YOUNG NTUC, the youth wing of the National Trades Union Congress, yesterday organised a job fair for nearly 800 graduating university students at NTUC Centre.

More than 6,000 jobs were offered by 28 organisations, including Marina Bay Sands and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).

Almost all of the positions are full-time and more than half are in the private sector.

Speaking at the fair, NTUC assistant secretary-general Josephine Teo acknowledged that 'graduates may take a longer time to find a suitable job'.

Still, she said, the fair could help link them with 'organisations that have something to offer, whether it is a job, an internship, attachment or even a volunteer position'.

'The key is to help graduates who are keen to get started build up their resumes and minimise the time they wait around with nothing to do,' she said.

Young NTUC will organise three networking sessions later this year to help graduates meet prospective employers and gain industry insights.

These sessions will focus on specific sectors, to be decided based on feedback from students and participating organisations.

Young NTUC has also launched Ask U, an online employment advisory service for students.

Through Ask U - which is free to all undergraduates at local universities and will remain available until one year after graduation - students can ask NTUC staff employment-related questions.

This article was first published in The Business Times.