Holistic approach to helping more women get back to work
25 August 2007
Media Release
1. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has been working with the tripartite partners to help more women, especially those aged between 55 to 64 years, return to the workforce. From January to June this year, NTUC has successfully placed 211 women in various jobs. In recognising the importance of women’s contributions to Singapore’s economy, the Women Back To Work Working Committee initiated by NTUC Women’s Committee has been elevated to a national workgroup – Tripartite Workgroup on Enhancing Employment Choices for Women – under the Tripartite Committee on the Employability of Older Workers.
2. And in a continuous effort to draw more women back to the workforce and to encourage employers to employ more women, NTUC Women’s Committee and PAP’s Women Wing have jointly organised the “Getting Women Back To Work Seminar” this morning, to help them understand how they can play a part in raising the employment rate for women. The seminar forms part of NTUC’s “Back To Work” initiatives, which is driven by NTUC Women’s Committee, to provide a holistic approach in helping women return to and stay in the workforce after having been out of it for a considerable period of time.
3. Both NTUC Women’s Committee and PAP’s Women Wing understand that some women leave their careers half-way to start a family, only to want to return to the workforce years later. Additionally, there are others who may not have sufficient savings for current expenses and future retirement and healthcare needs, and thus, wish to work again or longer. However, these women often faced difficulties in finding employment as they may lack the relevant skills and confidence to start over again. Thus, the NTUC Women’s Committee recognises the need to have a holistic approach in helping women return to and stay in the workforce.
4. The holistic approach seeks to address concerns of women on job preparation, training, placement, mentorship and retention through various NTUC programmes and schemes, such as the Job Preparation Exercise (JPE), Screen-Train-Place-Train (STPT) Programme, Mentorship Scheme, and flexi and part-time work arrangements:
a) NTUC’s Job Preparation Exercise
The Job Preparation Exercise (JPE) programme, organised by NTUC’s Employability Enhancement Department, aims to enhance the opportunities of job seekers in being placed with suitable jobs. During the JPE, job seekers will be briefed on the various job opportunities and their requirements such as job nature, working hours, skills needed and they will also be assessed on their numeracy and literacy skills. After the briefing, job seekers will be screened to ascertain their suitability for the jobs. Those found suitable will be referred to potential employers for interviews. Job seekers who attended the seminar today were invited to take part in the JPE held straight after the seminar.
b) NTUC’s Screen-Train-Place-Train Programme
NTUC’s Screen-Train-Place-Train (STPT) programme, which is funded and supported by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), was rolled out in May 2006 with the objective of enhancing the employability of job seekers at the pre-employment stage. The STPT aims to bridge employability gaps by providing training that has been customised based on industry requirements so that job seekers would be better equipped to take on potential jobs in the various industries.
Job seekers would first be screened before they are sent for the first round of training, which would help to prepare them for their job interviews. During the first round of training, job seekers would also be referred to employers by NTUC for their job interviews. Upon passing the interviews, the employers would place successful job seekers to their jobs, and they would receive further (in-house) training from the employers.
c) Mentorship Scheme
To help women who have not been working for several years overcome their fears and concerns of returning to the workforce, NTUC is rolling out a pilot Mentoring Scheme. The pilot Mentorship Scheme involves equipping companies with the competencies to guide and receive women returning to the workforce on their new working environment, so that they would become more familiarised and accustomed to working life, and consequently, retain their jobs. Food Court chain Kopitiam Investment Pte Ltd was present at the seminar to share their experiences on the Mentorship Scheme and how the programme has enabled them better to receive new recruits like "back-to-work" mums. With new recruits staying on due to better guidance from their mentors and seniors, the scheme has helped to enhance the retention rate for the company.
d) Flexible Work Arrangement and Part-time Work
NTUC encourages employers to implement part-time and flexible work arrangements so that women can better cope with both work and family needs. DBS Bank and the Singapore Shawl are two companies that have such arrangements and they were present today to share their experiences with the audience during the seminar. As a result of their efforts to help women, DBS Bank has retained good workers while their women staff have also benefited from the scheme. The Singapore Shawl experience saw flexi-work arrangements very suitable for women with family care responsibilities.
5. Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Minister of State for Finance and for Transport, and Chairman, PAP’s Women Wing, was the Guest-of-Honour at the seminar. Held at the NTUC Centre, it attracted more than 300 participants, including about 100 women job seekers. Mrs Lim also took time to speak with job seekers attending the JPE after the seminar.
6. In conclusion, the NTUC Women’s Committee’s “Back To Work” Programme is of significant importance as it helps more women return to the workforce. By helping women rejoin the workforce more easily, they not only can achieve financial independence, they will also be able to save for their future retirement and achieve a better quality of life while contributing to the nation. For more information, please contact NTUC Women’s Programme at 6213 8263 / 8264 / 8418.
Mdm Halimah Yacob
Assistant Secretary-General
National Trades Union Congress
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About National Trades Union Congress
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions of workers in the industrial, service and public sectors representing about 480,000 workers in Singapore. It has 63 affiliated trade unions and six associations, as well as 12 social enterprises and three related organisations. NTUC’s objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and workers remain employable for life; to enhance the social status and well-being of workers; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour movement.
About the Tripartite Workgroup on Enhancing Employment Choice for Women
The Tripartite Workgroup on Enhancing Employment Choice for Women was set up under the Tripartite Committee on the Employability of Older Workers with the objective of helping to raise the employment rate of females. The workgroup formulates and recommends measures to help women remain in the workforce and facilitates non-working women to enter or return to the workforce. It aims to pilot good practices such as flexible and part-time work and other supportive arrangements with a view to enhance employment choices for women.
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