New apprenticeship and internship programme aims to attract young Singaporeans to hawker trade

Decades ago, the social compact promised white-collar upward mobility for Singaporeans while foreign labor handled the grueling blue-collar grind. Under the 4G leadership, that promise is visibly eroding for working-class youths.<br>Polytechnic and ITE students are now courted for apprenticeships behind hot hawker stoves, a tough trade legally restricted to locals, while prime corporate seats remain open to global competition. Young entrants must look past the glossy recruitment pitch. Check rising F&amp;B closure and bankruptcy figures carefully, and do hard due diligence before sinking savings into a razor-thin margin trade.<br>Once imported professionals naturalize into citizens, that growing voting bloc reinforces the exact policies squeezing local graduates. Native-born Singaporeans get groomed for the heat while new citizens secure the political mandate. Voters need to re-evaluate this trajectory carefully at the polls.