30/11/2018

Refresh And Boost Chinese Language And Business Culture Skills With SkillsFuture Singapore, HCEG, And PA

Get ready to handle China-related assignments with HCE courses

Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry, and Education, Mr Chee Hong Tat, announced a collaboration between SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), Han Culture and Education Group (HCEG) and People’s Association (PA) to equip Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Singaporeans with the skills necessary for engaging in business with Chinese partners.

To help SMEs and their employees build strong relationships with Chinese business partners and customers, SSG is collaborating with HCEG to roll out a series of programmes under the HCE brand that will equip adult learners with the necessary language and culture skills to support their business engagements.

Supporting SMEs to strengthen relationships with Chinese partners

HCEG offers programmes on Chinese language and business culture under the HCE brand for adult learners. As a start, two courses will be made available in the first half of 2019, i.e. the Han Business Culture Course and the Adult Chinese Conversational Course. Through these courses, participants will learn Chinese language, and the cultural aspects of conducting businesses in the China market. There will be a total of 10-12 sessions over a three-month period. For the Han Business Culture Course, each session includes a “Culture Buzz” segment which aims to build cross cultural language proficiency through an understanding of Chinese culture and etiquette, the Chinese language, business negotiations and relationship management. These courses will be conducted by HCEG experts and guest speakers who bring with them a wealth of knowledge from their experience of working in China. 


HCE@PA: Bite-sized taster courses at People’s Association community centres

A series of taster courses, HCE@PA, will also be available through the Community Centres and convenient off-site locations to enable more Singaporeans to be ready to manage China-related work assignments. These two-hour courses focus on imparting practical business culture tips and key insights of business workings in China to aspiring youth entrepreneurs and professionals.

In collaboration with SSG, these courses are organised by HCEG and PA, as part of the PA Industry Guru Series. A series of four courses will be made available in February, April, June and July 2019. Interested learners can sign up for the HCE@PA taster courses through the OnePA online portal from January next year.

Mr Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive of SSG said: “Collaborations are critical to building a vibrant and robust CET landscape. Partners such as HCEG, bring with them key expertise and experience to help upskill our workforce, while partners such as PA, play a vital role in our community outreach efforts. SkillsFuture Singapore is happy to partner both HCEG and PA to implement these courses to benefit both SMEs and Singaporeans.”

Ms Ooi Ching Ya, Chief Executive Officer of HCEG, parent company of HCE said: “HCE offers what we call ‘supercharged learning’ to get business owners and professionals able and ready for their China-related assignments. HCE’s full courses are held at the centrally located Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre which is a convenient downtown venue for executives. We are delighted to work with SkillsFuture Singapore and People’s Association to make our courses accessible to different groups of adult learners.”

Ms Wendy Chooi, Deputy Director, Lifeskills & Lifestyle Division, People’s Association said: “PA’s Industry Guru Series seeks to inspire youths and working professionals to network, exchange ideas and gain insights through sharing sessions by industry leaders across sectors. HCE@PA opens up a convenient platform for professionals to enhance their work competencies.”