Employers band together to boost support for NS
New group launched to formulate ideas for ground-up initiatives to benefit NSmen
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Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How and group chairman of InfoFabrica Holdings Abu Bakar Mohd Nor greeting one another at the launch event for the Community of Practice of NS Advocates. The idea for such a community is to sustain NS advocacy efforts in the employer and business community, says Mindef.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
A mentorship programme, a fitness app, and courses in career education and human resources were among initiatives for operationally-ready national servicemen (NSmen) mooted by a group of employers yesterday.
Called the Community of Practice of NS Advocates, the group was launched by Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How at The Chevrons in Jurong to support NSmen through ground-up initiatives.
The group of 33 employers includes members of the Ministry of Defence's (Mindef's) Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence (Accord), trade associations and business owners.
Among them was group chairman of cloud computing firm InfoFabrica Holdings Abu Bakar Mohd Nor; managing director of CTES Consulting Christina Tin; and director for corporate relations and communication at Qoo10 Sam Too.
The idea for such a community was meant to sustain national service advocacy efforts in the employer and business community, strengthen support for national service, and proliferate support for national service as a national culture, said Mindef.
At yesterday's event, the group discussed ideas that can eventually be scaled up to benefit more NSmen.
Five ideas in the pipeline are: a career education programme, a fitness app to encourage NSmen employees to keep fit, a mentorship programme for younger NSmen taking on leadership roles during their in-camp training, courses in human resources and skills upgrading in logistics and supply chain management.
To encourage skills upgrading in the last instance, Accord worked with the Singapore Logistics Association to award a Specialist Certificate in Logistics Management, which will be launched by the end of the year.
The Singapore Human Resources Institute signed a pledge for a three-year HR Development Support for NSmen earlier this month for NSmen to enjoy a one-year complimentary membership with the institute to widen their network in the HR community in Singapore.
NSmen can also access monthly webinars and attend job preparation sessions.
A fitness app by Elxr allows NSmen to participate in various fitness programmes through a collaboration with the Singapore Sports Hub.
Mr Abu Bakar, who is a member of Accord, said the five initiatives that have been identified would need to be fine-tuned.
"We believe that these are five main things that resonate with both NSmen and businesses. But as the community progresses, we hope that more members can look at these ideas and ask how they want to chip in and expand them," he said.
Mr Heng, who participated in the discussion, said: "The quality of ideas and the robust conversations we had today are the strongest signs of the high level of commitment and support that our employers and businesses give to NS and NSmen."
He added that he hopes the community of practice can facilitate and amplify these efforts, so that NSmen's contributions are better recognised and acknowledged by employers and businesses.
