How Career Conversion Programmes can help with talent recruitment and upskilling challenges
Career Conversion Programmes help businesses gain skilled workers to meet their recruitment and talent objectives; while supporting employees and jobseekers to upskill and move into new sectors or occupations.
Through the Career Conversion Programme, I went through two months of training to learn about Angliss’ suite of marketing tools and e-commerce platforms. Thereafter, I was onboarded successfully into Angliss. My experience so far has been fulfilling as I was able to bring my own set of skills into the company to help drive growth. – Goh Beng Wei, Senior Digital Marketing Executive, Angliss
Skills mismatch continues to be a challenge for businesses and employers. Many businesses continue to innovate, pivot, and re-evaluate their offering and value to the customer. Many employees find this challenging as their skills become obsolete, or their scopes are changed, with some facing an impact on their job stability, income and career mobility.
Changes in the workplace are accelerating due to digitalisation and the adoption of technologies. Employees are recognising that their initial education qualifications might become redundant as time passes. These employees might find themselves unable to execute a mid-career switch, cross industries or move within their workplace.
Organisations such as e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) recognise these changes and provide options for upskilling and career coaching for jobseekers or employees. They also work with employers directly on programmes such as Career Conversion Programmes (CCP), Career Development Programmes (CDP), as well as set up career hubs such as the recent Accountancy Career Hub (ACH) and Tourism Careers Hub (TCH).
What are Career Conversion Programmes, and why do they matter?
CCPs are programmes created for mid-career individuals to help them with skills conversion and move into new sectors or occupations. There are three different types of CCPs with different layers of training involved. These are Place-and-Train, Attach-and-Train and Redeployment/Job Redesign Reskilling.
Employers can be involved across all three CCP types, as the main employer or the host. More details about the CCP types, training involved, funding support, can be found in the fact sheet at this link.
Employers should consider using CCPs as one way of addressing the skills mismatch challenge. As an outcome of a CCP, the business will gain skilled workers that can help them with their recruitment and talent objectives.
Other benefits and outcomes of an employer-involved CCP include:
- Leverage structured industry-recognised training
- Minimise redundancies and reskill experienced employees to take on new job roles
- Redeploy existing workforce as part of business transformation
Businesses interested in partnering on a CCP can find more information about the various activities and write in to e2i at this link.
Angliss and Elitez Group partnered with e2i on CCP programmes to help with recruitment and training
Angliss and Elitez Group are two employers that partnered with e2i on a Career Conversion Programme for their organisation, to help with talent recruitment and training. Post-programme, they share with us about the process that led to a successful outcome.
Angliss is an integrated food services company that provides quality products such as meat, seafood, dairy through various business units across food service, wholesale, retail, and marine services. They operate in four countries and must continuously attract capable talent to provide its customers with the good service. In order to tackle their manpower crunch, the management team approached e2i to assist with hiring and training its workforce.
e2i worked with Angliss to develop high-quality and efficient training plans for potential job seekers across many departments, such as operations, customer service, digital marketing, sales, procurement and merchandising. As a result of the CCP, Angliss hired seven employees that added on to their workforce and support the company in providing top-quality service to their customers.
Elitez Group is a HR staffing recruitment agency based in Singapore, and worked Enterprise Singapore (ESG) to support the need for Social Distancing Ambassadors (SDAs) during the pandemic. Elitez approached e2i to work together to create job opportunities for impacted jobseekers.
Through a CCP, the company was able to hire 40 new Ambassador Trainees to fulfil the role of SDAs and additionally trained them on recruitment areas to assist with business operations to help Elitez Group. e2i also collaborated with Elitez Group and supported them with recruitment of SDAs at a Job Fair and training. The training topic – on Stress Management – and outcomes were customised by e2i’s Training Development for the hired SDAs.
Angliss and Elitez Group employees share about their outcomes going through the CCP
Goh Beng Wei, Senior Digital Marketing Executive, Angliss
“I decided to switch careers at 32, having previously spent some years doing digital marketing. When deciding to make the switch, I wanted a role that would provide clear career progression and allow me to expand my knowledge in marketing and soft skills. Through the CCP, I went through two months of training to learn about Angliss’ suite of marketing tools and e-commerce platforms. Thereafter, I was onboarded successfully into the Angliss. My experience so far has been fulfilling as I was able to bring my own set of skills into the company to help drive growth. I have also improved on my interaction skills with internal stakeholders, gaining competency in reporting and working at a senior executive level.”
Neo Lay Hoon, Procurement Executive, Angliss
“Prior to joining Angliss, I was working as a purchasing executive in the hospitality industry. Due to the pandemic, I was retrenched in 2020. Fortunately, I learnt about and joined the CCP and retrained for two months as a procurement executive. During the training, I learned about Angliss’ products and was also able to build interpersonal skills by engaging with our vendors and my colleagues. I am also pleased to be able to bring my experience and insight as a purchaser to my role here at Angliss and contribute towards the relationships needed to ensure we have a continuous supply of fresh produce for our customers.”
Ng Lian Sim, Social Distancing Ambassador, Elitez Group
Lian Sim worked in the travel industry for 15 years before switching careers during the pandemic as the travel industry was badly affected. She joined the Safe Distancing Ambassador Trainee programme with Elitez as she wanted to do her part in supporting the Government with COVID-19 related projects.
Through the CCP, she has demonstrated high potential and grown into a leader tasked with managing four different teams. In her new role, she has learnt how to plan manpower schedules, done business development as well as worked on Safe Management Measures. She began as a regular SDA trainee covering shopping malls, and has been promoted to a 2IC role within 6 months and a Mall IC within 8 months.
Lian Sim’s adaptability and communication skills has helped her create cohesion in the teams she is working with, while her operations skills in planning and management has helped her build relationships with clients.
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