Students need more than three to six months of internship to master a dish, Cornelius Tan, a founding member of Hawkers of Food Centers, said of Singapore’s new hawker training programme.
The placements aim to give students experience before they decide whether to pursue the trade. Apprenticeships after graduation could then help them move from school into running a stall.
Tan discussed the initiative in a CNA interview published on Nov. 11. The programme brings together his organisation, the Institute of Technical Education and Temasek Polytechnic under a three-year agreement, with a planned start in April 2027.
Students will learn to prepare food and run stalls with guidance from experienced hawkers, the stallholders who cook and sell food in Singapore’s food centres. Participating hawkers will pay interns an allowance.
“We felt that for students or graduates coming into the hawker trade they will need support,” Tan said. The aim is to provide a clearer route into the business and give parents greater confidence in their children’s choice.
The initial exposure would help students understand the work and culture, even if they were not ready to open a stall. Tan said that experience could prepare them to enter the trade later if they developed the passion to do so.
New graduates can struggle with basic operating decisions, including what to do after opening their shutters, how much food to prepare and how many customers to expect. Experienced hawkers could teach routines that newcomers could adapt.
Tan said he was willing to take an intern and that a group of other hawkers wanted to participate. The partners still needed to work through the requirements and what the placements would deliver.
Asked about a longer-term path into the trade, Tan described the work as a combination of business and community relationships. “It’s not just about business. It is also about community,” he said.
He described cooking as practical work that depends on hands-on skills. Students would have both teachers and hawkers to guide them while they gained experience and decided whether they enjoyed the work.
Young entrants also need enough income to cover mortgages and household expenses. Tan said he advised them to offer food at prices ranging from budget to premium, giving customers choices while helping stallholders earn a living.
Mentoring would also cover business practices intended to help newcomers avoid mistakes. Tan described support continuing until young hawkers reached a stage where they could run the business themselves.
His practical advice was to stay adaptable, keep going through difficulties and maintain discipline. He said hawkers had to balance looking after their businesses with serving their communities, and that people would support those efforts.
