Singapore’s economic climate remains gloomy. Businesses and workers continue to be affected by both structural and cyclical challenges. Statistics from the Ministry of Manpower’s Labour Market Report showed that redundancies in the first quarter of 2016 climbed to 4,710, as compared to the same period last year at 3,500. 71 per cent of the retrenched workers were Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicans and 65 per cent of the layoffs impacted mature workers aged 40 and above.
Likewise, some 77 percent of the cases at the NTUC U PME Centre came from mature PMEs (Professionals, Managers and Executives) who were retrenched. As compared to their younger peers, mature PMEs tend to experience more difficulties in returning to the workforce. During this process, many could become disillusioned or discouraged.
In July 2015, NTUC collaborated with GioCareers, a local social enterprise to launch the Career Activation Programme (CAP), a community-based peer-to-peer support programme targeted at mature PMEs who are unemployed. A year into the pilot programme, the Labour Movement hopes to further strengthen and boost the programme so that it can deepen its assistance for the mature PMEs.
Expanding Scope of Services and Building a Stronger Team of Career Activists
In this programme, NTUC U PME Centre works with GioCareers to bring together a group of Career Activists who are also mature PMEs to provide support for discouraged mature PMEs. These are volunteers who had similarly experienced difficulties in their life journeys, and can better empathise, share and understand the needs and concerns of fellow mature PMEs.
Ms Zhong, 46, was informed of her retrenchment due to company restructuring in 2015. She remembered the anxiety she went through as it took her two years before she landed that job as a supply chain manager. She shared her experience at CAP, "I did not want to relive the experience I had two years ago – low confidence and self-esteem. I was touched by my Career Activist during the session and it really boosted my career confidence and self-esteem to go through the job search again. Even though I spent the last 10 years in the electronics industry, I found courage to explore new industries and options. I’m grateful I found peer support through CAP. The programme helped to remind me that I was not alone in this journey. Now, I am happy to say that I have found a new job in a new industry and function, and I will continue to remain positive as I am now learning new things every day.”
Ms Cara Cheong, who provided Ms Zhong with the support as a Career Activist shared, “Ms Zhong was very clear of her strengths like her credibility in her personal network. She was also humble and was open to exploring new job opportunities. I provided a listening ear and supported her with a non-judgmental attitude. This helped to verbalise her thoughts and in the process, she found clarity and solutions on her own.”
To better assist more mature PMEs like Ms Zhong, CAP will take on a two-pronged approach to enhance the programme. Firstly, the scope of services will be enlarged to deepen and amplify the support provided to the PMEs during their journey with CAP. Following the first meet up with the Career Activists and fellow mature PMEs, participants can partake in a Career-Life Planning and Management workshop which provides self-discovery assessments and helps them with documenting constructive steps to attain their career goals. Once participants are placed with jobs, the team will continue to follow up with the participants and employers to ensure that they integrate well with their work environment, and remain gainfully employed. Participants will also be able to interact and network via a digital forum at the community website. This establishes an ecosystem which promotes easier and more efficient sharing of experiences and information within the community.
Enhanced Services Structure
Secondly, the team of Career Activists will be assessed, trained and certified by NTUC LearningHub and GioCareers. Career Activists must be employed or retired, possess strong interpersonal skills and have had prior experiences with career challenges. Qualified volunteers will go through a structured training programme comprising peer coaching and nine hours of volunteer service before they are deemed Career Activists. This helps ensure that the team of Career Activists are able to provide the best support for the mature PMEs.
Mr Patrick Tay, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General said, “One year into the Career Activation Programme (CAP), we feel more determined to do more, to help this vulnerable group of mature PMEs enhance their chances at returning back to the workforce. By providing this peer-to-peer support programme, it fills up the “emotional and confidence gap” that they need to look for jobs and attend interviews with a positive mind-set. Through CAP, we have started to see some good results. By enhancing the programme and the quality of our Career Activists, we hope to reach out to those who really require assistance and help more build the necessary emotional and resilience to overcome the challenges in managing and developing their careers.”
Since its launch, the pilot run of the CAP has reached out to 98 mature PMEs over 10 sessions. Working with the Career Activists, NTUC U PME Centre helps to follow up with participants on necessary career coaching and placement services. To date, CAP has helped 22 mature PMEs return to the workforce. CAP has also built a team of 30 Career Activists.
Going forward: Labour Movement by the Side of Mature PMEs
Mature PMEs, especially those who are unemployed for various reasons, face particularly unique work-related challenges. The Labour Movement will continue to explore partnership with relevant tripartite partners or organisations to deepen their outreach to PMEs especially the young and mature, to help them stay future-ready and future-proof.
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