Relook Spring certification criteria

It is stated on enterprise development agency Spring Singapore's website that with effect from next year, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) seeking Capability Development Grant (CDG) support for consultancy-related costs under their upgrading projects will have to engage management consultants who possess Spring-recognised certification.

Management consultants can get certification from one of Spring's three appointed certification bodies: the Institute of Management Consultants (Singapore), Singapore PMC Certification, and TUV SUD PSB.

I run a creative agency, and one of the services we provide is brand strategy development - a development area supported by Spring's CDG.

We are not a management consultant by any means, but in order for our SME clients to get a grant from Spring for brand strategy development, we have to pay upwards of $3,000 to one of the certification bodies.

In our case, it is tantamount to a firm with industry experience and know-how being required to attain certification from a body that does not, itself, possess the relevant competency.

How does this benefit the SME which needs help in brand strategy development, and the agency providing the expertise?

Cai Kaixin (Miss)

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