Community-led scheme to offer year-long help for job seekers

Job seekers living in West Coast and Pioneer have more avenues to find employment and get career advice, thanks to a year-long jobs programme that started yesterday.

The scheme includes virtual job fairs that will offer more than 500 immediate job vacancies from 50 employers across different industries, for positions such as retail assistants, sales executives analysts and engineers, said a People's Association statement.

Most of the jobs are in the western part of Singapore. Self-service kiosks will be set up at five community centres and clubs in the area from the middle of next month with about 100 volunteers trained to provide basic career advice at the sites.

This initiative by West Coast GRC, Pioneer SMC, the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and the South West Community Development Council is the first community-led jobs programme since the Covid-19 outbreak began here in January.

Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran said the ground-up programme is meant to complement the National Jobs Council formed last month.

"Because, while we have these programmes at the broad national level working through our agencies, we do need an initiative and movement on the ground, because that will help to bring the message closer to the residents," added Mr Iswaran, who was speaking after a digital ambassadors outreach effort at West Coast Market Square.

Mr Iswaran, who is also an MP for West Coast GRC, suggested the initiative could be extended to other areas, saying: "What we are doing here is a first but I'm sure that there will be many more to come."

The Government has set aside about $2 billion to create around 100,000 jobs, traineeships and training opportunities as part of the Fortitude Budget announced last month.

The West Coast and Pioneer initiative involves kiosks to be set up at five community centres and clubs - Telok Blangah, Ayer Rajah, Boon Lay, West Coast and The Frontier - from the middle of next month.

These kiosks are meant primarily for job seekers who do not have access to smartphones or have difficulty finding jobs online. Residents can search for positions based on job function and geographical proximity.

More than 100 grassroots volunteers will be trained next month by coaches from e2i to provide basic advice at the self-service kiosks on Fridays and Saturdays.

The virtual job fair rolled out on Monday - offering posts in industries such as retail, healthcare, biomedical and manufacturing - was visited by over 1,000 people on its first day. The fair will run until July 3 and can be accessed here.

Small-scale physical job fairs to be held once a month or even more frequently will start once Covid-19 restrictions are eased.

South West Community Development Council vice-chairman Ang Wei Neng, who is also an MP for Jurong GRC, said: "The jobs programme is not a one-off. It is a 12-month programme that helps match good jobs with the residents, links the residents with suitable training and coaching lessons when they are searching for jobs and, more importantly, walk with them throughout the journey.

"As long as the residents have the willingness to acquire new skills and have the right attitude, we will help them to be employed."

A virtual dialogue focusing on jobs and skills upgrading was held on Tuesday, involving Mr Iswaran, other West Coast GRC MPs, Pioneer MP Cedric Foo, Mr Ang, e2i chief executive Gilbert Tan and Social and Family Development Minister Desmond Lee.