TL;DR – The partnership between NTUC’s e2i and the Singapore National Employers Federation seeks to explore the possibility of a pilot programme with SNEF-member companies to place job seekers, especially the younger PMEs in their overseas offices.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).
The partnership aims to create greater synergy between employers and job seekers by strengthening the Job Security Council’s ecosystem to drive better wages, work prospects and welfare for all workers; and better support the more than 3,300 SNEF-member employers in their businesses and workforce transformation efforts.
What JSC does
JSC was established in 2020 to minimize the impact faced by retrenched workers by helping them with new job placements. The network that JSC have with employers serves as an avenue to efficiently match workers who were released from their current role to vacancies available in other companies.
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Since Covid-19 hit, JSC ramped up their efforts in facilitating the mass movement of workers from companies that suffered a steep decline in businesses and directed the available manpower to companies that have urgent placements to fill.
The strengthening of JSC was proposed by the NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce (PME TF). The PME TF was formed to identify and address the aspiration concerns of PMEs; strengthen their employment and employability; and enable PMEs to compete fairly and effectively in the competitive labour market.
NTUC-SNEF pilot programme includes overseas working exposure
Under the MOU, e2i and SNEF will facilitate the matching of workers to good job opportunities in SNEF-member companies regardless of current economic conditions.
With SNEF onboard, JSC can explore the possibility of a pilot programme with SNEF-member companies to place job seekers, especially the younger PMEs in their overseas offices. The ‘overseas work-and-learn’ stint will vary depending on the employers’ needs.
Overseas working exposure will help to broaden and enrich workers’ experiences and develop them to be more adaptable and resilient, hence, benefiting both the company and workers.
In line with interests expressed by both employers and younger PMEs, JSC is working to bring a few companies on board this pilot programme.
Reskilling for a career change
With the collaboration from this MOU, SNEF members may also tap on support offered by the labour movement as they embark on business and workforce transformation.
SNEF members that have formed Company Training Committees (CTC) will have access to Operation & Technology Roadmap sessions to identify transformation strategies; they can also access the NTUC CTC grant to translate the transformation strategies into actionable outcomes.
In the process, companies will adopt technology solutions, and job redesign to drive business and workforce transformation. In turn, employees who receive training during this transformation will benefit by honing new skills which will increase their employability value.