By Vivian Lim
24 August 2022
Hey there fellow Outramians! The June holidays have just ended, did you enjoy your school break? Well, I certainly did, as I had a whale of time during the school's two-week work attachment programme, which was part of the Education Career Guidance (ECG) curriculum.
I signed up as an assistant coach at the ActiveSG Athletics Academy, as I had previously attended its programmes when I was in primary school, and had learnt first-aid during physical education (PE) lessons in Secondary 2. During the attachment programme, I assisted the lead coach in the school holiday programmes, athletic workshops and other exciting events by leading the warm-up sessions, and taking over when the lead coach was absent. Additionally, I was the students' pillar of support, providing them with constant encouragement when training was tough, and sharing my personal stories with them during breaks, to inculcate values of honour, teamwork and resilience in them.
I would say that this work attachment was a fun and fulfilling experience, and I managed to learn a lot from it. While it was great to hear the joyful laughter of young children during the school holiday programme, it was also difficult getting them to follow instructions. For example, when assigning them to run five laps around the track for warm ups, they would sometimes run three rounds, or even two. Sometimes, during the stretching exercises, I would also observe them looking around and not following the exercises. During these times, I had to be patient, and avoid throwing my temper at them. Besides learning to be patient, I also had to learn how to adapt to different situations in a quick and calm manner. There was once when it was raining heavily during a training session. When I had no idea what to do, the lead coach immediately brought everyone to a sheltered area, and we practised shuttle run exercises instead. Another time, while I was leading the stretching exercises, an old man, who was running around the track, fainted. In such a situation, many people would panic, and I was just like that. To make matters worse, the lead coach was not around. Thus, I had to calm myself down, before rushing over to assist the man and call the ambulance. This experience made me understand the importance of acting calmly in an emergency situation. Through the experience, I also managed to interact with more people, which has boosted my people skills and will help me to brace myself for working with more people in the future workplace.
In my opinion, this work attachment programme brings about multiple benefits! Firstly, students will get to experience life in the workforce, and have a better idea on the skills they need to interact with others. Secondly, the attachment programme will serve to aid students applying for the Early Admissions Exercise (EAE), especially if the programme is related to the course the student the student is applying for. These students who have benefitted from the programme would have an edge over other students, and have a higher chance of entering their dream course! Meanwhile, for students who are unsure of their interests, this programme serves for them to explore the multiple jobs available in the job market, and at the same time, allow them to discover their strengths, and most importantly, where their passion lies in! With so many benefits, it is no surprise why this programme has been so popular with the Secondary Four and Five students ever since it was rolled out!
To my fellow juniors, after my sharing, I bet you are now excited to join the programme next year! Here is how you can prepare yourselves for it. You need to do some research on the post-secondary school options available to you, and think about which work attachment opportunities would help you enter the course of your choice. At the same time, consider what you would like to do when you enter the workforce. Think about where your interests lie in, your strengths and weaknesses, and your preferred work environment. All these factors will help you to determine the perfect fit for you, which will make it easier for you to make your choice when the different attachment offers are given to you.
I hope my sharing will help you be more prepared when it is your turn to experience the fun-filled work attachment programme. Don't forget to sign up for it next year!
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