Poor response to scheme to guide SMEs to attract, retain manpower
This file photo shows members of public visiting a three-day roadshow of the SkilllsFuture Marketplace at One Raffles Place Atrium. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Launched a little over a year ago, the plan was to get 400 professionals to mentor 2,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) over three years on how to train and develop their staff, in the hope of helping them better attract and retain manpower.
But only about 60 SMEs have come onboard the S$45 million SkillsFuture Mentors (SFM) programme in its first year, as the weak economy continues to weigh on companies’ bottom lines.
In response to TODAY’s queries, Spring Singapore, which runs the programme, said that the low take-up rate is due to the fact that the pressures of running day-to-day operations of SMEs often take priority.
The programme requires firms to commit manpower to work on learning and development initiatives, and the time to work closely with the mentor and the team, said Ms Christophane Foo, executive director of human capital at Spring Singapore, who added that the take-up rate was nonetheless “encouraging”.
Under the programme, which provides 100 per cent funding support to participating SMEs, firms are guided by mentors over nine months to enhance on-the-job training curriculum, and managers and supervisors are coached to improve training delivery. Mentors, which now number 116, must have at least eight years of industry experience, among meeting other requirements.
CKE Manufacturing, which produce mechanical components for the oil and gas industry, is one firm that came onboard. Its enterprise development manager, Mr Kwan Lifeng, learnt of the programme from Spring after complaining to them that he had trouble retaining workers.
A mentor, Mr Goh Khon Chong, was appointed, and he began his work in March last year. Formerly senior vice-president of human resources at BreadTalk, the 68-year-old freelance management consultant found that CKE did not properly document its training processes, as well as the required learning outcomes.
This means they would not be able to track the training progress of his workers, or which courses they have undergone.
Mr Goh noted that SMEs have far less resources compared to bigger firms — for example, human resources departments of one or two staff, compared to 20 to 30 people at a multi-national companies.
SMEs also sometimes lack the expertise to come up with required skills for workers and identifying the right courses and trainers.
Not having proper training documentation and knowledge, said Mr Goh, could affect the company’s productivity. For example, firms would be wasting resources if workers go for courses that do not teach the relevant skills.
Mr Muhd Fadhli Zakaria, 22, who joined CKE last year to operate the firm’s machines, said he was left to read the instruction manuals on his own, and initially struggled on the job.
“I had to rely on skills learnt when I was in (ITE) Institute of Technical Education. It was quite hard because I was in NS for two years, and suddenly I just had to do the job,” he added.
But Mr Goh, who visited once a week, helped the firm implement a structured training curriculum, which included spelling out the learning outcomes for different job scopes. For example, employees trained to do milling would have to be familiar with safety procedures, operations and maintenance of the machines.
The firm’s trainers were also asked to provide continuous assessment of new employees during their probation period, instead of a one-off evaluation.
CKE’s Mr Kwan said he was initially “overwhelmed” when informed of the gaps found in his firm’s training processes. “We didn’t know where to start but they guided us along the way,” he added.
What helped was that Mr Goh fine-tuned, rather than overhauled processes. Firms might have found the latter “a waste of time”, Mr Kwan pointed out.
Mr Kurt Wee, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, said a key factor for the programme’s low take-up rate could be due to firms being concerned about their revenue in the current economic outlook.
Calling for more awareness on the benefits of the programme, Mr Wee noted that it could help firms better utilise their capacity and improve their margins.
Mr Goh pointed out that an improved workplace training processes is not just a question of resources. “Our SMEs must have a commitment to make it work,” he said.
