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.

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.

From cleaning lady to childcare centre assistant

Ms Ang Chin Choo used to clean her sister's Japanese pub every weekend.  Before this, she was helping out at a sushi stall in a shopping mall near her home.  She could not take on a full-time job as her children were still young and she had to take care of them when they came back from school.  Her husband was also not supportive of her going out to work as she had her hands full with house work.  “He looked forward to warm, home-cooked meals when he came home from work,” quipped Ms Ang.

Upgrading with Workfare-Skill Up programme

The situation changed when her children were old enough to take care of themselves.  Her eldest child has just graduated from university while her youngest child has just enrolled in the polytechnic.  Her brother who knew about the Workfare–Skill Up programme encouraged her to upgrade herself.  When Ms Ang first approached course consultant Marilyn Tay at NorthEast CDC, she did not know what courses to take as she had no concrete plans for the future.  The latter was very encouraging and advised her to register for some basic courses first before choosing a career path.