1 The Education Services Union (ESU) launched a new community for adult educators, professional trainers and lecturers today to represent and champion their interests at the industry level. The new community, known as the Professional Adult Educators’ Community (PAC), was introduced at its inaugural event – the Social Media Networking Night – held at the NTUC Centre this evening. Mr Zainudin Nordin, Executive Secretary, ESU and an adult educator by vocation himself was the distinguished guest for the event.
2 PAC is the second professional community spearheaded by ESU and is supported by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute). It intends to reach out to over 11,000-strong – and growing – base of adult educators in Singapore and be their unifying voice.
3 The new community will also work closely with relevant agencies and associations to promote professional development of adult educators – including those who freelance or are in-employment – and enhance their employability within the dynamic training environment. PAC members who hold union membership can tap on funding support for workshops or talks conducted by best-in-class practitioners. In addition, it will organise activities, events or courses focusing on the specific needs of adult educators in the areas of work, live, learn and play.
4 On the need to be a voice for adult educators, Mr Zainudin Nordin, ES, ESU, said, “Since ESU’s formation in 2006, we noticed that while there are adult educators who are directly employed by education institutions, there are many more that have chosen to be self-employed or to freelance. This means that a large number of adult educators are vulnerable to economic uncertainties which translate to fluctuating job openings and compromised financial situation at times. It is therefore timely for the Labour Movement to form a dedicated community to represent and champion the collective working interests of this group of professionals.”
5 Apart from these roles, PAC aspires to provide a platform for like-minded adult educators to be updated and engaged in issues of concern to the profession. PAC-organised events will also incorporate opportunities for them to network with industry peers and prospective employers – offering them new windows of opportunities to build their personal brand name, widen their outreach and grow their business base.
6 PAC’s inaugural event, the Social Media Networking Night, is a case in point. The event offered adult educators a valuable chance to learn from two social media experts on how they could leverage social media to build their business brand – an important know-how for adult educators keen to stand out in the competitive education industry. They also had the opportunity to interact with fellow educators and hiring managers from leading private education institutions.
7 The Social Media Networking Night is the first of a series of dedicated events for adult educators, which PAC will be rolling out – either on its own or in partnership with other agencies and associations. Mr Salleh Japar, Vice-Chairperson, PAC, said: “These activities, developed in close consultation with our adult educator members, aims to enhance the professional development of adult educators and, in turn, boost their employability and personal brand. These activities will regularly include networking opportunities for our members to learn from and share their knowledge with one another.”
8 As a new professional community for working people in the training profession, PAC will strive to build on the Labour Movement’s value proposition and add value to adult educators through a holistic suite of work, live, learn and play benefits and privileges offered – specially put together with the unique needs of adult educators in mind and at heart.
