What has KidZania Singapore, an indoor play facility for children, and Edwards Lifesciences, a company which produces highly advanced heart valves, got to do with NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute)?
They are just two examples cited by NTUC’s Secretary-General (SG) Ng Chee Meng to show how e2i works with sectors across Singapore to help improve the productivity of companies and the employability of workers.
SG Ng was speaking at e2i’s 10th anniversary celebrations on 27 July 2018.
Among those present were former SG Lim Swee Say who was instrumental for the start of e2i at the height of the 2008/2009 global financial crisis.
e2i’s previous CEOs, including current Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, also joined in the celebrations.
Forging Ahead
SG Ng noted that when e2i started, it was a small team which was short on manpower and resources.
“The team dreamt big, for the simple reason that they saw their mission to help our workers as an important one. They did not dream alone either. Our NTUC family dreamt together with them,” he added.
To date, e2i has worked with over 5,500 partners across 50 sectors and impacted more than 675,000 workers through placement, training and productivity solutions.
Working with Companies
(Caption: SG Ng with the team from KidZania Singapore)
e2i worked with KidZania Singapore to implement customised productivity solutions with the use of technology. The objective was to improve operation efficiency and help staff with time consuming daily tasks.
To maintain the quality of guest experience, the company also worked with e2i on a Place-and-Train programme to help staff understand the attraction’s unique concept and offerings. This was done by equipping the staff with the necessary skills to interact with kids.
(Caption: SG Ng meets Mr Rainer Wolf (in blue jacket), Vice President of Edwards Lifesciences)
e2i also assisted Edwards Lifesciences on Place-and-Train and Professional Development programmes.
Over 200 workers have benefitted from the initiatives.
e2i’s Chief Executive Officer Gilbert Tan said: “10 years is an important milestone for e2i. Our agility in creating workforce solutions allows us to understand businesses’ needs and in turn help them to increase their competitiveness to succeed in the rapidly changing market dynamics,”
He added that they are also able to address the employment and employability needs of our Singapore workforce and connect them to better skills and better jobs.
Moving forward, SG Ng urged the tripartite partners to come together to refresh, strengthen and expand the partnership with e2i so as to keep the workforce ready for the future.
