SINDA Expands Employment Opportunities for the Singaporean Indian Community
Job support framework will provide multi-faceted and broad-ranging support
to those in need of employment assistance
1 As part of broad efforts to support the Singaporean Indian community on employment matters, SINDA introduced a multi-faceted job support framework, focused on targeted job placements and deeper career-coaching initiatives to individuals. This support, offered to all Singaporean Indians, aims to help the community navigate through the challenging job climate, brought upon by the Covid-19 pandemic.
2. This framework commenced with a job support fair on Saturday, 10 October 2020 at the SINDA headquarters. Organised in collaboration with the National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), this fair offered more than 500 job placement opportunities, together with workshops run by SkillsFuture Advice @ Northwest and SkillsFuture Singapore. These workshops saw personalised advice regarding training and upskilling resources offered to those facing challenges in securing jobs, to help them better understand skills gaps and improve their career-related capabilities.
3. This fair, held with strict safe-distancing measures in place, included five booths run by participating companies and SINDA’s corporate partners, such as the Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association (LISHA), and provided placement opportunities in a wide variety of fields, across operational, technical and executive levels in the retail, food & beverage, logistics, education and administration industries.
4. This fair is one component of SINDA’s job support framework, which will also include:
SINDA Job Care Scheme
5. The SINDA Job Care Scheme (SINDA JCS) is designed to help individuals whose jobs have been affected due to the pandemic. Through this scheme, jobseekers who reach out to SINDA will be provided deeper support through guidance and counselling from career coaches, to strengthen their employability opportunities.
Community Job Ambassadors
6. SINDA is also working closely with e2i to train 15 volunteers to become SINDA’s Community Jobs Ambassadors to lend peer support and identify individuals in need of jobs. These ambassadors will channel individuals to appropriate support avenues and encourage them to apply for jobs and trainings that would provide immediate job relief. SINDA hopes to work with grassroots and community partners to increase the number of trained jobs ambassadors in the coming months.
Enhanced Career Referral Programme
7. In addition to an existing career referral programme by the SINDA Family Service Centre, which supports beneficiaries seeking employment or looking to develop their professional skills, SINDA will collaborate with more employers and business owners to bring increased job opportunities to the Indian community.
8. SINDA’s efforts, as part of this job support framework, is expected to extend into the first half of 2021, to continue supporting individuals in employment matters over a longer period of time. Employment support is one key strategy for SINDA, which has set aside S$7 million in financial assistance and support till the end of the year to support the Singaporean Indian community.
Mr Anbarasu Rajendran, Chief Executive Officer, SINDA said “Over the last few months, we have launched a number of programmes that will offer holistic and deep support to various segments of the community, to help them overcome the effects of Covid-19. Through this job support framework, we hope to offer unemployed individuals increased job placement opportunities, so that they can be gainfully employed and provide adequately for their families.
SINDA’s aim is to continue doing more to ensure that Indians have easy access to employment support and are aware of avenue of assistance. This fair, which was only possible by a strong collaborative partnership with NTUC’s e2i, partners and volunteers, adopts a community approach in caring for the needs of those amongst us. It also reaffirms the importance of working together to overcome the pandemic and emerging stronger as a Singaporean community.”
Mr Gilbert Tan, Chief Executive Officer, NTUC’s e2i: said “COVID-19 has impacted the livelihoods of Singaporeans. In these difficult times, NTUC’s e2i is glad to support partners like SINDA and other self-help groups in reaching out to their network of beneficiaries. Bringing job interview sessions to the community allows those in the heartlands to have easy access to job and training opportunities. The non-technologically savvy jobseekers who are unable to access virtual career fairs or apply for jobs online, can also gain access to on-site job interviews with employers. We urge both employers and employees to remain open-minded in this difficult time and to seize opportunities when they come. By working together, we can protect the local workforce and emerge stronger as we ride out the storm.”
Mr Rajakumar Chandra, Chairman, LISHA said, “There can be no better time for these concerted efforts to host this job fair. The current oblivious directions for the young and unforeseen adult retrenchments need every strength and unity in this tumultuous Covid-19 circumstances. LISHA will continue to support this initiative in the best way possible, to support our national agenda to provide jobs during these trying times.”
Source: SINDA’s Press Release on 10.10.2020