By George Soriano
The National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) launched the first Inclusive Growth Symposium, a one-stop solutions platform aimed to upgrade and raise productivity of workers in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on 4 October 2013.
The symposium brought together companies, government agencies, and solutions partners to show how SMEs in various sectors can improve productivity.
Mandarin and English-speaking panel discussions and grant clinics also provided advice on how to tap various funding programmes.
“Together with our tripartite partners, we encourage all SMEs to invest in upgrading jobs and workers, tap on funding schemes, and work with e2i to create productivity breakthroughs,” said Mr Gilbert Tan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of e2i.
During the event, NTUC SME Lead Mr Yeo Guat Kwang also told SMEs to expect more learning journeys locally and overseas.
Started in August 2010, the $100 million Inclusive Growth Programme (IGP) aims to drive productivity improvements in all sectors and help 100,000 low wage workers through NTUC’s e2i initiatives.
As of August 2013, there are 820 committed IGP projects that, when completed, will benefit 53,000 workers through productivity and wage increases.
Two-thirds of the companies on board IGP are SMEs.
