The National University of Singapore (NUS) has launched a new career planning app – NUS Career+. It operates on a ‘Begin with the end in mind’ ethos. With the help of the AI powered app, students will be able to plan modules which will help them land their dream jobs after graduation. Currently, the app is being tried among 2800 undergraduate students from the NUS School of Computing.
Apt App
Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data form the backbone for this app. The Career Recommendation & Planning Engine (CRePE) collects, analyses and provides useful insights. CRePE is jointly developed by the NUS Department of Computer Science and JobTech. The AI engine is backed by the 100 Experiments initiative by AI Singapore. Additional funding is also provided by NUS as part of the university’s education planning and career advisory program. It will complement the existing NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates. The Centre provides career advice, resources and services to existing students.
NUS Senior Deputy President and Provost, Professor Ho Teck Hua, is certain that the app will help prepare students for the future. He said, “At NUS, students are at the centre of everything we do. We want to help our students pursue their dream careers, and we want them to make smart choices along the way. To do this, education and career planning must go hand in hand. NUS career+ is a unique tool that leverages artificial intelligence and big data to help our student align their learning journeys with their career aspirations. The goal is for every student to acquire highly coveted skills that would give an advantage in getting a dream job upon graduation.”
Turning Dreams into Reality
Following the download of the NUS career+ app and user authentication, relevant data will be extracted and analysed. Information will be pulled from a student’s academic record and an individualised skills profile will be drawn up. Students will then choose three possible career domains based on their interests. The domains are pre-generated and change together with the demands of the labour market.
Once this has been set up, the app will inform students how close they are to achieving their dream. The ‘Career Readiness’ progress bar acts as that visual indicator. Whenever a student acts on that information to perhaps take courses or activities in and out of university, this information can be plugged onto the app. These patch a good picture of reality.
iOS and Android users can benefit from the app.
Students will receive actionable career and academic advice based on real-time data insights curated by the app.
Firstly, the app informs students about possible job opportunities they can explore with the academic qualifications they are pursuing.
Secondly, NUS students can choose modules which are in demand by the profession they aspire to take up.
Thirdly, students are alerted of job opportunities which match their skillsets during their time at university.
Career Planning Tool for University Students
There are plans to extend the app’s services to other faculties and schools in NUS. Down the road, this will soon include NUS alumni who pursue Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses at NUS.
Apart from getting more on board with the app, developers will roll out a more advanced version. Under this version, the app will be able to create a skills-based resume tailored for individual students and unique job applications.