A progressive employer encourages young employees to take on new roles at work.
The Upskilling Journey of a Young Employee
Tan Jia Ru transited from retail service staff to administration and warehouse executive in just one year after she started working at Garage Flower. The Director of Garage Flower believes in Jia Ru’s potential, despite her young age of 25. The company signed her up for the Career Conversion Programme (CCP) which includes five months of structured on-the-job training.
During the training, Jia Ru picked up relevant skills to help her thrive in her new role, such as Microsoft Excel functions that aided her in monitoring and organising information. Even though the lessons were online, Jia Ru received full support from her company. Whenever she encountered difficulties or had doubts, she would reach out to her mentor who would guide her patiently.
Jia Ru’s friends and family also found the CCP beneficial to her personal and professional development. Her previous job scope only covers flower arrangement and customer service. However, after attending the Excel training course, Jia Ru is now confident in performing warehouse inventory management. She added that the CCP is helpful for individuals looking to move into new occupations or sectors with good prospects.
Work environment and company management are the two factors that matter most to Jia Ru in a job. She is thankful for the nurturing work environment at Garage Flower and the support from her Director and colleagues. Likewise, the company values forward-thinking employees who are like Jia Ru.
Career Conversion Programme from an Employer’s Perspective
The CCP brings value to companies in terms of hiring and staff retention. The Director of Garage Flower shared that the CCP is a “helpful scheme that can truly allow my company to retain someone who has excellent potential but without requisite knowledge and skills.” The company also found the CCP helpful to the floristry industry by equipping mid-career switchers with relevant industry knowledge and skillsets.
Garage Flower learned about the CCP through NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i). With e2i’s help, they implemented a tailored training plan and onboarded Jia Ru for the programme. The company thanked e2i for their prompt replies and support during the application process.
With business expansion plans in the pipeline, Garage Flower intends to send more employees in both technical and non-technical job roles for training. The company explained that specialised training is more costly and requires a longer commitment. Furthermore, technical job positions typically command a higher salary. Hence, they are looking into funding for the hiring and training of these positions. For non-technical roles, the company will conduct in-house training to allow existing employees to take on mentoring roles.
Application for the Career Conversion Programme
Serving as a bridge between progressive companies and individuals, the CCP creates win-win partnerships. Garage Flower is a case in point.
For more information on the CCPs, contact e2i
at https://e2i.com.sg/contact-us/enquiries/general-enquiries or
visit https://e2i.com.sg/businesses/training/career-conversion-programme.
To find out more about Garage Flower, you may visit https://gflowerwholesale.com/
