The buying and selling of goods in bulk may characterise the business of wholesale trade, but businesses in the sector don’t just operate within our shores. According to Singapore’s Department of Statistics, nearly 80 per cent of the sales for 34,000 wholesale trade companies registered in Singapore came from overseas in 2017.
With global business environments constantly evolving and technologies such as e-commerce, data analytics and blockchain disrupting traditional business models, trading companies and their staff must be open to changes and pick up relevant skillsets to succeed.
To this end, the Skills Framework for Wholesale Trade was launched on 14 November 2018 to help both businesses and their employees identify suitable training programmes, and develop new skillsets that will be required for their jobs.
A one-stop resource, the framework consists of five core career tracks covering 42 different job roles, as well as 76 technical skills and competencies in emerging areas such as data analytics, compliance, risk management, e-commerce and digital marketing.
Intended to help both employers and employees better understand and plan career development and progression, the framework was jointly developed by Enterprise Singapore, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) in consultation with employers, industry associations, training providers and unions.
For more information on the Skills Framework for Wholesale Trade, click here.
Helping Workers Transition
To make these opportunities real for workers, WSG also introduced a suite of Professional Conversion Programmes (PCP) for Wholesale Trade Professionals. Some 230 individuals are expected to benefit from the PCPs, which will equip them with new skills to take on the job opportunities in the sector.
For employers, Enterprise Singapore has also partnered NTUC’s U SME to co-develop the Wholesale Trade Leaders Circle. To date, business leaders from 18 companies have come on board the initiative, where they will partner the Government to provide training and upgrading opportunities for at least half of their workers in the coming two years.
Complimenting the launch, NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) had also collaborated with Enterprise Singapore, WSG, industry partners and employers to organise the Wholesale Trade Career Fair at the Devan Nair Institute of Employment and Employability. Some 300 jobseekers attended the career fair, which offered over 100 vacancies by 17 companies.
For more information on the PCP for Wholesale Trade Professionals, click here.
Companies keen to learn more about the Wholesale Trade Leaders Circle can email kenny_xu@ntuc.org.sg.
Relishing the Experience
Making a career switch might be a daunting experience for some of us, but for 32-year-old Kenny Ang (pictured above), making the career switch from food services to the wholesale trade industry was something he relished rather than feared.
“I discovered my interest through the CLMVT Forum (a trade forum where delegates from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand discuss business) I attended while working in Cambodia. I was very interested to see how things like cross-border trade works. It really intrigued me to see how people from different cultures and languages communicate with one another and come together to do business. I wanted to learn more, and find out what kind of programmes or courses I could attend to provide me with the necessary knowledge and skills to transition,” shared Kenny.
His research eventually led him to apply for the International Trading PCP offered by the Singapore Management University and subsequently joined Raduga, a company specialising in the wholesale distribution of mobile phones, as a marketing executive.
“I found the PCP to be a very good programme for mid-career switchers like me to get up to speed with the latest knowledge in the industry, because the instructors are actual industry leaders who have real work experience,” said Kenny, who has spent the last year with the Myanmar distribution business.
He added that despite having to pick up new knowledge, such as cross-border operations, supply chain, and the specifications of the products Raduga distributes, he was able to count on the support from his colleagues, as well as the training offered by the company and PCP to help him.
While Kenny enjoys the overseas working experience in Myanmar, he is also looking forward to learning more and being able to grow together with his company.
