Graduates from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) aged 30 and below will get a total of $15,000 in top-ups when they enrol in and complete a diploma programme, as part of efforts to better support them financially and professionally. DPM and Minister (MOF) Lawrence Wong said in his Budget speech on 16 Feb that these aim to ensure that the wages and career prospects of ITE graduates are not too far below those of their peers in polytechnics and universities. One of them was 23-year-old Matthew Francis Thanarajoo, who obtained a Higher Nitec in Mechatronics in 2021 and is now pursuing a diploma in the same subject at Temasek Polytechnic. He will represent Singapore in the international WorldSkills competition in France later this 2024.

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