The NTUC U Associate initiative, which pools together guilds and communities to support professionals, sure has come a long way.
Spanning across 23 sectors, the 67 associations in the U Associate initiative represent more than 250,000 working individuals.
This is a huge leap from its launch seven years ago when it began with only two associations under its wing.
Growing steadily in single digits, U Associate saw its first growth spurt in 2016 with 26 associations, an increase of 14 the year before. In 2017, the number of associations more than doubled to 64.
Past Achievements
However, it is more than a numbers game for the U Associate network.
The annual U Associate Leaders’ Circle (UALC) event was set up by the Labour Movement in 2015 to foster collaborations and exchange of ideas among all the U Associates.
The PIVOT Programme was launched at UALC 2017 to leverage the diverse industry skills and knowledge of the U Associates to help displaced professionals gain employment.
With the support of 30 U Associates, PIVOT has since reached out to over 800 professionals, managers and executives from 13 high-growth sectors through industry talks and various placement assistance.
U Associate has also held programmes together with several partners that have benefited over 1,800 workers. They range from learning journeys to capstone projects and mentorships.
At the NTUC Ordinary Delegates’ Conference on 15 November 2017, NTUC updated its constitution to include U Associate in its network and expand its reach to serve all workers in Singapore.
Ongoing Transformation Drive
Just last week, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information Dr Janil Puthucheary and Minister for National Development and Second Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong came on board as advisors to UALC.
In a dialogue with over 50 U Associate leaders at UALC 2018 on 16 March, Mr Wong encouraged them to continue their outreach and engagement with professionals in their respective sectors and promote more cross-functional collaborations.
“Today’s professionals are increasingly acquiring multiple skillsets and collaborating across industries to be more effective at their work. For example, a civil engineer will need to combine technical abilities with management and interpersonal skills to deliver a building project; a HR professional may have to use data analytics to improve employee engagement and resource planning,” explained Mr Wong in the media release.
To drive industry transformation in the respective domains, NTUC and U Associates have been working together to roll out sector-wide programmes such as Young and Advanced Engineers Leadership Programmes, Fintech Talent Programme, and Marketing Leaders 2030 Programme.
Assistant Director-General Vivek Kumar said that efforts to develop targeted programmes and bring in new U Associates have to continue so that more can benefit.
