Elitez Pte Ltd taps on e2i’s Place-and-Train initiative to grow both its talent pool and business.
As one of the largest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) promoter management agencies in Singapore, Elitez Pte Ltd understands the competitive advantage of finding the right talent in an instant.
Besides providing support for direct and retail store marketing for numerous established global FMCG market leaders, Elitez Pte Ltd has expanded to growing industries such as logistics, healthcare, F&B and technology to provide a full spectrum of HR services.
Although it already has a strong presence in Singapore, Elitez Pte Ltd is looking to continuously grow and expand into regional markets like Malaysia, Cambodia, and Myanmar. This mission requires trained business development executives who can deftly identify and support potential clients from the various diverse industries to meet their manpower needs.
Bringing millennial hires up to speed with NTUC Employment and Employability Institute’s (e2i) Place-and-Train program
To source for such talents, Elitez Pte Ltd has partnered NTUC’s e2i for years. The company started with participating in e2i’s job fairs before progressing to the Place-and-Train (P&T) program, which was introduced by e2i in 2017. Elitez Pte Ltd found the P&T program attractive as the company could hire millennials from different industries with low or no experience, then quickly equip them with the right knowledge and skills to perform their roles.
Based on the requirements of their positions, Elitez Pte Ltd arranged for their new staff to undergo internal on-the-job training, which was supplemented by external courses that the company could not fulfill internally. When the six-month training was completed, the trained staff were offered an opportunity to move up the career ladder with a wage increment, supported by e2i.
Via the Place-and-Train program, Elitez Pte Ltd hired and trained three millennials: Eugene Yeo, 32; Sebastian Ng, 31; and Timothy Wong, 25, who have since been working at Elitez Pte Ltd for one to two years after their training ended.
Boosting adaptive skills such as confidence and communication
Although Yeo and Ng have had priors experiences in the recruitment industry, Wong joined fresh from F&B. The training courses gave the latter more confidence to pitch and explain Elitez Pte Ltd’s services to its clients, with the better ability to communicate effectively and understand the types of communication via the Personal Effectiveness Course.
Wong said, “Under the Place-and-Train program, I learnt how to effectively manage clients and candidates, and improved my soft skills to network more effectively with people. Other notable training courses that helped were ‘How to Lead by Example’ and ‘PDPA Compliance’, and I appreciated how the trainers in the courses were very insightful.”
Skills transfer via education and experience sharing
This sentiment was echoed by both Yeo and Ng, who praised the trainers for being open to feedback, always ready to answer their questions and guide the class along. During the Place-and-Train program, they had the opportunity to hear insights from classmates who came from different industries.
This diversity of experiences was especially useful to the new Business Development Executives who agreed that education, experience and open sharing go hand in hand together to support an individual’s career growth.
Yeo shared, “It (the Place-and-Train program) has provided me with hands-on practical skills to improve and enhance my employability. At the same time, I learnt how to be more outgoing and outspoken, which are really useful attributes for my job as a recruiter.”
Confidence was Ng’s key takeaway, as he found that the Place-and-Train program allowed him to be able to present himself in a more confident way, especially during his sales presentation towards potential prospects.
“One really useful lesson that I have taken away is that confidence is usually the first key towards gaining peoples’ trust in you. It can be portrayed by the image you present as well as the tonality that was used. I recommend this program to others who are looking to upgrade their skill sets, especially their soft skills such as communication and confidence display,” Ng said.
During the interview, the millennials emphasised one key skill that equipped them with a great feedback mechanism for learning: reflective skills.
“Reflective practice can help me to develop creative thinking skills, and encourages active engagement in work processes,” Yeo said.
Ng concurred, “I usually use it to reflect on my weekly activities and understand where went wrong and how I can do better especially during my presentation towards prospect clients.”
How the Place-and-Train program benefits both companies and workers
Elitez Pte Ltd expressed how glad and satisfied they were with NTUC’s e2i’s support in the entire process of training their millennial recruits to quickly adapt to the company’s culture and fit into their roles. The company was able to structure their training to prepare the new staff to handle both local and regional businesses in view of expansion and company’s development.
In addition, the Place-and-Train program enabled the trainees to secure a job with low or no experience, attend structured training, receive competitive wages upon completion, and have learning opportunities to be able to grow together with the company.
For more information Elitez Pte Ltd, visit https://www.facebook.com/ElitezSG/ and https://e2i.com.sg/businesses/training/customised-training-initiatives/
