NTUC LearningHub launches retail institute to boost career prospects in sector

SINGAPORE – Shoppers going to the OG department store at People’s Park from June might see its employee “influencers” promoting the store’s offerings via video live-streamed on social media.

The retail stalwart, whose operations date back to the 1960s, is dipping its toes in social commerce, to meet changing customer needs and create more compelling jobs, said Ms Rachel Tay, its director for human resources and operations.

Social commerce entails selling goods on social media, such as through live streams on Facebook.

A new training institute to help the wider retail sector do the same was launched on Monday by NTUC LearningHub, the National Trades Union Congress’ continuous education and training arm.

The LearningHub Retail Institute is part of efforts to shore up attraction, retention and career progression of workers in a sector saddled by perceptions of poor work conditions and prospects.

The comprehensive training centre for employers and workers in the industry uses NTUC LearningHub’s existing facilities.

The new institute will have more than 60 existing courses, such as in customer relationship management operations, many of which are part of training requirements for the sector’s Progressive Wage Model (PWM) since September 2022. The PWM is a wage ladder tied to productivity and skill improvements.

A stand-alone retail institute would have “a stronger brand positioning, so that the retailers understand that... We do have a team that’s dedicated to look after retail only”, said Mr Tay Ee Learn, chief sector skills officer at NTUC LearningHub.

More courses addressing industry needs are in the works, with an emphasis on customer-centric practices and innovative technology, he added.

Additionally, the institute will provide guidance on the best courses for workers to attend and that employers can send employees to, as well as the funding support available to both, said NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng.

He noted that workers had requested more clarity on such matters in the labour movement’s engagement with them.

Mr Ng was giving the keynote speech at an event called “Retail Reimagined: Insights and Innovations to Ride the Waves of Transformation”, held at the Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar, where the retail institute was launched.

“It (the retail institute) will help workers go some way to navigate the complex training spaces, find the resources through different grants that the Government is providing for the workers to upgrade themselves, and if need be, reskill themselves,” he said.

The institute will collate emerging trends and skills based on technological changes such as the rise of live-streamed sales events, evolving consumer preferences and growing internationalisation.

Its establishment is set to help NTUC LearningHub better perform its role as training partner to the Singapore National Employers Federation, the Jobs-Skills Integrator for Retail appointed earlier in June.

It also follows NTUC LearningHub’s appointment as a continuing education and training provider for the retail sector by SkillsFuture Singapore in August 2022.

NTUC LearningHub chief executive Jeremy Ong noted in his speech that a study of 200 retail workers the training provider conducted in October 2022 found that only about one in five planned to stay in the sector.

Half of the respondents also reported that their employers did not provide any career development support.

“In order to transform the retail industry, there will be many more new skills that retail employees have to learn so that they will be able to perform better at the job, and to be able to help the industry be more competitive,” Mr Ong told reporters.

Examples of these skills include data analytics to discover customer preferences, and the ability to engage customers in the metaverse, he said.

The retail sector employs more than 160,000 workers, making up around 4.2 per cent of the country’s workforce in 2022.

NTUC LearningHub also signed a memorandum of understanding at the event with seven major retail players to design an industry-recognised career development plan for workers.

The firms are ABC Bargain Centre; CapitaLand; DD, which owns the Valu$ chain of stores; DFI Retail Group; FairPrice Group; OG; and Sheng Siong Group.

OG’s Ms Tay told reporters that she hopes the institute and career development plan will show workers the full spectrum of possibilities in the industry, which includes sourcing, supply chain management and marketing.

“Most people see only that last bit of the retail journey when... (they’re) really interacting with the sales associate, but they don’t realise getting that product in their hands involves many people (and) many processes.”