25 Jan 2010
To help the fast expanding preschool education sector attract, develop and retain valued early childhood care and education (ECCE) professionals, the Education Services Union (ESU), together with the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) and e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) of the National Trades Union Congress, successfully rallied over 40% of the industry's operators to pledge their adoption of fair employment practices, and launched a "Bright Beginnings" handbook that showcases best practices in employment.
Industry of Choice
In 2008, the Government announced that 200 childcare centres will be set up over the next five years to make childcare facilities more accessible to working parents, and aimed to raise the quality of childcare services. This rapid expansion and uplifting of the industry means that more and better qualified ECCE professionals are needed to provide quality preschool education service to young children. However, the industry is saddled with a general misconception that preschool teachers are institutionalised babysitters or nannies with low pay, are unrecognised or unappreciated, and have limited career prospects.
Recognising the challenges faced by the industry, ESU actively engages and works closely with industry key stakeholders and government agencies to raise the professionalism and image of the industry, advocate good employment practices, and deepen understanding of preschool educators aspirations to enhance their employment prospects so that the early childhood education is an industry of choice for career.
Fair Employment Practices by Preschool Employers
One of the milestones achieved by ESU and its working partners is garnering the commitment from 34 employers, who employ 7,000 employees in 534 preschool centres (42% of centres in Singapore), to adopt fair employment practices by signing on the Employers Pledge of Fair Employment Practices. By adopting fair employment practices, these employers will provide equal opportunities for employment, reward employees based on merit, treat employees fairly and with respect, and develop employees to optimise their talent and abilities. In turn, these employers will become employers of choice, and are better able to attract and retain committed and highly motivated ECCE professionals.
This is the first time employers of an industry made a collective commitment to adopt fair employment practices. This shared purpose amongst preschool operators will uplift the image of the industry and help to attract more talents into the industry.
ESU Good Employment Practices Conference
On 25 January 2010, ESU organised a Good Employment Practices Conference where employers received their Employers Pledge of Fair Employment Practices certificates from the Guest of Honour, Hawazi Daipi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Health. It was also a platform for preschool employers to exchange ideas and deepen knowledge on fair employment practices where employers with fair employment practices shared how their organisations implemented these practices and achieved win-win outcome with employees, children and parents. The conference was attended by over 400 preschool education employers, ECCE professionals, working partners of ESU, government representatives and industry stakeholders such as the Association of Private Childcare Operators (APCO).
“We see value in good employment practices as we are creating a positive environment for our staff to grow and contribute. This will help to have a lower turnover rate and improve the quality of childcare services for our children and their parents,” said Dr Sam Yap, APCO Chairman. He continued, “At the same time, being good employers helps the centres strengthen their image and better position themselves to attract new staff in this competitive market.”
A handbook, named “Bright Beginnings”, that showcases best employment practices in the areas of recruitment, training and development, working environment (family-friendly and/or age-friendly), recognition and rewards within the sector was also launched at the conference. The handbook contains stories on ECCE professionals who have benefitted from good employment practices by becoming more competent, committed and passionate on their jobs. The handbook also provides useful information on the Employment Act, ECCE-related training programmes and the TAFEP guidelines for employers.
“The conference and handbook signifies the solidarity of the industry players to uplift the industry and show the progress that the industry has already made in terms of employment practices. We hope that this will signify the “Bright Beginnings” of the industry as more come forward to join us.” said Zainudin Nordin, ESU Executive Secretary. He added, “However, we are not resting on our laurels. Preschool teachers play a critical role in laying the foundation of our young children's future success in learning and life. It is vital that their good work is recognised and rewarded, and they have a progressive career path that allows them to grow and advance professionally. Together with industry key stakeholders, we will make preschool education an industry of choice, with the best ECCE professionals providing the best preschool education to our future generation.”
