20/05/2015

WDA And SNEF Jointly Launch Blank Enterprise Growth Series Of Masterclasses In Support Of National SkillsFuture Movement

About 300 Employers To Gain Insights On Strengthening Enterprise Capabilities And Hr Practices To Support Skills Mastery And Career Development Pathways In Line With Skillsfuture

A total of 50 companies today signalled their support for the national SkillsFuture movement through a SkillsFuture Employers’ Pledge Ceremony organised by the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and supported by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA).

Witnessed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the 50 companies – comprising SMEs and MNCs – pledged their commitment to:

• adopt progressive HR practices that recognise skills-based career progression
• provide employment opportunities and structured training pathways for all Singaporeans
• support lifelong learning for existing workers

Held at the Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI), the event also included a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by SNEF and WDA to launch a blank series of masterclasses to boost employers’ capabilities to adopt progressive, forward-looking human resource (HR) practices.

Developed by SNEF and WDA in consultation with local and international experts, the blank SNEF-WDA Enterprise Growth Series of masterclasses is targeted at C-suite executives and HR practitioners. The masterclasses will allow small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well as multinational corporations (MNCs) to gain insights on talent attraction, management and retention through various ways, including:

• learning and development programmes for acquiring and developing talent
• processes and strategies for nurturing the next generation of company leaders
• methods for evaluating individual performance against organisational goals

The SNEF-WDA Enterprise Growth Series will increase employers’ know-how in implementing progressive HR practices, such as skills-based career development pathways, and recognising skills mastery. As such, the series supports the national SkillsFuture movement to provide Singaporeans with opportunities to acquire skills at every age, advance in their career through such skills and eventually attain skills mastery in their fields.

The inaugural masterclass, titled “Winning the War for Talent”, will be conducted in July 2015. Subsequently, another five masterclasses will be rolled out over the next two years. About 300 employers are expected to benefit from the SNEF-WDA Enterprise Growth Series of masterclasses over a two-year period.

Mr Goh Eng Ghee, Acting Chief Executive of WDA, said: “The blank SNEF-WDA Enterprise Growth Series of masterclasses. will allow business decision-makers to pick up useful pointers on talent development by learning from subject matter experts, as well as share best practices with one another. The insights will put employers in good stead to implement progressive HR practices, which are a cornerstone of the important role that they play in realising the vision of SkillsFuture."

Dr Robert Yap, President of SNEF, said: “I am pleased that 50 first movers, of which 70% are SMEs, have come forward to pledge their support for SkillsFuture. This shows the strong support employers have for the SkillsFuture initiatives. SNEF will be briefing our members on the SkillsFuture initiatives to raise awareness. We will also work with tripartite partners including WDA to develop more SkillsFuture programmes and initiatives for each key sector.”

Employer-centric SkillsFuture initiatives include the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme and P-Max rolled out by WDA in March, as well as the upcoming Sectoral Manpower Plans and SkillsFuture Leadership Development Initiative. WDA and other Government agencies will provide more details on these upcoming initiatives in the months ahead.

About Singapore Workforce Development Agency

The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) enhances the competitiveness of our workforce by encouraging workers to learn for life and advance with skills. In today's economy, most jobs require not just knowledge, but also skills. WDA collaborates with employers, industry associations, the Union and training organisations, to develop and strengthen the Continuing Education and Training system that is skills-based, open and accessible, as a mainstream pathway for all workers – young and older, from rank and file to professionals and executives – to upgrade and advance in their careers and lives. For more information, please visit www.wda.gov.sg.

About Singapore National Employers Federation

The Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) is a trade union of employers. Our mission is to advance tripartism and enhance labour market flexibility to enable employers to implement responsible employment practices. SNEF has a membership of over 3,000 companies with a combined workforce of over 750,000. For more information, please visit www.snef.org.sg.