Vocational
Vocational Services Committee
As business and professional leaders, Rotarians share their skills and expertise through Vocational Service — one of Rotary’s Five Avenues of Service. Vocational Service calls on every Rotarian to work with integrity, to contribute their professional expertise to the problems and needs of society, and to help others discover new professional opportunities and develop to their fullest potential.
At the Rotary Club of Singapore, the Vocational Service Committee (VSC) turns the diverse professional experience of our members — spanning finance, law, technology, healthcare, the arts, and entrepreneurship — into practical opportunities for the community: skills training for those rebuilding their lives, career guidance for the next generation, mentoring for the non-profit sector, and recognition of ethical business excellence. Rotary International designates January as Vocational Service Month, but for our Club it is a year-round commitment.
Our work is guided by The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do:
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
A Legacy of Vocational Service
Vocational service has been woven into our Club’s work for generations. As far back as 1958–59, our members raised funds to build the Singapore After-Care Association hostel at 81 Dunlop Street — a building that still stands today — helping ex-offenders rebuild their lives. That same spirit continues in our present-day partnerships supporting second chances, skills development, and inclusive opportunity across Singapore.
Our Programmes
The Entrepreneur of the Year Award (EYA)
The EYA is our Club’s signature vocational award and Singapore’s longest-standing accolade for entrepreneurial excellence. Inaugurated by the Rotary Club of Singapore in 1989, and co-organised with the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) since 1992, the Award honours local business owners who exemplify enterprise, integrity, and contribution to Singapore’s economy.
Each year, candidates undergo a rigorous judging process before a panel of eminent business leaders, academics, and distinguished individuals drawn from both Rotary and ASME, before the Top Entrepreneurs and Overall Winner are honoured at the EYA Award Presentation Ceremony. For over three decades, the EYA has celebrated the entrepreneurs who shape Singapore’s business landscape — and the values by which they build.
Skills Training for Ex-Offenders — Our First Global Grant in Singapore
Reintegration after prison is one of the hardest journeys anyone can face: financial strain, social stigma, and strained family ties all stand in the way of a fresh start. Since 2021, our Club has partnered with ISCOS — now part of Yellow Ribbon Cares, following its April 2026 merger with the Yellow Ribbon Fund and NeuGen Fund — to remove one very concrete barrier: the prohibitive cost of vocational driving licences.
Under the Skills Assistance Subsidy Scheme (SASS), we subsidise Class 3, 4, and 5 driving licences that open direct pathways to stable, better-paying employment. In 2025, this partnership became the Club’s first Rotary Foundation Global Grant implemented in Singapore, with USD 36,972 committed to expand the programme — funding training for 24 beneficiaries and introducing monthly support group sessions to keep participants on track.
Our Rotarians are personally invested at every stage: sitting on joint selection interviews, attending support group sessions, and mentoring beneficiaries through their journey. The results speak for themselves — half of those who have completed their courses have already secured better-paying jobs or expanded responsibilities at work.
NeuGen Sponsored Tuition & Youth Development Programme
Children from families affected by incarceration face higher risks of academic underperformance and long-term disadvantage. Early, sustained educational support helps break this cycle — and that is exactly what this programme delivers.
Through the NeuGen programme, we sponsor structured tuition and enrichment in English, Mathematics, Science, and creative writing for primary school children from low-income families of reformed offenders. The outcomes have been remarkable: in 2025, 90% of our 10 sponsored students improved academically, 100% maintained or improved their overall performance, and all three PSLE candidates progressed to secondary school — two via the Direct School Admission route.
The programme continues in 2026 with ten students supported, complemented by VSC-led enrichment workshops in mental wellness, public speaking, and the arts, and youth-led initiatives run by our Interactors, including a PSLE Review Programme and a Lego-based Leadership Workshop.
Career-Sharing Seminars with Junior Achievement Singapore
Junior Achievement Singapore (JAS) — part of JA Worldwide, one of the world’s largest non-profits dedicated to youth education and a nominee for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize — educates students in work readiness, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy, with the ambitious goal of reaching 30,000 students by 2030.
Our contribution taps what Rotary does best: real practitioners sharing real careers. Panels of Rotarians speak with secondary and pre-tertiary students about their industries, their journeys, and the realities of working life. Recent seminars have covered Careers in Software Engineering & IT and Careers in Legal Services, each drawing enthusiastic student audiences — and the collaboration continues to grow.
Skills-Based Mentoring with TalentTrust
Singapore’s non-profit sector delivers critical services, but often lacks access to the business expertise that companies take for granted. Through TalentTrust’s Accelerator Project, we assemble teams of Rotarian mentors who work alongside a local non-profit over a 6–7 month engagement — strengthening go-to-market strategy, funding diversification, and long-term organisational capability. It is vocational service in its purest form: professional skills, donated where they multiply.
Artisan of the Year & Inclusive Arts
For over a decade, our Artisan of the Year Award has honoured Singapore’s master craftspeople and kept traditional skills in the public eye. In 2026, this legacy joined forces with ART:DIS — Singapore’s leading organisation empowering artists with disabilities for over 30 years — in “A Legacy of Creativity”, a three-day public exhibition tracing artistic development across generations and mediums. The exhibition created visibility, artwork sales, and sustainable livelihood opportunities for artists with disabilities, and deepened public appreciation of inclusive creative practice.
Vocational Learning for Our Members
Vocational service begins with our own professional lives. Through our Kopi Chat series, members share their vocational journeys and reflect on how the Four-Way Test applies in daily professional practice. Our In Depth series brings expert-led discussions on the world of work — from emerging workforce trends and the rise of the adaptability economy, to corporate social responsibility in South-East Asia, to conversations with Singaporean authors on creative vocations.
Get Involved
Every Rotarian has a vocation worth sharing — and every professional skill can change a life. Whether through mentoring an ex-offender, judging an award, speaking on a career panel, coaching a non-profit, or teaching digital skills, there is a place for your expertise in our vocational service.
To learn more or to volunteer, contact VSC Director RY2026-27 Rtn Ting Yong Ong at ong_ty@live.com.