• Students from SP, NYP and NP will be able to apply for the NTUC Starter Awards
• The award was piloted in 2024 to the SIT, TP and ITE Colleges
• Application will officially open from 4 August to 30 September 2025
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) announced today it will expand its bond-free scholarships, the NTUC Starter Awards, to three more Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL), bringing the total to eight, to reach out to more Singaporean students. Application will officially open from 4 August to 30 September 2025 across the eight IHLs. The NTUC Starter Awards is part of a larger commitment by NTUC to support youth in their education journey such as by exposing them to leadership opportunities and the labour movement. This was announced at the sidelines of the 'NTUC NDP Bay Celebrations' as part of the expanded National Day Parade (NDP) 2025 celebrations, in collaboration with the NDP 2025 Executive Committee (EXCO).
Empowering youths in their education
In 2024, the piloted NTUC Starter Awards were first open to the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), Temasek Polytechnic (TP) and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) including ITE College Central, ITE College East and ITE College West. This year, the awards will be expanded to three more IHLs including Singapore Polytechnic (SP), Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP). NTUC will be exploring partnerships with more IHLs to provide more youths with financial support and opportunities for leadership development.
The NTUC Starter Awards provides bond-free scholarships and leadership development programmes for students in IHLs, offering up to $6,000 for ITE students, $9,000 for polytechnic students and $16,000 for university students.
Bond-free scholarships were awarded to 43 students from SIT, TP, and ITE in December 2024. As Starter Award recipients, students joined NTUC Youth on a learning journey to Shenzhen, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China, in June 2025. The trip was part of their one-year leadership development programme under the scholarship.
At the celebrations, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng expressed his hopes for NTUC and his commitment to supporting youths. He said, “The NTUC Starter Awards was piloted last year as we firmly believed in investing in their future, developing their skills, to meet their aspirations and their drive to be part of the future of Singapore. This went well with 43 aspiring young leaders who received bond-free scholarships through NTUC Youth. We want to be able to do more for our youths and we are grateful for the support from IHLs who have expressed their interest in supporting the NTUC Starter Awards. NTUC will walk alongside them in this journey, give them that head start in their careers, and will support them in every way possible.”
NTUC commits to supporting youth in other areas; work, live and play
In addition to the NTUC Starter Awards, NTUC has been engaging and supporting Singaporean youths in their work-life aspirations. Since launching the NTUC Youth Taskforce as part of its year-long #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations in 2022, NTUC has spearheaded various programmes and initiatives focused on career development, mental and financial well-being for youth. Key initiatives include the NTUC Starter Membership tailored to address youth’s career and lifestyle needs. The NTUC Starter Membership is currently priced at S$21 for the first year (down from S$36) for sign-ups made from now until 31 August 2025. To sign up, interested applicants can apply online via https://youth.ntuc.org.sg/starter.
Ms Natasha Choy, Executive Secretary, NTUC Youth, and Co-Chairperson of the NTUC NDP Bay Celebrations Organising Committee, said, “We at NTUC have always believed in empowering our youth. Through initiatives like the NTUC Starter Awards and the NTUC Starter Membership, we support their growth in work, live, and play, helping them thrive professionally and personally. By engaging youth early and meaningfully especially by providing these bond-free scholarship, we believe we can help them build fulfilling careers and contribute positively to our workforce and society.”
Mr Ryan Peh, 18, from ITE College East, said, “Being an NTUC Starter Awardee has opened opportunities beyond just financial support. I gained leadership experience and grew more confident in giving back to the community. Volunteering again at this year’s NTUC NDP Bay Celebrations was especially meaningful as it allowed me to be part of something bigger that brings Singaporeans together. The NTUC Starter Awards is a meaningful platform for youth like us to step up and grow.”
Application opens till 30 September 2025
Interested applicants for the NTUC Starter Awards will receive more information from their IHLs or can visit bit.ly/ntucstarterawards25. For more details on the application, please see Annex A for the factsheet.
