At this year’s May Day Rally, when National Trades’ Union Congress’ (NTUC) Secretary-General Lim Swee Say shared the Labour Movement’s (LM) commitment to build an inclusive workforce so that every worker in Singapore is able to get a better job with better pay and better work-life balance, amongst the key thrusts he outlined was Value Every Worker. In 2011, NTUC set up a Professionals, Managers and Executives (PME) Unit to look after their needs and interests, particularly in the areas of protection, placement and progression as PMEs is a growing segment of Singapore workforce. And young PMEs, who are the future pillars of Singapore, is one key group that LM reaches out to.
The LM family members, including NTUC, its affiliated unions and social enterprise, have been working hand in hand to ensure that over 37,500 young PMEs are being taken care of through multi-pronged efforts from youth chapters in unions and Young NTUC, NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), Next U (the executive education arm of NTUC LearningHub) and NTUC.
PROTECTION: Understanding and addressing the needs of young PMEs, and Ensuring that they are employed on fair employment terms
Of the over 170,000 union members who are PMEs, about one in five of them are aged 35 and below. Their workplace needs and challenges are looked into by Young NTUC and 48 affiliated unions that have youth chapters which are formed by young union leaders of respective unions. These youth chapters look after the interests of young union members, ensuring that there are fair opportunities for young working adults to realise their potential and fulfil their aspirations. Amongst the 48 youth chapters, six executive unions’[1] youth chapters play a critical role in engaging young working members and representing them to ensure that their workplace needs are communicated to, and addressed by, the management. For young union members who do not have unions at their workplaces, the Young NTUC secretariat functions as the surrogate for their passions and convictions, equipping them with the necessary resources and skills to do well at work.
To help young job entrants understand their legal employment rights and the fundamentals of employment contracts so that they are employed on fair employment terms, a legal primer session targeted at young PMEs, titled ‘My First Job’, will be held on 3 May 2013. This is the first legal primer session organised this year under Law Works, a partnership between NTUC and The Law Society of Singapore. About 80 young PMEs will benefit from the sharing and exchange session with Mr Alfred Lim, a practicing legal expert from the Law Society of Singapore and Mr Patrick Tay, Director of Legal Services Department and PME Unit of NTUC.
PLACEMENT: Enhancing the employability of young PMEs, and Guiding them to embark on suitable and fruitful career paths
Of the PMEs assisted by e2i at career fairs and referral centre last year, more than 40% are young PMEs. The top two areas of assistance sought by these young PMEs were developing their employability skills to secure employment, and seeking guidance on suitable career path to embark on.
For the group of young PMEs who need a helping hand to boost their employability skills, a total of 120 young PMEs, aged 35 and below, attended Executive Workshop organised by e2i last year. Through the workshop, they get to sharpen their job search skills by learning how to write effective resume and cover letter, and ace in job interviews with confidence and good communication skills.
For the other group of young PMEs who were undecided on their career path, e2i helped them gain insights into industry and career prospects of specific sectors so that they could better assess if they want to pursue a career in these sectors. In October last year, e2i organised its first Step-In Series where industry previews were conducted for participants to hear first-hand from industry players. About 180 young PMEs have attended three Step-In Series conducted by e2i for the Information Technology (IT), banking, retail and Food & Beverage (F&B) sectors. Close to 90% of participants feedback that the Step-In Series was useful to them in making considered decision on joining the sectors. At the last Step-In Series held in March this year for the retail and F&B sector, prospective employers were present to interview the young participants. After the session, two-third of them expressed interest to join the Core Executive Programme, a 12-month training and development for young PMEs to assume supervisory and managerial position upon completion of the programme. In upcoming months, e2i will continue to hold Step-In Series on a bi-monthly basis, currently planned for the IT, and advertising and marketing communications sectors.
Besides providing placement and employment-related assistance to walk-ins, e2i also proactively reach out and engage young PMEs through online media such as the PME Professional Services website, and e2i LinkedIn page that shares events organised, as well as career and training opportunities, for PMEs.
PROGRESSION: Helping young PMEs fulfil their progression needs through professional development courses, inspirational talks and learning festival
To enable young PMEs make progression in their career and live their aspirations, the LM family has in placed a slew of programmes to help them deepen their competencies and broaden their knowledge through professional development courses, as well as widen their network, keep abreast of industry development and be inspired by personal anecdotes and success stories of speakers through a learning summit and a series of inspirational talks.
Next U, the executive education arm of NTUC LearningHub (LHUB), offered 120 professional development programmes last year, which was attended by over 1,800 young PMEs. To help defray the cost of training for these young PMEs who attended courses at LHUB, they received a total funding of $118,000 from NTUC’s Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) Training Fund[2].
Two new initiatives, ‘Young NTUC Crossroads’ series and ‘Future Leaders Summit – Inspiring the CEO in U’, were introduced by Young NTUC and the NTUC Membership Department respectively this year for young PMEs. Both new initiatives aim to address young PMEs’ learning interests and needs, and inspire them to take steps to realise their aspirations. The inaugural Yong NTUC Crossroads series, launched on 19 April 13, was attended by close to 90 young PMEs. At least three more talks will be rolled out for the rest of the year.
The Future Leaders Summit will kick-start with a two-day keynote conference on 15-16 June 13, which comprises six learning tracks in areas such as marketing, banking and finance, entrepreneurship, sales management, and more. Reaching out to over 1,000 young professionals, it will be followed by month-long Future Leader Series where participants may acquire functional skills and industry knowledge in areas that they want to pursue their career.
Mr Patrick Tay, Director of PME Unit and Legal Services Department of NTUC, who champions for the rights and interests of PMEs in Singapore, says, “At May Day Rally this year, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shared that PMEs want more support and representation from unions. At NTUC, we have been looking at ways to advance their interests, including the young PMEs’.” He added, “We want to be there for young PMEs even before they enter the workforce, helping them to make an informed decision on suitable career path to take. We want them to be employed on fair employment terms, and that their interests and concerns at the workplace are being addressed. We also want to help them fulfil their aspirations for progression and growth.”
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[1] The six executive unions with youth chapters are Air Transport Staff Executive Union, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore Staff Union, Port Officers’ Union, Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union, Singapore Teachers’ Union and Staff Union of NTUC-ARU. There are more than 4,400 young members.in these six unions
[2] Under UTAP Training Fund, NTUC provides 50% unfunded course fee support (for up to $250 a year) to union members who attend courses which are supported by the training fund.
