Our Past Events Highlights

Networking Event “Executive Search Networking”
- 28^th July 2011


 “The title of the event is by itself, a runaway success! Good to meet new people in the ‘people’ business.” - LTC Goh Chai Peng

WOSpecs Seminar “Facility Management and Occupational Safety & Health”
- 13^th July 2011

Sharing on the facility management  sector by Mr Syed   Sharing on the facility management’s job functions by Mr Wong
Sharing on the huge market demand for WSH-related professionals and consultants by Mr Yap

The intensifying competition for industrial facilities saw the rise of residential and commercial projects all over Singapore. Alongside the booming facility management industry, is the call for subject matter experts in the workplace safety and health industry.

The launch of WSH 2018 - a national strategy for Singapore has brought about greater emphasis on workplace safety and health across various industries, including logistics, landscaping, water/waste management, hospitality and healthcare.

Providing transiting servicemen a head-start in these industries, Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Career Transition Resource Centre (CTRC) in partnership with ST Electronics (e-Services) (STEE) organised a “Facility Management and Occupational Safety & Health” seminar and networking event at InterContinental Singapore.

The event saw distinguish guest speakers, Mr Syed Mubarak, Membership Chair & PR of International Facilities Management Association (Singapore Chapter); Mr Daniel Wong, Vice President of Property Facility Services; and Mr Edwin Yap, President of the Singapore Institution of Safety Officers and corporate guests from BCA Academy and Singapore Institution of Safety Officers.

“The industry knowledge gained through this seminar is very helpful for our career transition.” - 1WO Nathan

WOSpecs Seminar “PSA Singapore - The World’s Port of Call”
- 22^nd February 2011


Handling about one-fifth of the world’s total container transhipment throughput and five per cent of the global container throughput, PSA Singapore Terminals is the world’s busiest transhipment hub. 

The first WOSpecs Seminar of 2011, titled ‘PSA - The World’s Port of Call’ was a special feature on PSA Singapore Terminals. And for the first time in WOSpecs Seminar history, the event was held at the premises of PSA Singapore Terminals. The event kicked off with an introduction to the Maritime & Port Industry followed by a briefing on PSA Singapore Terminals. Various speakers from PSA Singapore Terminals took to the stage, giving participants a better understanding of the industry and the careers that the company offers in the areas of Operations and Engineering. This was followed by an exclusive tour of Pasir Panjang Terminal (PPT), where our participants were given an insight into the actual operations of a container terminal and the sophisticated systems and equipment used to drive Operations. The guided tour included a walkthrough to different areas of PPT, such as the Operations Control centre, the stowage and yard planning sections and the Engineering workshops.

Representatives from PSA Singapore Terminals were also present throughout the tour and explained the various work processes and activities at the port. Many of these representatives were in fact former SAF servicemen and were, therefore, also able to share with the participants their transition experience to their new company.

“The seminar was very informative, and it was an eye-opener to the actual operations of a port.” - 1WO Deviki

 

 

In a competitive job market, it is always necessary to spruce up your CV in order to stand out from the crowd. Being a member of a professional body or an association is one such way of doing that. 

Professional associations allow intelligent, like-minded professionals who are immersed in the inner workings of the industry to network and gain access to a variety of opinions and ideas. Another often overlooked advantage of joining a professional organisation is the advice and back-up of these professionals. 

Our recent SAF Networking Event: ‘Get Connected! with Professional Bodies’, held at the Amara Hotel, provided our officers with the platform to meet and exchange contacts and information with invited representatives of professional bodies and associations representing various industries/sectors, namely: the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners; Asian Professional Security Association - APSA; Asia Speakers’ Bureau; Community Group for Global Speakers Federation; Facilitators Network Singapore and the International Association for Counter Terrorism & Security Professionals.

Mr James Kwek, Head of MINDEF Career Transition Resource Centre, shares his thoughts on this event, “This initiative offered our transiting officers the opportunity to be connected with subject matter experts, allowing them to learn from these experts, and perhaps even set up some sort of a mutual referral system.”

We also had guest speakers, Mr David Lim and Mr Jonathan Kwan, both industry experts in their own right. Mr David Lim is the first Singaporean to receive the Certified Speaking Professional accreditation - the highest accreditation for professional speakers, earned by fewer than 10 per cent of the 5,000 strong members of the Global Speakers Federation. Mr Lim highlighted the various professional bodies in the professional speaking industry and the support provided to their members. He also shared with the officers how joining a professional body has contributed to his success today as the business owner of Everest Motivation Team, a coaching firm that has been widely profiled in The Wall Street Journal and The Straits Times.

The second speaker, Mr Jonathan Kwan, is an external career advisor for Singapore Management University and National University of Singapore. During his session, Mr Kwan reinforced how networking provides the most productive, proficient and enduring tactic to build relationships that pave the way to accelerate professional development.

“The session was very engaging. The speakers were excellent. Well done!” - LTC Joshua Ho How Hoang

Asia's emerging markets is a growing force in the world economy. With the growing Asian market, it is important for start-up entrepreneurs to understand the concepts of developing entrepreneurial advantage through business planning and to grasp the opportunities in the market.

The Business Opportunity Seminar for Self-employment held in the afternoon of 12 Nov 2010 at Hotel Fort Canning was organised by MINDEF Career Transition Resource Centre in partnership with Centre for Management Development to address the issues of Flanking Attack & Defence in the Business World.

“The sharing of business know-how by successful entrepreneurs is beneficial to our transiting servicemen who are keen to start their own business, and understanding the importance of engaging an audience is pertinent to convincing potential investors,” says Mr James Kwek, Head, MINDEF Career Transition Resource Centre.

The speakers for the seminar include Mr Justin Lee and Mr Mark Stradling who shared on the topics defining strategic business position through effective writing and importance of engaging your audience during a presentation.

Ever wondered what is it like being an Entrepreneur? What drives them forward? Are they all successful? What obstacles do they face, and what are the common mistakes made?

All these questions were answered during our latest Think Entrepreneurship! Seminar which took place on the 4th of November at the Suntec Convention Centre.

It was our privilege to have various guest speakers to cover the different aspects of being an entrepreneur – mindset, resources, and action!

Mindset - Sharing of Entrepreneurship Experience

Our first speaker was Mr Gary Loh, Director of PurpleClay Consulting. An entrepreneur himself, Mr Loh shared with the WOSpecs his experiences on how he started off as a young entrepreneur filled with drive and vibe; the mistakes he made along the way; and how he learnt from the mistakes to attain his current achievements.

As a professional grant application and franchising consultant, Mr Loh also touched on the various government grants available to our budding entrepreneurs that were present at the seminar.

Resources - Available Business Platforms

The next speaker, Ms Chen Yew Ju from DP Bureau, presented to our WOSpecs the various platforms in which new business start-ups can leverage on.

This includes both online and offline platforms that provide start-up entrepreneurs the means of outsourcing various business functions and acquiring business opportunities via the e-Commerce facility - SME MarketPlace.

Action – Getting Started!

Finally, we had Ms Donna Lee, Founder and CEO of KinderGolf - world’s first and only pre-schooler golf specialist.

Not only did Ms Donna touch on the fundamentals and essentials of being an entrepreneur, she also shared with our participants the importance of a well-thought business plan; tips on overseas investments; and what to look out for when writing a business plan.

It was a well-received event and all our participants were able to take home with them practical information and insights on running a business - that will benefit them in their entrepreneur journey in the future.

The Professional Consultancy Services Sector in Singapore employs over 52,000 highly-skilled individuals and generates an annual operating receipt of S$9.02 billion*. In view of this, MINDEF Career Transition Resource Centre (CTRC) has tied up with Practising Management Consultants-Certification Board (PMC-CB) to provide an accreditation scheme for SAF officers who are keen in joining this sector.

A networking event with the theme of “Professional Consultancy Services” that took place on 21 Oct 2010 at Novotel Clarke Quay Singapore highlighted details of this initiative.

The event commenced with an opening speech on the Professional Consultancy Services Sector in Singapore and the consulting credentials of the SAF servicemen by Mr James Kwek, Head Career Transition Resource Centre. Our second speaker, Mr Lim Yoon Foo, General Manager PMC-CB/Principal Assessor, SPRING Singapore shared with our audience information on the PMC accreditation scheme. The talks were well-received and many of our officers at the event indicated interest in the PMC accreditation scheme.

We were joined by industry players from the consulting sector (Ms Isabella Loh, Chairman of the Singapore Environment Council, Former Chairman of EDB who is currently heading the Business Advisory Group of GPA Management; Mr Michael Yap, Deputy General Manager of AIA Singapore; Mr Tay Keng Leng, Managing Director of Simon Ho & Associates; Mr Simon Ho, Assistant Director of CaseTrust; Ms Shennon Khong and Mr Koh Hwee Keng from Temasek Business School; Mr Ng Lee Tak, Director/Principal Consultant of the Safety, Health, Environment, and Quality Management Dept of ST Electronics (e-Services), among others).

The event concluded with the sharing of success stories and personal experiences by former SAF officers - Mr Alfred Lye, Mr Ng Lee Tak and Mr Derrick Tang - who have successfully transited to the Professional Consulting Sector.

This event was a resounding success with 22 exhibitors from both the public and private sectors - attracting over 200 transiting WOSpecs from all three forces - the Army, Navy and, Air Force.

About MINDEF Career Summit

An excellent platform for potential employers to scout for our talents, the MINDEF Career Summit is a bi-annual recruitment initiative that brings together organisations from various industries such as Aerospace, Maritime, Energy, Lifestyle & Entertainment, Facility Management, Logistics, etc. Along side the career opportunities, our Career Summit events provides transiting WOSpecs with industry exposure through industry-centric seminars.

Our 2nd Bi-annual MINDEF Career Summit

The 2nd Bi-annual MINDEF Career Summit held on 13th of October at The Chevrons commenced with the welcoming and opening address by Mr James Kwek, Head of MINDEF Career Transition Resource Centre. This was followed by guest speaker Mr Gary Goh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), who gave our participants a highly informative talk on the general employment landscape of Singapore; the future outlook of Singapore’s economy; and Singapore’s employment trends.

Over 500 Career Opportunities Available

There were more than 500 job opportunities with positions spanning from Technician and Engineer; Assistant Transport Manager; Operation Supervisor/ Executive; Airfreight Analyst; Production Planner; Research Officer; Corporate Service Officer; Procurement Executive; Accountant; Administration Specialist; Environment Health Officer; Senior Officer; Auxiliary Police; to HR Executive; Global Customer Service Executive; Sales Manager; Field Sales Executive; Fitness Consultant and Trainer; etc.

Servicemen were given the chance to explore career opportunities in both the public and private sector.  Exhibitors from the public sector include the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Housing & Development Board, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority, JTC Corporation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Environment Agency. 

Employment opportunities in Aviation, Energy and Marine, Engineering, Entertainment and Lifestyle, Logistics, and Security Services sectors were presented by the following hiring organisations: California Fitness; Certis CISCO; DHL Global Mail; Flextronics; PSA Corporation; Resorts World Sentosa; Rolls-Royce; Singapore Airport Terminal Services; Singapore Technologies Kinetics; Tuas Power; and Yang Kee Logistics.

Established human resources solutions companies like Employment and Employability Institute and Kelly Services also provided our servicemen with career opportunities beyond this event.

Exclusive Insights on Industry Trends

As part of the MINDEF Career Summit highlights, we invited industry professionals for our industry-centric seminars (seminar 1 - Marine, Aerospace, and Energy Industry; seminar 2 – Tourism and Hospitality Industry; seminar 3 – Maritime and Port Industry). Transiting WOSpecs who had signed up for the pre-registered industry-centric seminars gained in-depth information and insights on the career prospects in each of those industries.

Discover an Array of Higher Education Options

Apart from the wide range of career opportunities, the MINDEF Career Summit also showcased an array of training and skills upgrading opportunities by relevant educational and training institutions like Employment & Employability Institute and Petrofac Training. Our transiting servicemen were exposed to various industry-related courses available that would assist them in their transition to their preferred industry.

Free Psychometric Test, Career Coaching, Professional Photo Shoot, and many MORE….

Complementing the exhibition, personalised services such as DISC Personality Profiling and Career Coaching were also available. These services provided by Accipio LLP and Master Resources gave our participants the opportunity to acquire experts’ advice for their professional career development and to have a better understanding of oneself.

Amidst the exciting line-up of programmes, participants also had the opportunity to have a professional photo-shoot by Ink & Light Studios for their resumes.

The explosion of internet use has transformed the way businesses market their products & services and had led to the upsurge of on-line businesses. Targeted at senior military officers who wish to pursue their passion in starting a business after their transition, this BOSS seminar, Enabling Entrepreneurship in the Web that took place at the Gallery Hotel on 18th August 2010, provides our participants with useful information on starting an online business and options to explore the use of various digital marketing tools for their future business.

The internet is definitely a feasible option as the medium keeps things lean where they can keep expenses in check, as well as leverage on networks like LinkedIn, Facebook using network of family, friends, and associates throughout the launch and growth of their company.

This seminar brought together knowledgeable speakers like Mr Gary Loh and Mr John Chang from PurpleClay Consulting and PurpleClick Media respectively.

Mr Loh has been in the franchise and grant application industry for almost 10 years. He had spearheaded the Technopreneurship and SEEDS initiatives during his stint in EDB. Gary shared the various Government Grants that are available to the budding entrepreneurs.

The other speaker, Mr Chang currently spearheads the business development function of his company. Being a former producer, presenter with SAFRA radio he is no stranger to presenting and delivered a dynamic and informative session touching on the fundamentals of starting an online business.

This event aims to inform and educate retiring military officers on the security landscape and the realities of the sector. This event also offered an excellent platform for our SAF officers and industry players alike to exchange, network and foster potential working relationships. Premium participating organisations, among others included: ICFE Homefront Security Consultancy provides a myriad of services to local and international clients. Services include Security Audit, Maritime/ Aviation Security, Risk Assessment, Business Continuity, etc. Control Risks an independent, specialist risk consultancy that helps worldwide clients to manage strategic and operational risks. ReCAAP – Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia is the first government to government agreement that addresses the incidence of piracy and armed robbery in Asia. Certis CISCO provides comprehensive range of security and consultancy services for organisations all over Singapore.

With the introduction of “Your Singapore” tourism campaign, the opening of the two Integrated Resorts, as well as other major tourism projects coming on-stream, the positive outlook of Singapore’s tourism industry looks set to continue.

Held on the 8th of July, “Singapore & Tourism” was the latest WOSPECS Seminar with the aim of introducing this exciting and dynamic industry to our WOSpecs family.

It was an honour to have representatives from Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), SHATEC Institutes, National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) and Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS) to grace the event.

To kickoff the seminar, Ms Rachel Foo, the Management Executive overseeing Industry Service Development for STB, gave the audience an introduction into Singapore’s tourism landscape and provided them with a better understanding of the industry. Rachel also discussed on the various opportunities available in the industry, as well as providing insights to the future developments and outlook of Singapore’s tourism.

The second speaker was Mr Matthew Yim, the Vice Principal of Institutes of Culinary Arts at SHATEC Institutes. With his wealth of experience in the hospitality industry and being multiple award winners in various culinary competitions, Matthew was the ideal person to share with the audience insights to the hospitality sector. The participants were fascinated with his understanding of how a hotel operates. Matthew then shared on the career progression in the various hotel divisions and discussed on the essentials to survive in this challenging yet rewarding industry.

Mr John Low, Director of Industry Development for NATAS, the third speaker then provided an overview of the travel agency sector in Singapore, which includes the different components of the travel agency sector, the type of jobs in the market, and various unknown yet interesting aspects of the sector.

Last but not least, Mr Chester Tiong, Assistant Manager of Education & Career for TMIS, guided the audience along the continuing education pathway that leads to a career in the Tourism industry.

The take-away from this seminar? We understand that the Tourism industry is indeed filled with dynamism, excitement and many opportunities!

The Networking Event with Ministries & Statutory Boards took place on 14th May 2010 at HOUSE @ Dempsey. The Public Sector, as a large employer plays a key role in enhancing the employment and employability of mature workers and continues to identify job areas to tap on the strengths of mature job applicants. In view of this, this particular session was aimed at providing the senior military officers with information and insights on career exploration and job prospects in the Ministries and Statutory Boards as well as an opportunity to network with HR teams of the participating organisations.

Corporate guests from the Public Sector included various Directors and teams from the HR Division. Participating organisations included the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade & Industry, Ministry of Community, Youth and Sports, Vital.org, MFA, IDA, A*STAR, NEA, Republic Polytechnic among others.

Guest speaker, Mr Wong Wai Mun, the Director (Operations) Vital.org, Ministry of Finance shared his personal transition experience from the SAF to the Public Sector which ‘gave a shot of confidence’ according to a participant - a retiring Senior SAF Officer. The second speaker Mr Peter Fleming, a certified NLP Practitioner and Career Coach elaborated on a proprietary career planning framework as well as the 10 Do’s & Don’t of Successful Job Applications.

The BOSS Seminar, The “HOW TO” Series: Lost? In the Business Start-Up Maze? took place on the 5th May 2010 (Friday) at Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay from 2 – 5 pm.

Guest speakers included Mr Kenny Toh, a former Management Consultant with Accenture turned award-winning entrepreneur and Ms Chen Yew Ju from DP Bureau, a one-stop advisory centre for business start ups.  Mr Toh covered commonly made mistakes by first-time entrepreneurs and Ms Chen elaborated on the technicalities of actually setting up and growing a business, like leveraging on e-commerce facility to expand customer reach and growing revenue.

All participants reported that they were highly satisfied with the event. Participants also felt that the title/topics were apt for new comers to the business world to understand the commercial world better.

The WOSpecs Seminar “Logistics in the 21st Century” was held on the 3rd of May 2010 at The Chevrons.

We kicked off the programme with the opening speech by Mr Bill Chua of Singapore Logistics Association. Mr Chua shared with us the insights to the Logistics industry and how the job landscape is like. He also went through with the participants on the courses available and the training required for the industry.

It was an honour to have Yang Kee Logistics, one of the major industry players, to join us for the event. Mr Ken Koh, Deputy Managing Director, talked about the success story of his firm, the ordeals they faced in the industry and how they had overcome the challenges.

Our third speaker Ms Jane Kwek, Logistics Supervisor with DNR Wheels Pte Ltd, was formerly a Warrant Officer in SAF. Ms Kwek shared with the audience on her transition to the corporate world, one that was filled with excitement, challenges and many surprises.

A mini career fair was held, with Yang Kee Logistics and Mini Environment Service recruiting for various positions.

Overall the event was informative, insightful and well-received by the audience.

Our exciting networking event “The Franchising Showcase” took place on 23 April 2010 (Friday) at the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre.
 

An ideal platform for participating Officers to gain information on the lucrative franchising business, we invited the CEO Asia of O’Briens Sandwich Bar, Hugh Hoyes-Cock to share his insights on franchising. Participants of this event were also treated to an exclusive close door trade show exhibition tour cum networking session by the World’s largest and most successful chain store, 7-Eleven, where participants learnt about the market franchise systems and store concepts (from major FMCG companies such as P&G, Kraft, Coca-Cola, Tiger, etc) through the featured showcases.
 

Participants also had the opportunity to interact with special guests from Asia Wide Franchise Consultants, DP Bureau, Credit Suisse & Deloitte Financial Advisory Services, and copies of the “Asia Franchise & Business Opportunities” magazine were handed to our participants, compliments from Mr Christopher Tay, Director of Asia Wide Franchise Consultants.

 

The 2-day Financial Planning Programme which focused on the topic “Fundamentals and Concepts for Planning One’s Financial Security during the Career Transition Period”, was successfully carried out on 15-16 April 2010.

Our 11 participants were presented with ample opportunities to interact with our experienced speakers and trainers to assess their financial status and their investments needs.

It was indeed an enlightening session for all participants and below are extracts of their testimonials from the programme:

“One of the best programmes that I attended so far. A must for all officers to attend.”

“A well-planned and comprehensive lesson to prepare Officers to plan early for retirement.”

“The trainer, Mr Christopher Tan is a very experienced and open-minded speaker, who is passionate about sharing and equipping us on how to make better financial planning decisions. This course is strongly recommended for SAF servicemen, especially those due for retirement.”

 

For Part 3 of the Four-Part (The “HOW TO” Series: How To Management Your Business) BOSS Seminar, we are pleased to have invited two successful entrepreneurs; Mr Jerome Tan - former Air Force personnel, now the owner of Executive Directions and Mr Rajiv Vij - former Managing Director of Franklin Templeton turned owner of a coaching practice firm, Personal Alchemy as our honourable guest speakers to share their views on business start-ups with our Officers.
 

Both our guest speakers shared with us the motivation behind their success and how they attained an entrepreneurial mindset. On a refreshing note, Mr Rajiv Vij also shared insights on aligning business and life goals. Amidst the humour, the speakers were also very informative and effective in their delivery, and all of our participants enjoyed this half-day thematic seminar that was held on 26 March 2010 (Friday) at the NUSS Kent Ridge Guild House.