NTUC – SPGA U Associate Partnership Agreement
The National Trades Unions Congress (NTUC) U Associate programme, launched in March 2011, added yet another association to its membership today, as part of the Labour Movement’s efforts to reach out and serve more professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) through existing associations.
The Singapore Professional Golfers’ Association (SPGA), which is the only professional golfers’ association registered with Registry of Societies in Singapore, joined the Labour Movement as the ninth NTUC U Associate. This is the first time a sports association has come on board the U Associate Programme to bring NTUC’s wide range of benefits and advocacy to its members.
The agreement was signed between Mr M. Murugiah, President of the SPGA, and Mr Vivek Kumar, Secretary of the NTUC Membership Council, and witnessed by Mr Patrick Tay, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and Director of NTUC’s PME Unit. SPGA members will now be able to enjoy the 4Ps – Protection, Placement, Progression and Privileges – offered by NTUC, as well as customised programmes tailored to the needs and interests of the golfing community.
Leadership Through Golf
The first signature programme from this collaboration is an annual “Leadership Lessons at the Golf Course” programme, where a SPGA golf coach and a C-suite leader will be teamed up with aspiring NTUC members to impart not just golfing techniques, but also leadership development tips. This programme aims to create a platform for members to pick up leadership skills and qualities from the golf coach and the C-suite leader through the process.
The programme is planned to commence in December this year. About 30 participants will benefit from the programme. All participants will also receive subsidies on coaching lessons from SPGA coaches to develop their skills further. Registration starts in October this year and is open to all NTUC members.
Professional Golf Coaches Directory
To help SPGA members who are professional golf coaches to distinguish themselves from amateur golfers who are also providing golfing lessons, a directory service for all SPGA members who are qualified golf coaches will be set up and made available on the NTUC Membership website (www.ntucmembership.sg). This directory brings about greater convenience by providing a single platform for NTUC members, as well as members of the public, to search for creditable professional golf coaches, should they decide to pick up golfing.
To supplement the directory, golf clinics and workshops will be conducted for NTUC members to interact in a face-to-face environment with the golf coaches, so that they can gauge the professionalism and coaching styles of the coaches. Union members will also enjoy preferential packages and rates when they signed up with the coaches listed in the directory.
Welcoming SPGA as the Labour Movement’s latest U Associate, Mr Vivek Kumar, Secretary of the NTUC Membership Council explained that this is a programme designed to help professional associations grow and serve more PMEs. “We will support SPGA as they spearhead initiatives to benefit the professional golfers’ community. We aim to help create progressive opportunities for golfing professionals who are exploring coaching as a career. At the same time, this partnership with SPGA will also enable over 800,000 NTUC members to pick up golfing lessons at a subsidised rate, and create unique leadership lessons at the golf course," said Mr Vivek Kumar, Secretary, NTUC Membership Council.
Mr M. Murugiah, President of the SPGA, also shared his excitement in joining the U Associate Programme, “SPGA is pleased to be part of the Labour Movement. With this partnership, SPGA members will be able to enjoy more upgrading opportunities offered by the NTUC. In addition, with the vast membership base that NTUC has, our members will also get to reach out to more golfing enthusiasts, resulting in more job opportunities for them. Last but not least, I am very positive of this partnership and the synergy it promises, and I look forward to the many joint events and initiatives in the future.”
*******
