About Work Attachment (WA)

Work Attachment (WA) is an experiential learning opportunity for students to improve their employability and employment preparation through a supervised work placement with a Host Organisation (HO) in Singapore or abroad as part of the graduation requirement.

It is a mandatory graduation requirement for all full-time undergraduate students. All job scopes to WA must be approved by SUSS before students accept the respective offers from HOs.

For more information, you may click here to download the Professional Readiness Experience Guidelines Infographic and here for the detailed document.

Difference between Work Attachment and Internships

Aspect	Work Attachment	Internship
Pre-requisite	Students will need to fulfil academic and non-academic pre-requisite before embarking on Work Attachment.	NA
Requirement	Mandatory for all full-time students as part of graduation requirement.	It is not a graduation requirement.
Purpose	Helps students to make connections between academic studies and realities & requirements of the working world.	Full-time, part-time, or temporary work that students can choose to do to gather work experience, acquire work-related skills, earn money and build connections.
Placement	Supervised work placement with a Host Organisation (HO) in Singapore or overseas.	Self-managed by students.
Timeline	Students are advised to apply 6 to 9 months ahead of planned WA start date. The duration of WA should be at least 24 weeks (12 weeks for ECE programme). You may use the WA Calculator to track the duration.	Self-managed by students. The duration of internship is variable depending on student's choice.
Evaluation	Students' performance will be evaluated based on the feedback from the direct supervisor in the HO and from the WA Mentor, as well as on the submission and quality of the WA assignments.	NA
Approved Companies	SUSS' approved corporate partners (through SUSS Career Portal). For companies that are independently sourced by students, the job description and the company must be approved by SUSS (local companies must be registered with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) and companies abroad must be a business entity that has been registered with the relevant equivalent local authority).	NA
CPF Contribution	Local SUSS students are exempted from making CPF contributions and SDL.	Local SUSS students are exempted from making CPF contributions and SDL.

Different Pathways to Fulfill Work Attachment

Local Work Attachment / Internships

Overseas Work Attachment / Internships

Entrepreneurial Work Attachment

Interdisciplinary Work Attachment

Learning Objectives

Students can click on the links below to gain a better understanding of the Work Attachment (WA) Learning Objectives (LO) for the respective programmes.

These will provide guidance for students to check back if a particular Job Description meets the LO for their self-sourced WA.

Should you have any enquiries, please email Career Development (CD) at [email protected].

Embarking on Work Attachment soon? Check this out!

Work Attachment Information Guide

Application Process
Pre-WA
During WA
Post WA

Learn More

International Students

All DP holders enrolled in a full-time programme in SUSS will be eligible for a MOM Letter of Consent (LOC) for internships that are part of course requirements. These LOCs will need to be applied by SUSS, instead of employers.

Pass Type	With Effect From 1 May 2021
DP	Work Requires a work pass (e.g. EP, S Pass, Work Permit, TEP, TWP) instead of MOM LOC Employers to apply for work pass, and each work pass is job-stint specific Alternatively, student DP holders can switch to STP for which no work pass is needed for any work, subject to cap on number of hours during term time, if it is not part of course requirement. Intern Similar to work, for internships that are not part of course requirements, work pass is required instead of MOM LOC (Exception) For internships that are part of course requirements, MOM will continue to provide a MOM LOC.
STP	Intern / Work (no change with effect from 1 May 2021) No work pass needed and no need to notify MOM for any work, including internships that are part of course and beyond course requirements. Up to 16 hours a week during school term for any work that does not contribute to graduation requirements, no limit otherwise.

Pass Type

With Effect From 1 May 2021

Work

Requires a work pass (e.g. EP, S Pass, Work Permit, TEP, TWP) instead of MOM LOC
Employers to apply for work pass, and each work pass is job-stint specific

Alternatively, student DP holders can switch to STP for which no work pass is needed for any work, subject to cap on number of hours during term time, if it is not part of course requirement.

Intern

Similar to work, for internships that are not part of course requirements, work pass is required instead of MOM LOC

(Exception) For internships that are part of course requirements, MOM will continue to provide a MOM LOC.

STP

Intern / Work (no change with effect from 1 May 2021)

No work pass needed and no need to notify MOM for any work, including internships that are part of course and beyond course requirements.
Up to 16 hours a week during school term for any work that does not contribute to graduation requirements, no limit otherwise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When do students do their Work Attachments (WA)?

A: Students typically commence WA from their second year of studies.

Q: What is WA?

A: WA is a signature programme of the SUSS undergraduate curriculum, where students perform a minimum 24-week (except ECE students where they perform 12 weeks of WA) of Work Attachment at Industry Partners' Organisation (Host Organisation) during their second or third year of studies, in either the Summer or Winter windows.

Q: When is the WA period?

A: There are two windows where students can perform their WA; generally from May to the following January and November to the following July. The upcoming WA windows are:

Duration	Start Period	End Period	Student Majors	Year of Studies
Summer WA: 6 months (minimum)	Beginning May	Mid Jan	BA, FIN, HRM, ICT, MKT, PSS, SCM	2nd, 3rd
Winter WA: 6 months (minimum)	End Nov	End Jul	BA, FIN, HRM, ICT, MKT, PSS, SCM	2nd, 3rd

Q: When do Accounting Students perform their WA?

A: From September to following July (Single window).

Q: Is CPF contribution required?

A: With effect from 1 January 2018, organisations which host students, who are Singaporeans/PRs on WA and internships approved by SUSS Office of Career Development are exempted from making contributions to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) and Skills Development Levy (SDL).

Q: Does host organisation need to purchase insurance for students on WA/internship?

A: Students are covered by SUSS's existing insurance scheme (see Student Insurance Scheme). The host organisation may provide further coverage for the student, or where it is an OWA and/or travelling is required during the WA.

Q: Does host organisation need to purchase insurance for students on Overseas WA/internship?

A: SUSS partners with International SOS ("ISOS") for the provision of, inter alia, emergency medical and repatriation services for SUSS students who are on overseas study missions or programmes, hence students on OWA should only purchase ISOS-supported travel insurance cover.

Q: Can students perform a shorter WA with HO?

A: Yes. Students have the option to do a 'Stack-up' WA which must be a minimum of 8 weeks per Stack-up. Alternatively, students can opt for an Internship with the company of any duration.

Q: Can students perform a longer WA with HO?

A: Yes. Students have the option to do a longer WA as long as it does not affect their school curriculum.

Q: Is there a standard number of Annual Leaves students are entitled to?

A: As per MOM Guidelines: "For internships that Students undergo as part of their academic course requirements in schools, they will typically not be subjected to the legal provisions in the EA and WICA". Hence, this is up to host organisation's discretion.

Q: Is there a standard remuneration for students?

A: We leave this up to the company's discretion, following the competitive market practice.

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