Engineer Tan Kian Heng graduated last November with first class honours within one and a half years – all while holding a full-time job.

His course fees of around $14,000 were fully sponsored by his employer Alcon under a scheme called the Alcon Education Assistance Programme. 

“It’s a great programme. Everything was paid for by the company,” says Mr Tan, whose previous highest educational qualification was a specialist diploma. 

While Alcon is not unique in offering staff sponsorship for further education, it stands out for the extent to which it lends its support to their learning journey.

For example, Mr Tan’s supervisor made sure he was able to focus on his studies by allowing him a flexible work schedule when he was pursuing the bachelor’s degree in safety, health and environmental management from May 2021 to August 2022. 

“My supervisor ensured that my workload wasn’t too heavy when my project deadlines were near,” says Mr Tan, a senior health, safety and environment engineer at Alcon whose role involves ensuring safety standards and protocols are adhered to in the company’s manufacturing processes.

Mr Tan, 40, even received permission from his supervisor to implement new safety procedures in his actual work projects and use the results as a basis for his academic assignments, which enabled him to complete his coursework more quickly. After graduating, he was able to apply new skills gained from school to his work at Alcon. 

Continuous learning

The Alcon Education Assistance Programme was introduced in 2008 to encourage employees on manufacturing sites to pursue a diploma, degree or master’s course relevant to their work, as long as they have worked there for at least two years and performed well in their job.

Each year, between two and five employees are granted the sponsorship to enrol in part-time courses, including diplomas, accreditation programmes, undergraduate degrees and master’s degrees. The average value of the sponsorship is around $25,000. More than 60 employees have benefitted from the programme.

Mr Wong Chiak Wu, a general manager at Alcon Manufacturing & Logistics (a sister company of Alcon), says having such a scheme not only benefits the employee but also helps the company build “high-performing teams that deliver superior results”.

“In a highly automated and advanced manufacturing environment, equipping our associates with the necessary knowledge and broadening their skill sets are essential for their career development and, at the same time, achieving our business goals,” he says.

Adds Mr Thirunavukkarasu Ramasamy, a general manager at Alcon Singapore Manufacturing (another sister company of Alcon): “We believe that the programme allows the associate to build loyalty to the company. If they return to Alcon after gaining more experience elsewhere, that will indeed benefit Alcon as well.”

Developing new skills

Besides encouraging staff members to upskill within their areas of expertise, Alcon is also highly supportive of employees who wish to try new things.

Mr Chintan Desai, Alcon’s vice-president for the Asia-Pacific region, says: “As an associate transitions to their new role, there is a concrete onboarding and training plan prepared for the associate by their manager, and plenty of coaching and mentoring is also offered.”

Quality executive Jenny Tan is a good example. She joined the company in 2012 and worked in the quality system and quality operations departments before requesting for a transfer to a manufacturing role that involved operating machinery.

Ms Tan, 42, says she had wanted to try a hands-on role to make use of her technical background as she had a diploma in precision engineering and industrial engineering. 

Her managers were supportive of the request and provided her with guidance and mentorship to help her improve her technical knowledge. She was also tasked with managing a team of 10 during her three-year stint in manufacturing, giving her the opportunity to sharpen her leadership and communication skills. 

“The great thing about Alcon is that the company always does its best to unleash the potential of its employees, encouraging us to upgrade our skills or take on new challenges,” she says.

Ms Tan’s leadership skills were put to the test when she returned to the quality operations department in 2018 to supervise a team of her peers. The company, which was rated among the top employers in Singapore according to global research firm Statista in collaboration with The Straits Times, also nominated her to attend a leadership training programme and learn from team leaders at other Alcon sites overseas.

Says Ms Tan: “My former colleagues in quality operations welcomed me back to the supervisory role. This is such an encouragement to me. It’s the team spirit we have here at Alcon. I hope to be able to use what I’ve learnt from my previous supervisors to do a good job.”