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.