Championing Retail Workers’ Training

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.

Encouraged By Family To Return To Work

 

Carol had planned on having an early retirement and filling her days with a host of leisure activities. It was her son’s persuasion that made her re-think her plans.

“I had worked for many years at various organisations and I’d even run a food stall at a school previously, so I wanted to wind down and just relax,” she explained. “But, after resting for some time, my son felt I still had many productive years to go and with my vast working experience, he encouraged me to return to the workforce.”

With little computer knowledge and skills then, Carol was initially hesitant about looking for a job. But all that changed when she saw a poster at the South-West Community Development Council (CDC) encouraging people to step out and return to the workforce.

 

Returning to Her Profession After Years Away

In 2000, Priya had moved to Mauritius shortly after marriage, because of her husband’s job. The birth of first her son, and then her daughter three years later, kept her fully occupied, with little energy to consider anything else.

 

It was only when her son turned eight that Priya and her husband decided it was time to return to give their children a better education, even though her future back in Singapore was uncertain.

 

Moving Back Home

“Frankly, I was worried about coming back alone. I knew I definitely needed a job to manage our living expenses. But having been away for 10 years, I didn’t know if I was still relevant and employable,” Priya recounted of her early fears.

 

All Priya could count on then was her training and prior experience as a nurse. To improve her chances, she wrote to most of the hospitals in Singapore while preparing for their return.

Bringing Knowledge From Home to the Workplace

 

Jasmine Lai has been a home maker since she got married, and became a stay-at-home mum to look after her kids. Now, with all her children in school, it did not take Jasmine long to realise she wanted a more meaningful activity in the mornings. “Ever since my youngest son entered primary school, I considered seriously about going back to work. But I was not sure what I could do as I had lost touch with the job market during the 14 years I stayed at home to look after my three sons,” she shared about her early doubts.

The QIANG Way Forward

Stream Peak International, the largest desiccant converter in Singapore, is one of the organisations that has benefited from the "SME Quality Initiatives to Assist, Nurture and Grow" (SME QIANG) programme SME QIANG is a new customised productivity and innovation training programme under Productivity Initiatives in Services & Manufacturing (PRISM) which is a cluster of productivity-related Continuing Education and Training programmes .

Mr Jeffrey Foo, General Manager of Stream Peak International shared, “At first it was difficult to identify the areas for improvement. But after a few workshops with the Singapore Manufacturers’ Federation consultants , where we did project scoping and data collection together, we realised that the underlying problem was two under-utilised high performing machines that we had.“

Implementing New Tools Of The Trade

From daily dealings with machine tools, the general manager of Makino Asia, Simon Yim, took to productivity tools at the workplace for a change. It was a change that was met with marked success.

Makino Asia is a global machine tools manufacturer with fully integrated operations in Singapore, encompassing Research and Development, Manufacturing, Supply Chain Management and Business Development activities under one roof. So, it was of concern when Simon Yim and his team discovered discrepancies between the company’s assembly elapsed hours and the standard hours. He also noticed that at the middle management level, there was a need to improve the knowledge and skills needed to understand, analyse and implement initiatives to improve productivity and quality.

 

Triumphant In Shaping Service Innovation

The only European brand that produces intimate apparel designed and tailored to suit Asian women, Triumph upped its game with the launch of a brand new, innovative shapewear experience in Singapore through a Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) programme under the Productivity Initiatives in Services & Manufacturing (PRISM).

The ‘Shapewear Cocoon’ concept was born when forty-three executives and managers from its Singapore office participated in a 3-day training module on service innovation called ‘WSQ Set Up and Implement Systems and Strategies that Support Service Innovation’.

 

The Esplanade of his dreams

The Esplanade of his dreams

A former porter and also a pizza deliveryman, Firdaus never imagined that one day, he’d be watching kampung huts flying in and out of a musical from a coveted seat not sold at the ticket office.

The staging technician at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay recalls one of his most exciting work experiences, behind the scenes of Laskar Pelangi Musical in September 2011 held as part of Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of the Arts. “There was a real van, water was used as rain effects and a small kampung hut was ‘flown’ in and out during different scenes of the show.”

Book-Smart and Service-Smart

 

Staying competitive and maintaining superior service standards are challenges faced by countless Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). For Loo Ee Fah, General Manager of Pacific Bookstores, he sought to gain a competitive advantage for his business through training and upgrading his staff.  

He explained why a change was needed in order to be in line with Pacific Bookstore’s positioning. “Rather than just being a bookshop operator selling textbooks and stationery in school, we want to position ourselves as a services provider, by providing convenient services for students, parents and schools.” said Ee Fah.

In wanting to transform his sales staff from being “sales-oriented’ to “customer service-oriented”, Ee Fah was convinced that the most critical factor to help his company succeed was to first change the mindset.  

Changing Mindsets : The Way Forward

 

In many manufacturing companies, manpower is often cited as one of the main stumbling blocks to further expansion. Add-Plus Electronic Pte. Ltd, a provider of electronic manufacturing services for printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), is no stranger to such issues.

 

Mr Jimmy Phee, Senior QA Engineer, and Mr Lee Hong Choon,  Production Controller, from Add-Plus’ manufacturing team, who worked on the SME QIANG programme,

“As a SME (Small Medium Enterprise), we need to constantly reduce operation cost and maintain profits to stay in the business,” Mr Johnny Mok, General Manager of Add-Plus explained.

“But at the same time, we face difficulties attracting locals to our company, and we cannot depend too heavily on foreign workers. Our tight labour situation means we cannot expand our business as fast and as much as we would like to.”

Thus when approached by the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) to sign up for the SME QIANG Lean Six Sigma Programme, Mr Mok saw it as an excellent opportunity to upgrade the skill set of his team as well as re-look at the company’s work processes.

 

A Turn for the Better

 

Time for Change

Having spent the earlier part of her working years taking on administrative duties in the travel industry, Wendy Tan came to a point where she started questioning if she could have a more fulfilling career and calling in life.

The 28 year-old recalled facing stacks of paper work each day and doing “profit-oriented” tasks, which ultimately left her feeling drained out and uninspired. “At the end of the day I wondered what have I actually achieved.”

Her desire for job-fulfillment had her re-visiting a childhood ambition. Wendy had always thought highly of nurses and their duties, and even considered injections, removing stitches or drawing blood as ‘cool’ tasks!

From Banking To Blockbusters

 

Growing up, Mohammad Firdaus had always had an ardent fascination for doodling, movies and games. Unable to land a job in the animation industry with his Diploma in Multimedia Computing, he took to the finance sector and stayed there for 5 years.

Little did he expect, that going for an upgrading course with the bank he was working with, would turn into a pivotal moment that reignited his passion for animation.

Realising that his true passion in computer graphics had never left him, his uncle, Mr Affandi Salleh, introduced him to the WSQ website, opening a whole new world of opportunities for him to enter the animation industry.

Mohammad Firdaus

A Second Calling in Nursing

From Housewife to Nursing

It was not until a minor accident that landed Julie Yeo in hospital where she first realized the importance of nursing. This set her thinking about how nurses play a vital role in ensuring that patients receive the best care, and she began to consider going back to the workforce and to look at nursing as a second career.

When she later chanced upon an ITE advertisement for nursing students, she decided to enroll on the encouragement of her husband. Julie was then 38 years of age and had been a homemaker for over ten years.

Childcare matters: the role of an early childhood educator

Unknown to many, there is a lot of thought and rigour that goes into designing curriculum for and nurturing young children. There are also many childcare educators and professionals out there who are keen and ready to make a difference.

One such educator who has joined the early childhood education industry very early in her career, is Nurshahilah Bibi Bte Husin Shah. The 25 year-old chose to enter this field upon completing her studies at the Singapore Institute of Management. She had a business degree and had planned for a career in a related field. However, other options soon became available.

“When I graduated, the career options available included jobs in the finance industry. But I didn’t rule out a career in teaching, if the opportunity arose,” says Nurshahilah.

An Eye for Visual Merchandising

For Willie Teoh, design has always been a focal point of his life. Starting with a Multimedia and Animation course when he was in his teens, the 24-year-old is now studying at First Media Design School for an Advanced Diploma in Visual Communications, majoring in Graphic Design.

He confesses that his world is ruled by the “3-Ds”, namely “Design, Dance, and DJ-ing” and it is through these interests and activities that he discovers his identity. Willie enjoys trying new things and adopts a “if you never try, you’ll never know” attitude towards life.

Foray into Visual Merchandising

In August this year, upon hearing about a three-day, fully subsidised Visual Merchandising Course organised by the Textile and Fashion Industry Training Centre (TaF.tc) and the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS), Willie was immediately keen.

The course that Willie attended was the "Develop and Implement Creative Concepts for Visual Merchandising" module. It is one of seven Visual Merchandising Modules under WDA's Retail WSQ framework set up to ensure a trained pool of Visual Merchandisers ready to meet industry demand.

Transforming Fine Arts Skills Into Digital Virtuosity

Art has always been Yeo Qing Cong’s first love. As a young boy, he had dreamt of being a painter and had looked forward to selling his works of art after graduating from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

The necessities of survival however, brought him to the gym as a personal trainer, the classroom as a children’s art teacher and even to the casino as a dealer – until he stumbled upon the WSQ Diploma in Animation from the 3dsense Media School.

Trading work experience for formal qualifications

Sng Choon Kok first joined Regent Singapore (formerly known as the Pavilion Intercontinental Singapore) sometime in 1982 as a security officer. Today, he is now the hotel’s Director of Security responsible for the safety and security of all the guests and employees of the hotel as well as its physical assets.

Besides day-to-day security issues, his work also includes strategy planning for the hotel’s strategic security needs, where he designs and implements safety and security programmes, policies and procedures that have to be adhered to by all staff members, from the board of management down to the ground crew.

“My team and I face new challenges every day and we have to be quick to adapt,” explained Choon Kok. “With security threats evolving all the time, we have to constantly update ourselves with the latest technologies and news. And we have to stay ahead with effective preventive and crisis management strategies.”

Turning A Moment of Chance Into A Jem

Early in 2012, Gillian Shen was devastated when she failed to get a place in one of the local universities after graduating from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a Diploma with Merit in Mass Communication. It was the lowest point in her life, but it was also a catalyst for an undiscovered and exciting path.

Around the same time, Gillian had signed up for ‘Project Jem’, a nationwide uniform design competition by an upcoming mall in Jurong. In preparation for the competition, she attended the WSQ Develop Design Collection course by the Textile and Fashion Industry Training Centre.

“I really wanted to go for the course because I wouldn’t have known how to start working on my design entry. I didn’t even know what certain terms in the competition brief meant.” she said. “I called the Jem management and was told that the class was already full. But they assured me they would try to get me a place, and thankfully, I did get one.”

Helping Women Look & Feel Beautiful

Her passion is to help her customers look and feel beautiful. Meet Christina Goh, a lingerie specialist with over 10 years of experience in dressing ladies with the best intimate apparel.

As a Senior Sales Supervisor with international lingerie retailer Triumph, Christina sets herself a tall order whenever she is at the service frontline – how to help every lady she serves look her best.

Leading the Way in Developing Creative Talent

Samuel Seow likes to joke that he was born with arts in his blood. In his youth, he always dreamt of a career in the arts. While at Victoria Junior College, he took Theatre Studies and Drama in his ‘A’ Levels. But when a legal career beckoned, he decided to merge his passion with his profession.

As a lawyer specialising in intellectual property law, general commercial and corporate law, Samuel is well-recognised in the entertainment, arts and media sectors. He represents a wide range of individuals and businesses in the film, television, music, theatre, media and related industries, both in Singapore and in the region.

“For many of my clients, they would generally not enter into written agreements with anyone, whether a member of the cast and crew, or a service provider,” Samuel shared.