A One-Stop Initiative targeted at women professionals, managers and executives
23 April 2009
Media Release
1 As part of the Labour Movement’s strategic move to Upturn the Downturn, the NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat (WDS) has announced its efforts early this year to help more women back to work and ensure their contribution to the workforce is sustainable in this global economic recession.
2 The Back2Work with U (B2W) Programme is an initiative by NTUC WDS to increase the employment rate for economically inactive women who have contemplated on returning to the workforce as well as to decrease the unemployment rate of women who have experienced recent job loss to quickly land themselves with another job.
3 To help more women Professional, Managers and Executives (PMEs), NTUC WDS has partnered with HR executive search firm, PeopleSearch, to better provide a holistic and progressive approach to Guide, Train, Coach and Place these women. WDS aims to put 150 women through this programme in 2009.
One-stop initiative
Supported by the holistic and progressive approach
Guide
4 Under Guide, women PMEs will be invited to Cuppa Connexion, a monthly session facilitated by PeopleSearch that allows women job seekers to be updated on latest trends observed in the industry and advised on the list of training and re-skilling options offered to them. They will also be guided on managing their expectations, and the need for adapting and re-inventing themselves in these tough economic times.
5 Three Cuppa Connexion sessions were held in the first quarter of 2009 which saw 67 women taking part.
Train
6 In the next phase, Train, these women PMEs will be taken through a series of modules such as Image Management, CV and Cover Letter writing, Interviewing Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Influencing Skills and Self-Marketing.
7 A two-day Lifeskills Coaching Workshop was conducted on 23 and 24 April 2009. About 30 women participated in the two-day Lifeskills Coaching Workshop conducted by PeopleSearch and Mdm Halimah Yacob, Deputy-Secretary General, NTUC and Director, NTUC WDS, dropped in at the workshop on the first day (23 April) to address the class.
Coach
8 To further value-add to the relationship, these participants can look forward to a one-to-one advisory service in terms of resume writing and career coaching services, in relation to their previous industry experience.
Place
9 After having gone through the different phases, these women PMEs will be job matched to suitable vacancies by PeopleSearch should there be immediate placement vacancies. If there are no suitable job vacancies, these women PMEs will be invited to another Cuppa Connexion session to network with potential employers.
Conclusion
10 Despite the bleak economic outlook, NTUC WDS is exploring possibilities of working with NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and the Community Development Centres (CDCs) to extend this initiative to their women PMEs. Focused on helping women PMEs remain employable, NTUC WDS is stepping up its efforts, more than ever, to reach out to this targeted group.
Mdm Halimah Yacob
Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC
Director, NTUC Women’s Development Secretariat
