DBS continues to partner ITE in mentorship programme to empower students
The initiative provides guidance on financial literacy, personal growth and development, as well as achieving career goals
DBS held its closing session for the latest edition of its mentorship programme with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) on Friday (Aug 23).
The initiative, which was launched in 2019, aims to empower and guide ITE students to develop essential skills, build confidence and achieve career goals.
To date, around 245 DBS mentors and 280 ITE mentees have participated.
The annual DBS x ITE mentorship programme is five months long, with mentors and mentees meeting at least once a month.
Monica Datta, executive director at DBS and team lead (fostering inclusion) at DBS Foundation, said: “Students at ITE are at a very pivotal point in their journey, both personally as well as from a career perspective.
“ITE tends to cater to students that have more of a kinetic learning approach, where it’s geared towards hands-on, practical learning. We felt that the kind of support we wanted to offer through our mentorship programme was really aligned with that, because we try to focus on very practical tips.”
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This includes pointers on not only financial literacy, but also personal growth and development, how students can think about their career, and how they can manage the positives and negatives of their career journey.
In recent years, the programme was expanded to include the topic of mental health. Datta noted: “We recognise that it’s a growing need and challenge for this demographic.”
Getting feedback
Khoon Huat Sim, who is part of DBS’ human resources learning and development team, has participated as a mentor for two consecutive years.
He said that, beyond the satisfaction of guiding youth, mentoring has helped him in his work as well, by allowing him to understand younger people better and narrow the generational gap.
“This kind of opportunity allows me to stay engaged and be more relevant in terms of how I want to design, deliver and train,” Khoon added.
Joey Chin, who is pursuing a Higher National ITE Certificate in services management, joined the programme because she was interested in the financial sector.
She said: “I was someone that was very introverted, who didn’t dare to speak up or do presentations. (But), the mentors guided me well, and showed me how to have more confidence in myself and how to present better.”
Taking part in this programme also helped affirm her aspiration to pursue a career in finance.
In the past five years, the mentorship programme has expanded to include all three ITE colleges.
Datta noted: “From a numbers perspective, it has seen a lot of traction. We’ve grown the number of mentors that have joined the programme and chosen to give back by 10 times since the time that we started.”
She pointed out that feedback from ITE, mentors and mentees has enabled the growth and success of the programme over the years. Mentors have talked about how rewarding the journey is, and how satisfied they are to see their mentees grow. Meanwhile, mentees have given feedback that conversations with their mentors have helped them shape their own thinking and motivated them.
Some mentors and mentees have even continued to stay in touch beyond the structured mentoring framework.
Long-term goals
In the next five to 10 years, Datta hopes to deepen DBS’ partnership with ITE by building and scaling the programme.
She said: “(We want) to see what are some of the other areas that we can support the students in – this includes being in touch with the growing needs of society. What are the increasing challenges faced by this group of students, and how can we incorporate that into our efforts?”
On the same day, DBS invited its mentors and ITE students interested in or participating in the programme to a panel discussion to talk about how mentorship has positive effects on one’s professional and personal development.
Olympic bronze medallist Maximilian Maeder – who is also a brand ambassador for the bank – took part in the discussion, along with Han Kwee Juan, DBS Singapore country head; Ryan Goh, data analyst at DBS who is a former mentor volunteer and an ITE alumnus; and panel moderator Karen Ngui, head of DBS Foundation, as well as the bank’s group strategic marketing and communications.
The panellists also talked about their journeys on how they got to where they are today and encountering setbacks. They encouraged the ITE students in the audience to make the most of this mentorship opportunity.
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