months to interview my students, as opposed to a one-hour or two-hour interview session.”

More experience in an “authentic” work environment will also help students develop transferable skills, he said. “They have to interact with the rest of the staff of the company. They have to carry themselves (well). They have to do presentations. They have to communicate well.”

Serene Yeo, vice-president of human resources at participating firm Ensign InfoSecurity, concurred: “Technical knowledge alone is not enough. It is just as important to work well with others, exercise sound judgment, communicate with confidence, and adapt as expectations change, especially in a fast-evolving field like cybersecurity.

“These capabilities are best developed through sustained exposure, coaching, and feedback in a real working environment.”

Foo Kuo Yang, senior director of Singapore country human resources at STMicroelectronics, said the 2+2 programme will allow students to foster stronger connections with the firm’s employees.

“These interactions promote empathy, encourage inter-generational learning, and build meaningful relationships that strengthen collaboration across our workplace,” he said.