SINGAPORE -A series of courses will be rolled out to train human resource professionals so that they are better equipped to take care of the interests of workers in their companies.

The training modules, which covers topics such as industrial relations and changes in the Employment Act, have been developed by the labour movement, the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Singapore Human Resources Institute.

The courses, which will be conducted over one to two days, will be introduced by the third quarter of this year.

Labour chief Chan Chun Sing said: "We want to help HR professionals gain the skills needed to move up in their careers. With better knowledge and expertise they will be able to take care of workers better too."

He was speaking to reporters at the sidelines of a conference on Tuesday for human resource professionals, organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and SHRI.

The conference, which was attended by over 400 HR professionals, company bosses and union leaders, featured talks by HR experts and senior executives from companies.

Mr Chan said NTUC will also be organising more talks on HR issues regularly for professionals in the field.

"It is important that they refresh their knowledge... and meet one another regularly to share ideas and learn from one another," he added.