Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will get more support to equip themselves with the skillsets to further grow their business under Prudential Singapore's SME Skills Accelerator (SSA) programme. It is a collaboration between SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Prudential, under the SkillsFuture Queen Bee partnership.
The collaboration provides SMEs in Singapore support in developing and implementing their skills development plans, which better positions them to respond to a rapidly evolving business environment.
A distinguishing component of the programme is the provision of a dedicated Skills Manager at Prudential, who will identify the skills needs of participating SMEs and customise suitable skills solutions to meet those needs. The Skills Manager will work alongside a team of Skills Ambassadors - Prudential’s financial consultants - who are trained and equipped with knowledge on SkillsFuture initiatives to engage SMEs who join the SSA programme.
A digital training course booking platform with reminders and course recommendations will be built to help SMEs sustain their workforce development needs.
The first insurer to be appointed as a SkillsFuture Queen Bee company, Prudential will be running the SSA programme to support participating SMEs in identifying their skills development needs to meet immediate and longer-term business objectives.
A 12-month programme is designed to be flexible so that participating SMEs have the option to take on training programmes that are most relevant to them and still receive the full-year skills advisory support.
Goh Theng Kiat, Prudential Singapore’s Chief Customer Officer said, “During these challenging times, SMEs may have been forced to put their training and upskilling plans on hold to focus on business priorities and financial challenges. We want to help SMEs on their journeys of continuous learning, as being future-ready will drive a company’s long-term business growth, which in turn will help sustain Singapore’s economic growth.”
Ong Tze Chin, Chief Executive of SSG said, “SMEs form the backbone of our economy. A workforce that is equipped with the latest emerging skills, is critical in helping our SMEs stay competitive and grow their businesses. The SkillsFuture Queen Bee partnership with Prudential allows the SkillsFuture movement to reach even more SMEs. SkillsFuture Singapore is thankful for this partnership with Prudential.
“Through this programme, we aim to help more SMEs identify their skills gaps, and more importantly, put in place the learning action plans to help their workforce bridge these gaps,” he said.
Over 30 SMEs across 23 industries have signed up for the SSA programme since end October 2020. These SMEs are from various industries including construction, education, food & beverage (F&B), funeral services, and information technology.
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