New jobs portal launched for those looking for work near home

SINGAPORE – Job seekers looking to work near their home can now find opportunities more easily, with the launch of a new portal which curates jobs in the heartland.

The Heartland Job Portal, by NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), currently has about 3,000 job vacancies.

The positions listed are located in areas such as Sembawang, Boon Lay and Yishun, with vacancies for customer service officers, administrative executives and food and beverage service crew, among others.

The portal was launched on Aug 17 at the e2i Career and Skills Fair in Bukit Canberra, Sembawang.

Ms Caryn Lim, the chief executive of e2i, said some job seekers are keen to secure employment near their homes.

This is especially the case for those who want to balance work with their family’s needs, such as mothers who are looking to return to work, added Ms Lim, who is an assistant secretary-general of NTUC.

“The Heartland Job Portal allows us to curate jobs around the neighborhood. This is really what a lot of job seekers are looking for – jobs that are very near their neighbourhood, so they don’t have to travel too far.”

The jobs portal, which is a collaboration with Jobstreet Express and community partners, can be accessed via this web link: e2i.sg/hjp

About 1,500 positions were offered at the fair, including flexible work and jobs for professionals, managers, executive and technicians (PMETs).

The 24 employers at the fair, including hoteliers, fast-food outlets and food delivery services, conducted on-site interviews for hopeful applicants.

More than 500 job seekers attended the two-day fair on Aug 17, which is open from 9am to 2pm. The fair will end on Aug 18.

Speaking at the fair, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that as Sembawang develops, there are jobs available in its industrial estates, offices and light industries.

Mr Ong, who is also an MP for Sembawang GRC, said: “With good transport linkages, it is actually easy to get to these jobs. To a job seeker, to a resident, it makes a lot of difference.”

The institute said it will work with the North West Community Development Council to bring more job fairs to the district.

It will also conduct workshops and job events targeting PMETs at different ServiceSG centres in Singapore.

ServiceSG centres are one-stop centres in neighbourhoods where residents can access a range of government services. There are currently seven centres, with two new centres slated to open, in Woodlands and Bukit Merah, by end-2024.

The institute said it aims to help more than 10,000 PMETs through the workshops, which will focus on career planning, progression and prospecting.

Vulnerable and retrenched workers will also be offered greater support with the signing of a new memorandum of understanding between e2i and NTUC LearningHub.

The institute said the two organisations will design upskilling programmes for workers, and collaborate to make jobs and skills advisory services more accessible via NTUC LearningHub’s sales centres.

Mr Darryl Peter Jeret, 25, found a job as an assistant engineer in May with the help of an e2i career coach in the ServiceSG centre in Bukit Canberra.

The Yishun resident, who recently graduated from a polytechnic, now works in Yio Chu Kang, which saves him travel time.

“I take under an hour to get to work. To me, it is convenient because a lot of places I travel to take close to about 90 minutes to reach,” said Mr Jeret, who applied for 20 job openings before securing his current work.

He was initially unsure of his prospects, but said the career coach refined his resume. They also practised interview routines together.

“What helped me gain confidence was the career coach telling me that it is normal for a lot of fresh graduates to still be figuring it out, and that I am not alone,” said Mr Jeret.