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

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

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.

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 15th intake for the Certificate in Small Business Management Course conducted by Singapore Polytechnic was successfully launched on 19th Apr 2010. This 6-months certification course from 19th Apr 2010 to 13th Sep 2010 provided participants with basic knowledge and relevant skills on developing and managing a small business. The topics covered in this course included Environmental Analysis & Feasibility Study, Marketing Management, Retails Operations & Management, Legal Procedures, Accounting Fundamentals, and Financial Management.

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 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.

 

 

The inaugural Career Transition Workshop for WOSpecs was successfully launched on 29 - 30 March 2010.

This highly interactive workshop was organised to prepare our WOSpecs in their career transition journey by equipping them with the building blocks of career success - discovering oneself, techniques of resume & cover letters writing and interview tips. 

Our 17 participants agreed that the workshop was very beneficial for their CT preparation.  So, let’s hear it from them below.

“Dr Han, the trainer, is very knowledgeable and he actually captured each of us differently.  He brought out our strengths and qualities and put us at ease with his sharing and knowledge.  This training is one of the best things that has been done for us.”

“The sharing of relevant examples to prepare us to tackle interviews, to learn the art of resume writing, and the tactics to attain job opportunities were extremely useful.”

“An excellent course covering all the necessary information we need to know for our career transition.”