About 90% drop in fresh grads applying for Singapore industry traineeships
Sharon Salim
Updated Thu, 26 February 2026 at 12:55 PM SGT
3 min read
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The Graduate Industry Traineeships are designed to help fresh graduates gain experience and prepare for full-time employment.
(PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO)More
SINGAPORE – There has been a 90 per cent drop in applications for a government-funded graduate traineeship programme since it was launched in October 2025.
A significant number of applicants declined traineeship offers after finding full-time employment or choosing other opportunities, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said in a written parliamentary reply on Feb 25. This was based on feedback from many participating organisations.
The Graduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) were rolled out by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Workforce Singapore to help fresh graduates across sectors gain structured, hands-on work experience over three to six months.