It Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe
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Vol 2:No 2 (September 2019), pp 36- 50 https://AsiaPacificCDA.org/Resources/APCDJ/A0002_2_01.pdf
It Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore
Career Development Tribe
Yvonne Kong-Hoa, Jeremiah Wongb, Andrew Erb, Clarissa Horc, Gerald Tand, and
James Tane
a
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
b
Workforce Singapore
c
Avodah People Solutions, Singapore
d
Lifelong Learning Institute, Singapore
e
Employability and Employment Institute, Singapore
Abstract: Singapore is currently undergoing economic transformation (MTI, 2018) to keep up with the
impact of technology on industries, businesses, and jobs. With the transformation happening rapidly,
the Singapore workforce faces challenges in adapting to learn new skills and handling career transitions.
Even fresh graduates face skills obsolescence within a mere few years of entering the workforce (The
Business Times, 2018). Career practitioners in Singapore are seeing a greater need to help the existing
workforce and fresh graduates make sense of these changes - the impact of technology disruptions and
how it impacts careers. Through this paper, we want to share with fellow APCDA professionals about
the various stakeholders concerned, the service providers available, and the beneficiaries involved
within Singapore’s career development scene. This paper was written through the lens of Dr. Roberta
Neault's framework - "It Takes a Village". It seeks to give readers an understanding of the provision of
macro-level career development services as well as the stakeholders who are involved with the career
development practice in Singapore.
career guidance curriculum (known as
The Origins of Career Development Affective and Career Education) across all
Practices in Singapore national schools for children below the age of
For many nations, the practice of career 16 by the late 1990s (Tan & Goh, 2002).
development originated from the field of From the 1990s, career development
counselling or university career services continued to spread from schools into the
(Pope, 2000). For Singapore, the push for workforce when the Public Employment
career development largely resulted from the Services (PES) was created. The earliest form
Government involvement. The Singapore of the PES was a Tripartite Committee
government adopted a Development State composed of the labor movement,
style, using government and policy government, and private sector
interventions for both social and economic representatives to develop reskilling and
affairs to develop their only main resource – employment support for retrenched workers
human capital (Low, 2001). This is also affected by the 1997 Asian financial crisis
depicted through international lenses (Monetary Authority of Singapore, 1998). In
(Yulisman, 2018). 2001, it evolved into a national Public
The Singapore Government first Employment Service, or PES network – also
introduced career development through named the Distributed CareerLink Network,
schools in the 1970s led by the Ministry of or DCN. The DCN was comprised of 13
Education (MOE). MOE underwent several service centers across the nation in 2001, and
phases of development to create an allowed displaced workers to access and
implementation model, resulting in a national receive employment assistance within the
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 37
heartland areas. (National Archives of WDA and e2i with CDF training, with many
Singapore, 2001). of them moving on to earn their GCDF
In 2003, Singapore faced economic crisis credential with NCDA.
again due to the Severe Acute Respiratory While each certified GCDF was able to
Syndrome (SARS) outbreak (Chew, 2018). integrate what they had learned from the CDF
The Government formed a public agency – course into their own practice, there was a
the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) need to infuse career development into
to provide reskilling, employment support, national policies and the services provided by
and further develop the PES. Through WDA, WDA and e2i. There was also a need to see
the DCN was streamlined into 5 career career development from a holistic, whole
centers and co-located together with a new life perspective, from school to work.
social, community, and welfare hub, known
as the Community Development Councils, or Career Development Practices as Part of
CDCs (Community Development Councils, Singapore’s Economic Plans
2018). The CDCs provided employment In 2013, the Government had started to
assistance services alongside social services, plan for the future of Singapore’s economic
community initiatives, and welfare agencies. strategy, and they did so through three public
In 2008, the PES was further strengthened consultations which led to recommendations
when the labor movement, government, and aimed at enhancing Singapore’s future
national employer body supported the economic success.
formation of the Employment and The Education Ministry completed its
Employability Institute (e2i) to provide more review on vocational school career pathways
employment support for workers displaced under the initiative for Applied Study in
due to the sub-prime financial crisis (e2i, Polytechnics and ITE Review, or ASPIRE, in
2018). 2013. The review recommended for formal
These initiatives formed the backdrop of education and career guidance to be
the early stages of career development implemented in all public schools for
services in Singapore. The WDA and e2i then children aged 11 onwards. (Ministry of
turned their focus to the development of their Education, 2014). Subsequently, the
officers to provide more forms of career Manpower Ministry completed its
support beyond training advice and job consultation with the public on adult skills
placement services. There was a need to help upgrading in 2014. Three key
workers proactively plan and manage recommendations were proposed as part of
transitions. The introduction of the NCDA the Continuing Education and Training
Global Career Development Facilitator review initiative named CET 2020
(GCDF) course helped to equip the officers to Masterplan (Workforce Singapore, 2014).
do this. One of the recommendations was to support
There were two pioneers who brought the the workforce in making informed learning
GCDF program into Singapore. Ms. Wong and career choices.
Sing Chee from Career Success Consulting In 2016, the Government formed a
was trained by the NCDA to deliver CDF Committee for Future Economies, or CFE, to
training in Singapore (WSG, 2018). She was do extensive industry consultation on
also the APCDA Country Director for Singapore’s future economy. Of the seven
Singapore between 2013 and 2018. Mr. Han recommendations proposed (Ministry of
Kok Kwang from Personal Mastery Communication and Information, 2017), one
Resources was trained by the NCDA to was focused on career and skills planning for
deliver CDF training, and he was the first the workforce, to enable skills acquisition by
APCDA Legacy Partner Lifetime Member workers to support growing industries.
(APCDA, 2019). Between them, they A common theme across ASPIRE, CET
equipped more than 150 officers from the 2020, and CFE was the need for better
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 38
preparation of workers, starting from schools, and public sectors. By 2017, a total of 97
to support future industries and economies ECG counsellors (Chan, 2016) were
which the Government recognized will be deployed to all secondary schools, junior
VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and colleges, and vocational institutes to deliver
Ambiguous). Workforce preparation included career development services to students and
continuous learning, skills acquisition, and parents. (Ministry of Education, 2019). This
career development, to prepare students and development was shared at the 2016 edition
the existing workforce to make better study of the APCDA Conference (Cheng & Tan,
and work choices, and to take ownership of 2016).
their career choices and development. SSG engaged a private service provider,
To implement the recommendations, the Kuder Inc., to develop a national career
Government restructured the WDA (Ministry development online resource, the
of Manpower, 2016) into Workforce MySkillsFuture.sg portal. The
Singapore (WSG), led by the Ministry of MySkillsFuture.sg portal is a national
Manpower. Its ongoing mission is to facilitate resource used to support self-help and guided
enterprise development and growth, and services and interventions for all
provide career services to both the workforce Singaporeans. It contains career exploration,
and enterprises under the Adapt and Grow profiling, and education pathways features to
suite of national programs (Workforce cater to students aged 11 and above. The same
Singapore, 2019a). Beyond the displaced portal is also used by the adult workforce to
workers, WSG also supports workers in allow them to do career assessments, explore
employment to prepare for career transitions training, and utilize public subsidies for
and career management. learning.
The Government also formed a new Development 2: Enhancement of Public
agency, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), led by Employment Services
the Ministry of Education, and was WSG went through a transformation after
intentionally named after the newly launched completing a review of the existing state of
national movement called SkillsFuture. Its
the PES, in consultation with Professor James
enduring goal is to sharpen the focus on P. Sampson of Florida State University. The
lifelong learning and skills development, result of the review was a re-branding and re-
starting from pre-employment to continuing modelling of the PES. In particular, WSG
education (SkillsFuture, 2019). The revamped its structure and the delivery of
SkillsFuture movement also serves as a PES services in 2017 (Workforce Singapore,
strategic social, economic, and human capital 2017), which gave rise to Careers Connect, a
integration mechanism and policy (Woo, service suite which committed to a different
2017), enabling Singapore and her people to approach in the following areas:
develop to their fullest potential, regardless of A shift from supporting the unemployed to
their starting points and junctures of their life- active outreach to all workers
stages or careers. A shift from a standard client service flow
Through these two new agencies, career to a tiered service model
development became infused into policies A shift from discretionary career
and the design of services. There are three assistance to structured and personalized
key developments pertaining to the field of career programs
career development.
Development 3: Professionalization of
Development 1: Centralised Education Career Development Practitioners
and Career Guidance An estimated 220 individuals are working
In 2015, the Ministry of Education began in the area of career development as
the recruitment and career development Education and Guidance Counsellors for
training of the Education and Career schools or Career Coaches at WSG and e2i.
Guidance (ECG) counsellors from the private
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 39
The WSG saw the importance in building up the Graduate Certificate in Career
the competency and professionalism of the Development by institutes such as Republic
Career Development practitioners. Polytechnic, Singapore University of Social
Sciences, and James Cook University,
Building Local Career Guidance
Competencies respectively. There are also various Formal /
In 2015, the Government partnered with Informal Assessment Tool Certifications
the US Centre for Credentialing Education such as Strong Interest Inventory, Myer
(CCE) to recognize a Career Development Briggs, Harrisons Assessment, Knowdell
Facilitator (CDF) program customized for Card Sorts, and coaching credentials from the
Singapore’s context. The same CDF program International Coaching Federation (ICF).
was also recognized under Singapore’s There are currently about 300 certified
vocational framework (known as the coaches registered in Singapore under ICF
Workforce Skills Qualification) as an and they specialize in different areas such as
Advance Certificate in Career Development life, business, career, and executive coaching.
Facilitation (WSQ ACCDF) (SkillsFuture, Creating a professional community
2016). The WSQ ACCDF became the In 2017 and 2018, two associations for
national program for career development career development practitioners were
training and was publicly offered to all formed to represent the practitioners as well
private and public practicing and aspiring as support the practitioners’ practice and
career practitioners. In 2018, the WSG learning needs. The People and Career
continued the early work done and developed Development Association (PCDA) was
a local competency and credential framework formed in December of 2017, and it carried
(Workforce Singapore, 2018a). The on earlier efforts by the Career Development
framework allowed practitioners to identify Interest Group (CDIG) – an informal group
the competencies required and offered them that brought the career development
credentials at four levels, ranging from community together to network and learn.
Certified Career Advisor, Certified Career PCDA is led by Ms. Wong Sing Chee and,
Practitioner, Certified Career Clinical under her leadership PCDA created a Code of
Supervisor, and the Certified Career Services Ethics for its members and worked with the
Manager. government to jointly organize communities
of practice, as well as the inaugural Career
Infusing International Practices
The introduction of the local framework Practitioner’s Conference in 2018 by
did not hamper the take-up of the Workforce Singapore (as cited in Wong,
international credentials such as those from 2018).
the National Career Development The Career Development Association of
Association (NCDA) or the Center for Singapore (CDAS) was launched in
Credentialing and Education (CCE). On the September of 2018 after much planning and
discussion among a group of career
contrary, it created more interests amongst
the public who became curious about development practitioners since the end of
becoming a Career Development Practitioner. 2016 (Career Development Association of
In Singapore, there continues to be easy Singapore, 2018). CDAS is led by Dr.
access to many different forms of career Timothy Hsi, and in the short time that they
development training such as, but not limited have been established, CDAS has already
to: Professional Credentials such as the held several learning and networking events
NCDA Facilitating Career Development and engagements with the local community.
program (FCD), Formal Local
Qualifications such as the Specialist
Diploma in Career Counselling, Graduate
Diploma in Professional Life-Coaching, and
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 40
Singapore’s Career Development Services metaphor – having a variety of policies,
Map programs, and services being co-developed
The definition of a tribe is a social by various actors in the spirit of Tripartism –
the various Singapore government bodies, the
community linked by a common trait or
purpose, and it typically has a recognized National Trades Union Congress (NTUC),
leader. It is appropriate to describe the current Education Institutions, Employers, Private
career development scene in Singapore as Providers, and the Professional Career
akin to a tribe, where multiple stakeholders Development Communities. All actors work
are involved in different areas of career together to form a continuum of career
development, yet all are working towards a development services for its citizens across
common purpose, as defined by the various life-stages. ‘The Village’, as Dr.
Government for the nation’s economic Roberta Neault postulates, is an integrated
interest. and system approach model in which all
Inspired by Dr. Roberta Neault’s work in actors in the country work together to enable
“It Takes a Village - Building and Sustaining individuals to access and actualize their
an Engaged Workforce”, the state of careers, and this is exactly what the Singapore
Singapore’s career development scene as of Village is currently observed to be doing as
2018 has been mapped in Table 1 on the next well. The map in Table 1 shows the career
page. Singapore’s current career development development services available for different
landscape also reflects similar characteristics populations; colour intensity highlights the
level of differentiated influence for each
as Dr. Roberta Neault’s village model and
population.
Table 1: Available Career Development Service by Population
Minimal Negligible or no influence on career Moderate Moderate influence on career
development development
Basic Some influence on career Intensive Strong influence on career
development development
Life Stage Early Years up Post Secondary Adult Retirement
to (age 16 to 20) (age 21 and above) (age 65 and
Secondary above)
Influences (age 13 to 16)
Families Parents provide career advice to their
own children.
Parents attend career talks at their
children’s schools, and in turn, share
relevant information with their children
Public Schools School Career Guidance Counsellors Schools focus on
provide career guidance related services CET for adults
to both students and their parents Schools provide
Teachers are trained to use online career career transition
guidance resources support through
reskilling
Employers / Businesses offer Businesses provide Businesses
Businesses apprenticeships, talent development offer reduced
roles to extend
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 41
internships, for workforce and beyond the
learning visits outplacement support retirement age
Industry Union give career Union provides Union also
Agencies, guidance directly to public employment incentivizes
Associations / graduates and services companies to
Union young working Associations and integrate
adults union facilitate technology
industry transitions and
Associations and manpower to
union partner the encourage
Government to longer careers
publish labor market
information
Career Services Service providers Service providers
Providers offer career offer career guidance
guidance directly to directly to the
graduates or workforce
alongside schools Service providers
provide outplacement
Service providers and recruitment
facilitate support
internships Service providers
conduct career
development
certification and
training
Non-Profits / Specialized career services support for segments of the
NGO population, such as the disabled and seniors
Government Career and Education Guidance in all Government provides Government
schools for children from age of 11 public employment implements
National online resource to support services active ageing
career guidance Government funds policies to
work transition delay
support and adult retirement,
learning incentivize
Government publish recruitment of
labor market the seniors,
information and promote
Government active ageing
develops local career
development
framework for
practitioners
skills, and values to make informed decisions
Schools at each key educational milestone to transit
The Education and Career Guidance well from school to further education or work.
(ECG) services in Singapore’s schools aim to Through ECG, social emotional
equip students with the necessary knowledge, competencies and qualities of proactivity,
adaptability, and resilience are developed to
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 42
prepare students for the 21st Century, to 4. Equip students with skills and means to
manage their careers and lifelong learning positively engage their parents and other
journeys (MOE, 2019a). career influencers. (Engaging the
The goals of ECG are as follows: Community)
1. Nurture students’ self-awareness, self- Since mid-2015, the ECG services have
directedness, and life skills for been delivered by ECG Counsellors who are
continuous learning and training. (Skills) centralized under the Ministry of Education
2. Enable students to explore viable (MOE) and deployed to Secondary and Pre-
education and career options through the University Schools, as well as the Post-
provision of accurate and comprehensive Secondary Education Institutions (PSEI). To
information. (Knowledge) meet the students’ developmental needs, the
3. Inculcate an appreciation for the value of ECG curriculum emphasizes different
all occupations and how they contribute aspects as students progress from across the
to the well-functioning of a society. different education levels, as seen in Table 2.
(Mindsets)
Table 2: ECG Curriculum Emphasis
Primary School Emphasis: Secondary School Emphasis: Upper / Post-Secondary
Awareness Exploration Emphasis:
Career Planning
To introduce students to the To deepen students’ To enable students to gather
wide array of occupations, understanding of self, and information from various
including new jobs created in relate schooling to different sources to make informed
this ever-changing world-of- education and career pathways educational and career decisions
work, through 11 hours of through 4 hours of ECG lesson through a minimum of 9 hours
Form Teacher Guidance delivery yearly. of explicit ECG lesson delivery
Period yearly. yearly.
Students will:
Students will develop an 1. Explore the career world. Students would learn to:
awareness in their: 2. Understand the relevant 1. Clarify their career self-
1. Interests, abilities, and courses of study. concept.
career aspirations. 3. Develop awareness of their 2. Develop skills in gathering
2. Relation of self to others skills, interests, and values. information.
and work. 3. Develop decision-making
3. Initial preferences in skills.
career roles assumed in
play.
In addition to guiding students, ECG The ECG Counsellors are supported by a
Counsellors also collaborate with schools and national online resource - the
a network of industry partners to organize MySkillsFuture.sg portal. It is a one-stop
activities for a holistic ECG experience. Over portal empowering students on a journey of
the past few years, ECG Counsellors have self-discovery, guiding them to make
been engaging educators and parents in ECG informed education and career choices.
discussions. For instance, most schools have There are updated resources, information,
Parent Support Groups where parents share and tools available to help students explore
their challenges and considerations in their role and plans amidst various education
supporting the career aspirations of their and career pathways.
children, whilst bearing in mind their Typically, students seek ECG counselling
children’s interests and aptitudes. to increase self-awareness of their personal
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 43
and career interests before choosing their options, and it allows the undergraduates to
post-secondary, pre-university, and future be aware of the types of support and services
career paths. Some of the difficulties they offered by the university. The universities
face include navigating the multiple also conduct specialized or specific
educational pathways and the numerous workshops to target common areas of need -
possibilities available within the national for example, in personal branding,
framework of education. Furthermore, many networking, resume writing, or interview
students face increased pressure after the skills.
release of the national examination results as Self Help Career Resources
they must choose from a wide range of 250 Some of the universities have online job
education course options across the PSEI: portals with features such as resume builders
five local polytechnics, three Institute of and article resources to help the
Technical Education Colleges, and 18 pre- undergraduates explore available
university institutions. At times, students may opportunities and prepare for their job
lack self-confidence in identifying their application.
career interests or accessing updated
information about their options. As such, Group / Individual Consultation
career guidance offers insights enabling them All universities have dedicated career
to make informed decisions by using various services teams to provide one-on-one and
tools to help them recognize their potential group consultation sessions for
and identify their work values in the future undergraduates who need deeper intervention
world of work. or guidance. This is usually seen as an
ECG Counselling Centers have also been intermediate level of service, beyond what
established at all five local polytechnics and the career guidance modules, workshops, and
three Institute of Technical Education self-help resources provide.
Colleges in Singapore. Within each PSEI Mentorship / Internship
center, there are six ECG Counsellors trained All universities require their
to offer a variety of Student Career Services undergraduates to go through internships
ranging from Career Interest and Profiling, programs as a mandatory component of their
Resume Writing, Internship and Scholarship undergraduate studies. The internship
Preparation, to providing updated Career programs typically last between three and six
Resources and information on University months; in some universities, undergraduates
pathways. are encouraged to complete more than one
internship program to build up their exposure
Universities to the corporate world. In addition to
Career services play an important role mandating internship programs, some of the
within the six independent national universities also tap on their alumni network
universities in Singapore. Unlike schools to create a mentorship program to match
where the ECG service is centralized, the undergraduates to industry mentors.
universities are given autonomy to build their Employer Services, Job and Networking
career services based on their undergraduates’ Activities
profile and fields of study. Across the six All universities have employer teams as
universities, there are generally five areas of part of their career services and these
career services provided. employer teams partner employers to bring
Career Guidance Modules / Workshops job opportunities to the graduating students.
Most of the universities have included The employer teams organize regular
career guidance as a core module of the employer job fairs and networking events to
university program. The content covered allow the graduating students to be connected
includes self-awareness and exploration of with work opportunities. The teams also work
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 44
with employers to increase employer need to mentally prepare the millennial
branding on campus. generation in Singapore for the realities of the
working world. The millennial generation in
As suppliers of fresh and trained workers Singapore sometimes harbour certain
into the various industries within Singapore’s expectations about employment packages,
economy, placement into employment resulting in procrastinated decision making
becomes a key measurement of success for when offered employment, for fear of settling
every university’s career services team. Each for a less-than-ideal employment package.
year, the universities participate in an Annual Many of them settle for short term solutions
Graduate Employment Survey, or GES where without consideration for longer term career
a nation-wide survey is conducted with consequences. As such, the career services
graduates to find out about their employment teams often need to take on a relational
status and salaries, six months after approach to guide the Millennials, to alert
graduation. As the GES is commissioned by them to blind spots, and encourage them to
the Ministry of Education (MOE), all make decisions and commitments.
universities view the GES with great
consideration. Labor Movement
Besides the GES, the business faculties of Since 1961, all the trade unions and union
each university also work towards the related associations in Singapore have been
renewal of their accreditation under the housed under a single trade union entity
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools known as the National Trades Union
of Business (AACSB, 2013) and the EFMD Congress (NTUC). Today, NTUC comprises
Quality Improvement System (EQUIS). To 59 affiliated trade unions, five affiliated trade
renew the accreditations, the undergraduates’ associations, 12 social enterprises, as well as
perception towards the career development six related organizations. There are 32
services offered in the universities are heavily professional guilds in 22 sectors that partner
considered as well. with NTUC. NTUC strives to help working
To facilitate placement of graduates into people of all collars, ages, and nationalities to
employment, the career services teams need achieve gainful employment through better
to be a bridge between the employers and the jobs, thereby having better lives through
graduates. In recent years, employers better skills and wages. NTUC seeks to
increasingly look beyond the usual Grade- accomplish this by protecting the rights and
Point Average (GPA), internship experiences, advancing the interests of the employed and
and co-curricular activities when it came to their families. NTUC also strives to help the
selection and recruitment of graduates. New employed remain employable for life,
approaches to selecting the best-fit graduates enhance the social status and well-being of its
have emerged – such approaches include union members and the employed, as well as
involving undergraduates and graduates in build a strong, responsible, and caring labor
organization presentations, company visits, movement. As a representative of all workers,
hackathons, as well as case competitions NTUC complements the Government’s role
where undergraduates present solutions on in driving economic transformation by
business cases posed by the companies. establishing several initiatives and
Consequently, the career services teams also touchpoints to serve the different segments of
shoulder the responsibility of preparing the the workforce through Tripartism with
undergraduates well to participate, perform, Government, Unions, and Employers
impress, and ultimately, be considered for working together (National Trades Union
employment opportunities. Congress, 2019a).
Besides adapting to new approaches of Beyond championing for worker rights
employment selection as adopted by and well-being, NTUC plays an important
companies, the career services teams also role in workforce development. As a
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 45 representative of all workers, NTUC namely Drive, Influence, Focus, and Network complements the Government’s role in in one’s career to measure the motivation and driving economic transformation by working drive of an individual to develop their career. with Singapore’s Trade and Industry Ministry The tool enables workers to be aware of the on their 23 Industry Transformation Map attributes required for adapting to new ways (MTI 2018), which was announced and of work and responding to opportunities for debated in the Singapore parliament in 2018. career growth and progression. The One such effort is to form Company Training Employability Coach uses the results as a Committees (CTCs), with unions working conversation starter to help the individual closely with companies to help both workers focus on an important factor to start work on. and companies transform for the future. Career Navigator NTUC aims to have CTCs in 1,000 It helps an individual plan better for their companies across all six industries, to benefit career through personality assessments some 330,000 workers, in the next three years. followed by understanding and integrating (National Trades Union Congress, 2019b). the results with their career goals. This CTCs’ main goal is to help upskill workers to information is useful in their career “Workers 4.0” in parallel with their development discussion with the companies’ transformations and therefore employability coach further upstream. remain relevant in a Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) world Win the Interview economy. A bite-sized four hour workshop for job To provide a one-stop service to equip seekers on the latest interview techniques in workers with the right mindset, skills, and job preparation for challenging interview opportunities to stay employable for life, questions and to project a confident self NTUC, with support by the Singapore Labor during an interview. Foundation (SLF) and Singapore National Win the Search Employers Federation (SNEF), formed the A four hour interactive workshop that Employment and Employability Institute shares practical steps in crafting an effective (e2i) in 2008. e2i plays a key role in the resume and increase their chances of getting employment and employability landscape by selected for interviews by gaining more partnering Government agencies, training visibility, explore new methods of job search, providers and employers to address and cover all aspects of their job hunt. manpower gaps, drive job re-creation, and collaborate on industry transformation Group Coaching for Professionals projects. Since 2008, e2i has assisted more (GCFP) than 700,000 individuals through career Designed to support white collared guidance, professional development, and job workers who are at the crossroads as they matching services. With an extensive embark on their career transitions. GCFP network of partners, e2i offers hiring, training, utilize new & hybrid approaches to support and productivity solutions to businesses. one’s employability skills and will span over Across the nation, e2i operates two main four weeks. service centers as well as multiple Career Fairs touchpoints in partnership with government Conducted with partners to match suitable agencies to provide job-matching services jobseekers with vacancies. This enables job and professional career guidance to all locals. seekers to meet employers face-to-face and The services are free and delivered by trained showcase positive attributes that may not be career coaches. easily articulated in a resume. Some Career Career Pit Stop Fairs such as Industry 4.0 Career Fair has This self-assessment tool acts as a career- upskilling elements included. health check on four important factors © 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development Journal
It Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 46
Skills Training its service philosophy, service model, and
Based on market demand, ei2 supports IT program suites. This resulted in the
Literacy and emerging skills training as well development of new services for job seekers,
as job-specific programs. These could come created under the ‘Career CARE360’ to
in the form of masterclasses, pre-employment improve service efficacy (Seow, 2017;
training, or structured on-the-job training Workforce Singapore, 2018), along with an
with industry partners. array of other Career-Matching Providers
Place and Train / Professional Conversion (CMPs). The CARE360 comprises four
Program structured programs and interventions
Customize structured on-the-job training catered for different career needs.
programs to address manpower shortages and Career Catalyst
to tackle skills-gaps of jobseekers. The Career Catalyst is a structured,
Career Trial comprehensive, and modularized one-to-one
career coaching program which encapsulates
Allows jobseekers without prior
experience to try out a new job and for several modern career development practices
employers to evaluate their on-the-job that aim to help jobseekers chart their career
performance before offering employment. direction and/or transition and prepare them
for the job search process.
Job Redesign Programs and Inclusive
Growth Program Career Activator
Support transformation of companies to The Career Activator is a workplace-based
increase work efficiency and share exploratory and learning journey, where
productivity gains with low-wage-workers in jobseekers will be given an opportunity to
the form of wage increase or bonuses. immerse themselves in the employer’s work
environment to ascertain fit for the given role.
Government Career Energizer
The Workforce Singapore (WSG) agency The Career Energizer provides a slew of
is the designated public agency for driving deep-dive employability and job search
career development practices and the national workshops, designed to help jobseekers
competency framework for career quickly ramp up their job search strategies.
development practitioners, as well as Career 360
providing Public Employment Services. Career 360 is a peer support and talent-
WSG seeks to benefit both the employed and employer engagement program, where ready
the unemployed locals with its services. jobseekers would meet with the employers.
Across the nation, WSG operates three
service centers to provide job-matching To better engage and encourage locals to
services and professional career guidance to seek assistance from the WSG service
all locals. The services are free and delivered touchpoints, WSG also remodelled and
by trained career coaches. To support the rebranded itself as ‘Careers Connect’ on the
service centers, WSG also operates a national 19th of July, 2017 (Workforce Singapore,
jobs portal, the MyCareersFuture.sg portal, 2017). WSG also embarked on an online and
which aims to consolidate all job vacancies in offline marketing campaign to showcase the
Singapore and facilitate self-help efforts for types of career development interventions
job search. and benefits experienced by past clients.
Over the past few years, WSG has
continued to progress in the fields of career Private Career Services Providers
development, career services delivery and While the majority of the career services
modelling, and programs design. One major in Singapore are provided without charge by
recent development was the remodelling of the Government, the schools, and the Labor
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 47
Movement, there are some private enterprises conduct workshops, one-to-one guidance,
which provide a spectrum of related paid and impart job search skills.
career services in Singapore. The services Career Coach Certification / Training
they provide augment the existing services,
Providers
supporting Singapore’s Career Development These providers conduct training and
Services Map, by filling service gaps and certification of career coaches.
providing specialized expertise in new areas
such as information technology. Moving Career Development Forward in
The private service providers in Singapore Singapore
are usually unable to survive solely on a
direct Business-2-Consumer model because, While Singapore’s career development
given the Asian context, many are unwilling profession has gone through much
to approach career coaches for help, and development and planning, especially in the
many are unwilling to pay for career guidance. last five years, more challenges lie ahead for
Those willing to seek help can approach the the nation.
Government, the schools, and the Union to Singapore’s educational institutes
receive free career services instead. As a currently face a challenge in keeping up with
result, many of the career service providers the rapid changes in the economy and the
survive on Business-2-Business (for example, industries. The institutions struggle as they
working with Human Resources and Talent are uncertain if the current training delivered
Development) and/or Business-2- to their students will continue to be industry-
Government (for example, Government relevant in the near future. Both the
supported services) revenue models. employers and the graduates are also equally
These services can be broadly classified concerned about the latter’s job readiness and
into five areas. effectiveness. As such, the approach to
education needs to be redefined – it has to
Overseas Career Services Providers move away from certification and towards
These providers partner with the constant learning, accompanied by real work
Government to strengthen the Public experiences. The Ministry of Education has
Employment Services, bringing in already changed some of the education
experiences and expertise from overseas. policies and pathways to adapt to this shift.
They conduct career guidance programs, (MOE, 2019b).
impart job search skills, and provide job The rapid pace of technology adoption and
placement support. its disruption to businesses is slowly making
Online Career Services employees realize the frailty of their
These providers provide online job / career employment. While many employees still
platforms with specialized algorithms and expect Human Resources to prepare them for
artificial intelligence. Their services center reskilling or transition to new roles, the onus
around job recommendations and skills gap of career management has slowly shifted to
identification. individual employees. Today, we see greater
interest from the public in seeking answers
In-Employment Career Service Providers and direction for their career and skills. These
These providers work with corporations to developments are also starting to reflect the
support their overall Human Resources concept which Patton and McMahon (2006)
functions, including recruitment, talent wrote about in their overarching framework
management, and outplacement. where individuals do not exist in seclusion,
Specialised Career Services Providers but as part of a larger system. This is
These providers develop specialized / reflective of what the Singapore Government
innovative career guidance methods and is observed to be doing here – a system which
Patton and McMahon (1999) also coined as
© 2019 by Asia Pacific Career Development JournalIt Takes a Village: Meet the Singapore Career Development Tribe 48
‘Organisational System’ to more closely than before. New entities such
‘Environmental/Societal System’. In it, as enterprise Human Resources and non-
several entitles such as governmental, non- profit agencies may be included into the tribe
government, and for-profits would provide to contribute their flavor of career
support and services for a lifetime of career development. Technology should become an
transitions, whether if it is voluntary or enabler towards individual ownership of their
involuntary. career development, as well as provide data
As talent mobility increases and the to support national workforce development.
millennial workers’ expectation changes, HR To support its economic plans, the
professionals are starting to see greater value Government can play a strategic role in
in incorporating career development developing a young-to-old national career
interventions into various parts of the HR development philosophy or blueprint as an
lifecycle, such as the recruitment and the intervention, where the best of private and
talent management frameworks, in spite of public career service providers can partner
the lack of expertise and experience. with each other to provide services to benefit
With increased life expectancy, Singapore the public.
faces an ageing working population as baby Given the cornucopia of influences and
boomers continue to work beyond the current initiatives in the realm of career development
stipulated retirement age of 62. Coupled with in Singapore, the writers understand the need
the likelihood of the Government increasing to elaborate and address culture issues such
the retirement age further, baby boomers in as cultivating and integrating Eastern beliefs
Singapore will need policies, assistance, and of lifelong loyalty towards one single
initiatives to help them construct a new employer and the Western practices and
narrative for their careers, with greater focus beliefs towards constant learning and
on life and health, beyond work. development through different organizations.
Lastly, the society, the corporations, and More research and studies will need to be
the Government will need to increase done to understand how these cultural issues
workplace inclusivity for the disadvantaged influence the development of policies and
groups with behavioural, mental, and services by the various actors within ‘The
physical challenges. This may be done by Village’ in Singapore.
creating societal awareness, changing As career development professionals in
employer and society mindsets, providing Singapore, perhaps the most challenging and
customized services, and implementing pressing matter is to redefine ourselves
policies to enable these groups to have a beyond what we have always been doing. We
meaningful career too. Today, services for the must challenge ourselves to understand our
disadvantaged groups center around clients better, break traditional formats of
specialized or segmented tasks which the career development interventions, develop
clients in these groups can successfully carry customized yet practical and effective
out and are largely dependent on a small solutions to help the clients, and see career
handful of accommodating employers. Much development as a larger system than our one-
of the career development interventions today to-one or group interventions.
are also catered to the mainstream population.
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