Ehalaivan Subramaniam
NTUC Scholarship
Now: Serving Full Time National Service
From: Raffles Institution
Why I Chose NTUC as a Scholar
I did not begin by looking for a scholarship. I began by looking for a place where the work would matter.
When I was in primary school, my father our family’s sole breadwinner left his job as an IT manager because the working environment had become unhealthy and unsustainable. What followed were years of financial uncertainty. He struggled to re-enter the workforce; his skills no longer matched what employers were hiring for, and being mid-career made it harder to get another opportunity.
As finances tightened, daily life quietly changed. You learn to stop asking for things. You think twice before spending. Even school felt uncertain at times. There were periods when school fees became a real concern rather than a background detail. When you are counting every dollar, education stops feeling guaranteed and starts feeling fragile.
I also learned that a job is not only income — it is identity and dignity. When it is lost, a lot goes with it.
The night I understood what persistence looks like
One memory has stayed with me. Late at night, my father would sit at the dining table with his laptop open, replaying lesson videos until he understood them. When I asked why he was pushing himself so hard, he simply said, “I cannot afford to be outdated.”
He was trying to rebuild stability, one lesson at a time.
During that period, NTUC staff guided him on training pathways and programmes. It was steady support helping him understand his options, continue upgrading, and stay hopeful when returning to work felt uncertain. With persistence and direction, he eventually found stable employment again.
That experience shaped my belief that when workers face disruption, the challenge is not only financial. It is also confidence, access, and a pathway back.
Why NTUC stood out
This was why NTUC stood out to me. I was not looking for a brand name but a place where I could contribute to solving the problems I had seen at home.
I saw how support, training opportunities and guidance could make the difference between someone giving up and someone finding their footing again. NTUC’s efforts to help workers stay employable, improve their livelihoods, and work constructively with employers showed me how meaningful change happens in practical ways.
What the NTUC Scholarship enables
The NTUC Scholarship offers the opportunity to learn the labour movement from within. Through rotations across different parts of the NTUC ecosystem, I hope to better understand how worker concerns are identified and translated into solutions that make a real difference to working people.
In every rotation, I will remember the kind of worker my father was then: mid-career, trying to stay relevant and regain his footing. If the work I do helps even one worker return to stability sooner, it will also help a family feel secure again.
Advocating through law
I intend to pursue law for my undergraduate studies because it will strengthen how I advocate within the labour movement. This work requires balancing interests, representing workers fairly, and engaging employers constructively. Legal training will sharpen my reasoning, discipline my thinking, and equip me to negotiate outcomes that are both fair and sustainable, especially for workers who may be less confident in speaking up for themselves.
The outcome I want
Giving back does not always need to be grand. Sometimes it means doing meaningful work consistently and doing it well, because workers do not get to opt out of the consequences when systems fail.
NTUC was part of how my family found stability again, and it shaped what I believe good support looks like. As an NTUC scholar, I hope to contribute to that same support system, helping workers stay employed, stay respected, and stay hopeful.
If my journey can help another worker come through disruption stronger, and another family feel secure again, then this path is worth it.