Over 280 students, educators and industry leaders gathered for the SMU Co-Curricular Symposium 2025 on 15 April 2025, which also marked a transformative shift in how universities can prepare students for a skills-first economy.
Themed “Nurturing Holistic and Career-Ready Scholars”, the event was held at the Mochtar Riady Auditorium, and set the stage for the official rollout of two landmark initiatives – the Co-Curricular Transcript (CCT) and Lifelong Career Support for Alumni.
Audience applauding after the panel discussion on “Nurturing Future-Ready Learners,” in recognition of the thought-provoking insights shared by panelists from education, industry, and government.
Showcasing development outside of academia
At the event, SMU announced that the graduating Class of 2025 will be the first cohort in Singapore to receive the CCT, a groundbreaking initiative launched in 2023. The CCT is a formal record that documents each student’s growth in leadership roles, service, internships, as well as student life.
The CCT will complement academic transcripts and is underpinned by the Integrated Co-Curricular Management System (ICMS), an online platform on which SMU students can keep track of their reflections, receive mentor feedback and earn digital badges that are mapped to SMU’s Graduate Learning Outcomes.
The transcript will break student development down into three progressive levels: Exposure, Integration and Transformation. Each of these levels highlight the extent to which a student has applied their skills to real-world settings, which will act as a key differentiator in an increasingly competitive job market.
“The CCT represents the next step in a long-standing commitment to holistic education,” said SMU Provost Professor Alan Chan.
Professor Alan Chan, Provost of SMU, speaking at the Symposium about the Co-Curricular Transcript as the university’s latest step in its ongoing mission to deliver holistic, future-ready education.
“It gives students a language to articulate their development, and a structured way to stand out in a world where skills, not just scores, increasingly matter.”
Providing a better understanding of our strengths and how they contribute to society
Commenting on the Co-Curricular Transcript, Guest-of-Honour Minister for Education Mr Chan Chun Sing said: “In its rightful spirit, [this] is for our people to better understand our strengths and weaknesses … It is about finding and understanding ourselves and using what we have to make a meaningful contribution.”
He went on to outline 4Cs – Curiosity, Connection, Creation, and Contribution – essential attributes that he hopes to see in our students as they navigate an evolving world.
He encouraged students to remain curious, build meaningful relationships, create new value propositions and make positive contributions to society, reiterating the need for deeper, values-driven development beyond traditional metrics.
Building career resilience for SMU alumni
SMU also announced the Lifelong Career Support for all degree holders, undergraduate and postgraduate, regardless of their graduation year, which was subsequently officially launched on 1 May 2025. This initiative positions SMU as the first university in Singapore to institutionalise structured career services for qualifying graduates [1] at any stage of their life in a time when career transitions are becoming the norm.
The programme is run by SMU’s Dato’ Kho Hui Meng Career Centre and SMU alumni — whether fresh graduates or mid-career professionals — will enjoy annual career coaching by certified coaches, access to SMU’s exclusive Alumni Job Board, opportunities to join industry networking events and mentorship programmes, and be provided with ongoing insights on career transitions and upskilling pathways.
Nathaniel Tan, an SMU Master of Science in Applied Finance graduate, credits SMU’s career support for helping him break into the finance sector, saying: “SMU’s personalised coaching, hands-on workshops, and strong industry connections gave me the confidence and skills to make the shift.
“Even as an alumnus, I continue to benefit from their advice and resources. This commitment to lifelong career support is invaluable for any graduate looking to grow in their career.”
Rich discussions on the importance of skills for future-ready learners
The event also featured a rich panel discussion on “Nurturing Future-Ready Learners”. Professor Alan Chan moderated the panel comprising Elsie Ng, Head of Talent Development for LinkedIn, Singapore; Dr Michael Preston, Associate Vice President for Student Success, Texas State University; and Nicholas Nash, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Asia Partners.
Earlier that same day, Co-Curricular Symposium participants could choose from two interactive masterclasses.
The first, “From Experiential to Transformative: Assessing & Documenting Learning from Co-Curricular & Student Employment Experiences”, was led by Dr Michael Preston and Alvin Sim from SMU’s Co-Curriculum Development team. They walked educators through case studies and approaches that allow student engagement in co-curricular and student employment activities to be meaningfully measured and documented.
The second, “Curating Impactful Co-Curricular and Community Service Experiences for Transformative Holistic Student Development and Career Readiness”, by the SMU Centre for Social Responsibility and Office of Student Life, focused on sharing practical tools to design impactful beyond-the-classroom programmes that empower students to develop essential career and life skills. Both sessions were well received.
The Symposium also spotlighted SMU’s design thinking journey that led to the CCT’s development, rooted in empathy-driven research involving students, educators, and employers. This process helped surface a common gap: critical core skills, though highly valued, remained largely invisible on traditional academic transcripts.
With the Co-Curricular Transcript and Lifelong Career Support, SMU is not just responding to the needs of today — it is shaping the roadmap for what a future-ready university must look like.
See also: Empowering Career-Ready Graduates | SMU Newsroom
- Not applicable to exchange students and participants of SMU-Academy and Executive Development programmes, and all other honorary and associate alumni.
