26/01/2016

Retail Sector Receives Boost In Talent Development Through Integration Of Enhanced Internship With SkillsFuture Earn And Learn Programme

The five polytechnics, Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and five retailers today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to integrate the Enhanced Internship with the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme. Another 11 companies signed a separate MOU to offer Enhanced Internships for retail students. The signings took place at an Industry Practitioner Seminar organised by the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS), and was witnessed by Mr Ong Ye Kung, Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills).

The MOUs were coordinated by Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), which leads the Retail Sector Coordination Team (SCT) in support of the national SkillsFuture movement. The Retail SCT also comprises Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic, ITE and SIRS.

Under the new initiative to integrate Enhanced Internship with the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme, the five organisations, namely, Charles & Keith (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Cold Storage Singapore (1983) Pte Ltd, Isetan (Singapore) Limited, StarHub Ltd and Wing Tai Retail Pte Ltd, will invest in talent management and retention programmes during students’ internships. Students who successfully complete at least 20 weeks of the Enhanced Internship with the organisations may now be offered employment through the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme. The duration of the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme will be reduced to 12 months instead of the usual 18 months, and will culminate in a Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Specialist Diploma or WSQ Advanced Certificate in Retail Supervision. Supported by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA), this fast-track route enables a seamless integration of Enhanced Internship and the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme.

“As the sectoral lead for retail – an industry which is ever-changing and high in manpower demands – Nanyang Polytechnic aims to continue encouraging organisations to play a stronger role in talent growth and retention. The partnerships today will see more students getting a deeper knowledge of retail operations, and more importantly, allow companies to retain high-potential talents from the time they are interns,” Ms Jeanne Liew, Principal & Chief Executive Officer, Nanyang Polytechnic.

Mr Ng Cher Pong, Chief Executive of WDA, said: “Integrating the Enhanced Internship with the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme provides a seamless learning experience for students as they transit from school to the workplace. At the same time, the integration will boost employers’ efforts in identifying, attracting and developing skilled local talent. Both initiatives will work in tandem to better match polytechnic and ITE students with employers in their fields of study.”

Offline-Online Integration – a test of resolve and resources

During the seminar, participants also gained insights from Mr Edwin Tan, Regional Human Resource Director of Sephora on the beauty giant’s journey to drive success at its brick-and-mortar stores amidst the challenges of a digital retail landscape. Mr Tan described the focus and dedication of resources that is required. A big part of this was in the identification and nurturing of talent.

“Discerning talent – the frontline staff with discretion – can be one of the most valuable assets in providing information on where customers’ tastes are headed next. I encourage participants to invest in staff-training, with the various government programmes in place,” said Mr Tan.

Dione Song, Managing Director, ZALORA Singapore, believes that integration is the best way forward in this highly digitally sensitive retail landscape. Being the online leader in this region, ZALORA has demonstrated successful ways to implement offline formats to seamlessly stream purchase pathways back to online and also nurture the new way of shopping offline. She shares the sentiment of Edwin that a lot of resources are needed to develop new retail capabilities and is glad that the government has in place many measures and funding programs to help industry players push the new frontier forward.

In a manpower-lean sector, a future-ready and productive retail workforce is key for strong enterprises. The leader in the retail training and innovative solutioning space in Singapore, SIRS also shared plans to fully integrate its business advisory and skills mastery support for retail businesses. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will be able to leverage on government programmes and incentives here to help them drive top line growth through retail transformation. The mission is to empower these SMEs to succeed with business innovations.

Participants also enjoyed the opportunity to network and understand the dynamic retail business landscape. Other industry experts from leading companies such as Accenture and ZALORA also provided business insights and fresh perspectives on the fast-changing retail world.

Please refer to Annex for a full list of speakers and topics discussed at the seminar.