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SINGAPORE: An accreditation scheme has been introduced in a bid to professionalise the dating industry.
Finding the time to date in a 24/7 society, like Singapore's, is getting increasingly difficult.
Not surprisingly, there are about half a million singles in Singapore, at the last count.
So, what are the options?
For some time now, the Social Development Unit (SDU), the biggest player around, has been letting dating agencies in the private sector take the lead.
But many issues need to be addressed before singles would trust such agencies - issues like privacy, reliability of data and options when things don't turn out right.
And that's where accreditation comes in.
Associate Professor Paulin Straughan, Chairperson of the Accreditation Council for the Dating Industry, said: "Accreditation broadens the market. And you have people who you can now go to and who you can trust and they are not going to sell your name or something like that. This is going to be an agency, which once accredited, will stick to very strict business ethics and practices."
Violet Lim from Lunch Actually, who has been in the dating business for three years, feels this will help get rid of fly-by-night operators and improve business as confidence in the agencies grows.
According to the SDU, there are only 33 bona fide dating agencies in Singapore.
Announcing the accreditation scheme, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) said agencies and practitioners would have to go for training on standards and professional conduct.
They can then apply for the SDU Trust Mark.
Once they get it, they will be in two national dating registries for two years, after which they are re-assessed.
They can also lose this mark if their services are not up to standard.
While no accreditation scheme can guarantee the quality of the date - that really depends on the luck of the draw - what it will guarantee is the quality of the dating agency.
Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State for MCYS, said: "As SDU, as government, we try to release this duty to the dating industry, but we still play a role to make sure they still have this standard.
"So, the launching of the SDU Trust Mark and the setting up of the accreditation framework to assure the users that the government is still keeping an eye on the industry and that it is reliable and being run professionally."
The first batch of accredited agencies and practitioners is expected early next year. - CNA/ir
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