Citi Foundation awards Touch Community Services US$500,000 to tackle youth employability
The non-profit is one of 50 organisations that will receive funding as part of this year’s Global Innovation Challenge
[SINGAPORE] Citi Foundation has awarded Touch Community Services a sum of US$500,000 to expand the non-profit organisation’s mentorship and employability programme for low-income youth in Singapore.
The two-year programme, called Accelerate, supports 140 young people through Touch Community Services’ youth engagement centres located in each of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) colleges.
James Tan, chief executive of Touch Community Services, said Accelerate “helps ITE students discover themselves and prepare for life beyond school in a safe and structured environment”.
He added that the programme uses a “tailored, youth-centric model that individualises the programme to each youth based on their preferences, interests, needs and strengths”.
Students will participate in interest groups, vocational training, life-skills coaching and job-readiness activities, such as workshops for resume and interview preparation.
“By focusing on their abilities rather than limitations, we aim to empower every youth to gain confidence, independence, social capital and meaningful employment,” said Tan, adding that students will gain both technical and soft skills.
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Accelerate builds on Adapt, a similar programme piloted by Touch Community Services in 2022 at ITE College Central. Tan noted that 86 per cent of participants identified at least one occupation of interest by the end of the programme.
Accelerate will also include a “stronger” social work component that is supported by an upskilled team.
Citi said that Touch Community Services’ solutions are “designed to help young people adapt to rapidly changing economies and a job market that looks different than it has for generations before”.
Youth employability
Touch Community Services is one of 50 organisations – and the only one from Singapore – selected to receive funding as part of Citi Foundation’s Global Innovation Challenge 2025.
In total, Citi Foundation is disbursing US$25 million, with each non-profit receiving US$500,000.
Lee Lung-Nien, Singapore Citi country officer and banking head, said: “Charities and social organisations are important partners in addressing some of the most pressing issues in society. Supporting them is a fundamental investment in the community that has been home to Citi for over 120 years.”
The Global Innovation Challenge tackles a different social issue each year. This year’s edition focuses on youth employability, which Citi called an “ongoing and pervasive” issue.
The International Labour Organization estimates that 65 million young people globally are unemployed, and skills mismatch is a primary concern. A 2025 report by the World Economic Forum showed that 63 per cent of employers identified this as a major barrier when it comes to securing a job.
Edward Skyler, head of enterprise services and public affairs at Citi, said that as young people “navigate significant barriers to employment”, empowering them with “relevant skills and meaningful opportunities is critical”.
The grant will go towards supporting a range of programmes, from upskilling for digital literacy – including artificial intelligence – to work-based learning to resources for entrepreneurship and mentorship.
Previous editions of the Global Innovation Challenge focused on food security and homelessness.
Singapore Management University’s Lien Centre for Social Innovation was one recipient of the inaugural challenge in 2023. It is currently developing and delivering an applied research and trial project to assess solutions that address food insecurity.
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