Mavis enjoys her job immensely and she has never once doubted her decision to join the Retail Team in the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA).
“I joined WDA as a fresh graduate from the Nanyang Business School (NBS). ‘Training and development’ has always been one of the areas I'm interested in, so what could be more meaningful than championing the development of Singapore's workforce through continuing education and training!” she quipped with a grin.
At The Frontline
Since the start of her career in WDA, Mavis has been with the Healthcare, Retail and Business Services Division, which looks into matters pertaining to workforce development in the Healthcare, Community and Social Services, Landscape, Environmental Cleaning, Security, Floristry and Retail industries.
As a frontline officer in her Division’s Retail Team, Mavis’ work puts her in frequent contact with partners and retailers in various trades.
“In Singapore, we are faced with a very dynamic retail environment that is constantly evolving. And with rapid advancement of technology and globalisation, the shelf life of knowledge is becoming shorter,” she said, explaining the need for retail training.
Her team thus works closely with industry partners to articulate training requirements and enhance standards so as to support sustainable and productivity-driven growth in the retail industry. They also develop programmes to help workers strengthen their occupational and operational skills, as well as deepen specialised skills so that they can become experts in their field.
In addition to that, the retail team regularly engages retailers, which range from MNCs to micro-SMEs, to understand industry trends and jointly assess the training needs and skills gaps in their companies. Through these, they aim to convey the importance of continuous learning so that retail workers can remain relevant and productive.
“By identifying skills gaps, we hope to empower retail workers with the required knowledge and skills, and update them with the latest know-how so that our retail workforce can move up the value chain as a whole, and be a ‘magnet’ to attract more talents into the retail industry.”
Most Memorable Experiences
Of the many projects she has been involved in, Mavis remembers two where she had to stretch her creativity and think out of the box.
“When we first wanted to strengthen the presence of retail training in the heartlands, we had to explore non-conventional methods as heartland retailers run their businesses very differently from the bigger retailers,” she recalled.
“After much brain-storming, we decided to use ‘Getais’ (live stage performance held during the Hungry Ghosts Festival) and neighbourhood Chinese New Year celebrations as our platforms. We then came up with entertaining skits and songs, with training messages incorporated within to convey our messages. This really put my rusty Chinese to the test as I had to develop scripts and messages entirely in Mandarin, and give presentations to Chinese-speaking merchants as well.”
In another project for heartland retailers, she and her teammates had to explore ways to make training more accessible and convenient for them. Working together with the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS), they rolled out a novel training scheme called ‘Enhanced On-the-Job Training’ whereby a large proportion of training hours are spent at the workers’ shop premises. These trainees are then able to receive training and immediate feedback based on actual on-site interactions with real customers.
“These two projects really left a very deep impression on me as I experienced first-hand how mindsets about training can be changed and how training can be tailored, even for the most challenging circumstances. And at the end of it, it was comforting and great to know what I’ve done has an impact on workers’ lives,” she shared.
The Best and Most Difficult Parts of Her Job
Mavis credits her exposure at the frontline for making her work exciting and interesting. Though WDA is a government agency with its own protocol, she likes the fact that there is still room for developing innovative ideas and solutions, especially in response to critical issues.
On the other end of the job spectrum, she finds it challenging at times to deal with differences in opinions and ideas.
“In negotiations with other parties, sometimes there are lines we can't cross, or areas we can’t compromise on. I am still learning how to analyse such circumstances before attempting a win-win situation for everyone,” she explained while recalling the difficult moments.
Coping With Demands
Given the dynamic demands on the frontline which may vary with each party she meets, Mavis feels that a positive mindset is a must for her job.
“WDA officers face challenges which are present in almost every industry and being positive will influence how matters are handled. At the same time, being able to step back and see any situation in a holistic manner may open doors to better outcomes.
And because WDA stands by an arduous mission, having a resilient and positive mindset will enable us to champion lifelong learning for the Singapore’s workforce more effectively.”
For more information on WDA Singapore, click here.
Please visit WDA Facebook to leave your suggestion.