From media relations to training: What does a civilian generalist actually do?

You don’t always have to be on the frontlines to play a part in keeping Singapore safe. Mr Joseph Chan, 31, senior manager at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), is proof. The Civilian Generalist, who’s currently in MHA’s Training and Competency Development Division, where he focuses on developing training policies, says, “Our work is meaningful and has a direct impact on the country. What I do helps to equip both uniformed and civilian officers across the Home Team with skills to do their work well.”

Mr Chan, who’s also on the Home Team Leaders-in-Development Programme, shares the advantages of being a Civilian Generalist and how he’s kept inspired as he’s given new opportunities to explore different areas of work within MHA.

If you feel a calling to contribute to keeping Singapore safe and secure, then being a Civilian Generalist in MHA is a good way to do so. We are constantly picking up new skills and knowledge throughout our career, and are given the opportunity to try out various areas of work, such as policy, operations planning, communications and community engagement.

We are also given the opportunity to gain deeper subject matter expertise if we wish to specialise in certain domains. For instance, I could continue to deepen my skills in the communications domain by moving to relevant roles across different Home Team agencies in the future.

I studied communications in university and was looking for a related post in the Public Service during my final semester. I came across an opening in the Media Relations Directorate under the MHA Headquarters (HQ) and decided to apply for the job in 2017.

There, I was involved in handling media-related matters including managing media queries and coverage, crafting press releases, as well as organising media engagement sessions. The role was fast-paced and challenging, and I learned the importance of providing timely and accurate information to the media, especially in the event of crises.

During my media relations stint, I worked with my colleagues across the Home Team on areas such as civil defence, our community response to the threat of terrorism, rehabilitation and drug-related matters. Other memorable pieces that I’ve handled include the publicity for our Home Team Festival, the Fire Safety Act and the formation of the Gambling Regulatory Authority. I was also involved in handling media matters during the 2020 General Elections and the Trump-Kim Summit in 2018.

I also organised media visits to Government Quarantine Facilities (GQFs) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Amidst the uncertainties when Covid-19 first hit in 2020, we still felt it was important to inform the public about what went on in the GQFs, as well as to assure them that the Home Team was doing its best to tackle the pandemic. It was a logistical challenge, but we pulled it off in the end.

As Civilian Generalists, we are encouraged to rotate between job postings every few years – especially as newer officers. After more than three years in media relations, I wanted to try something different and, in 2021, was posted to the Training and Competency Development Division, where I now develop policies and frameworks to equip our Home Team officers to perform their immediate roles more effectively and be ready to tackle future challenges.

No, on the contrary, my supervisor was very supportive and encouraged me to try out different roles to better understand different aspects of the Home Team’s work, and discover where my interests and strengths lie. There are 12 domain areas across the 11 Home Team agencies that MHA Civilian Generalists can choose to move across to develop a variety of competencies, and we are encouraged to do so.

Training is a constant, iterative process in the Home Team. A lot of my work involves brainstorming, strategic planning and coordination. Currently, I focus on developing new policies or reviewing existing ones to ensure the officers’ training remains relevant and useful for their work.

We enable our civilian officers to receive up-to-date training through milestone programmes, work with our Home Team departments to optimise training resources across MHA, and implement initiatives to improve the physical fitness of our uniformed workforce. Civilian Generalists are also scheduled for various programmes at different stages of our career, to ensure that we are equipped for our current and future roles.

I’m particularly proud of the work I did to review the fitness policy for Home Team full-time national servicemen (NSFs) to ensure that our NSFs are prepared to carry out their roles. As our NSFs perform important operational roles, we had to optimise their training programmes to ensure that they are physically fit to handle the demands of their duties.

Training programmes always take into account the needs of the officers who will be undergoing the training, and it is essential that their views are incorporated in the process. This ensures the training is relevant and also prepares them for the future. We regularly engage our counterparts across the Home Team to seek their views, and also gather feedback from participants of our programmes and initiatives to continually refine them.

A common misconception people have is that “training” just entails attending a physical lesson in a classroom setting when, in fact, training in the Home Team is done in a variety of formats, ranging from bite-sized e-learning to the use of simulation technology such as virtual reality training to simulate realistic operating environments.

People may also have the stereotype that organisational training takes time away from their real work. However, there is a strong culture of training and learning in MHA and officers are encouraged to attend training. For example, time is intentionally set aside in MHA HQ for all officers, regardless of seniority, to attend regular training sessions – sometimes, we even have senior management as our coursemates!

We also constantly find ways to inject some fun and excitement into our training. For example, during the World Cup season last year, a football-themed townhall was held, and my colleagues and I shared about digital skills training for my colleagues in MHA HQ. But this came with a twist – we tied in with the theme, dressed up as “football coaches” and presented the session in a skit format. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity, and the session was well-received by my colleagues as well!

It’s a leadership development programme for young Home Team officers. Being on it has provided me with developmental opportunities and exposure to the various issues that MHA deals with, outside of my own job scope.

Since joining the programme, I’ve had the opportunity to take on other projects outside of the training domain to look at various issues the Home Team faces, network with other like-minded Home Team officers, and participate in a range of activities such as seminars, dialogues and learning journeys across the Home Team. For instance, I was part of an inter-Home Team agency project team which looked at drug-related trends and the implications on Singapore.

Such projects allow Home Team Leaders-in-Development officers to contribute their perspectives on important security-related issues that cut across the Home Team. Personally, participating in the project has given me a better and deeper appreciation of the wider scope of MHA’s work and its impact on the security landscape.

There’s a strong collaborative culture at MHA that I appreciate. One of the dangers of a large organisation like MHA is that officers may focus on their own duties and lose sight of the big picture. However, from my experience here, when there are major issues or in times of crisis, colleagues step up and pool together expertise and resources – no matter which department or Home Team agency we may be from. We work as a coordinated team to ensure that the job gets done, and I am always thankful for the supportive and uplifting work environment we have in MHA.

As an operational ministry, the workload may be unrelenting at times, but it is heartening when you and your colleagues support one another, and you know that the work you do is meaningful and has a direct impact on the country.