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Industry Focus - Admin & Human Resources
Making Jobs Relevant
| Job
Re-creators don’t just re-brand and re-image job positions,
they also increase productivity and efficiency by professionalising
existing standards, explains Ms Lee Eer Ling of NTUC. |
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Another job that has been re-created by NTUC is that of gardener. After training in areas such as landscaping, horticulture, and weeding, they are now called “landscape technicians”. As such, they get the chance to utilize the latest machines and equipment available in the industry.
The likes of Ms Lee Eer Ling can take credit for such
progressive developments.
As a Job Re-creator with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) —
a federation of 63 trade unions in the industrial, service and public
sectors in Singapore — Ms Lee is someone who “champions
re-creation in the various industries or sectors. We work closely with
our industry partners and stakeholders to identify areas and develop
strategies to enhance the job worth and pay potential of workers,”
she says.
These strategies go beyond re-branding and re-imaging.
A Job Re-creator develops training courses meant to improve skills and increase productivity in the workplace. The main objectives are to help workers enhance their employability and show them how they can secure better jobs and pay.
He or she also helps not just those who already have
jobs. Even the unemployed sector
— housewives and retirees — can benefit. “If they
don’t fit in well with a particular job, we’ll add value
by giving them training. For this reason, it’s important for us
to be aware of their skills and training development needs,” says
Ms Lee.
The job includes meeting both jobseekers as well as industry partners.
“We meet with all levels of people from both the public and private sectors. We work with them to redesign their unattractive, low-paying jobs into attractive ones that Singaporeans are willing to take up,” she explains.
“And here’s where our sense of business development comes to play. As a Job Re-creator, we’ll be recommending certain projects which have never been done before, hence we’ll need to have the determination to keep on pushing through.”
Besides developing strong relations with industry partners and stakeholders, a Job Re-creator also develops and monitors quality and comprehensive assistance programs. He or she would also need to have a good ground sense of the economy and labour issues as any changes may directly or indirectly impact the workforce.
“To me, working as a Job Re-creator in NTUC is not about being driven by profits or the bottom line. We are marrying a business entity with a social mission. That’s what I like about this job and this is where we derive our passion for our work,” says Ms Lee.
What it takes to be... a Job Re-creator “First and foremost, you’ll need to have a big heart to help people,” says Ms Lee. “Your passion lies in helping workers secure better jobs and upgrade to enhance their employability.” Other must-haves for the role: Familiarity with industry standards and practices.
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TRADES UNION CONGRESS |
(This article was first published in JobsDB.com - link)