What is a career development programme and how can it help me in my job?

e2i continues to support local jobseekers and industries through various initiatives such as the career development programme. We share about the benefits talent and candidates will receive and highlight an example about a recent marine and offshore engineering industry programme.

A recent National Trades Union Congress’ (NTUC) event shared that e2i has been responsible for placing over 46,000 workers in new jobs from February 2020 to December 2021. Ongoing, NTUC and e2i plan to work on ‘career hubs’, with tourism being one of the first target sectors, to “…provide integrated end-to-end job facilitation, skills training and sectoral transformation by harnessing the collective resources of (the) labour movement, STB and industry associations”.

NTUC will continue their focus on lower-wage workers, self-employed, women, PMEs (professionals, managers and executives) and seniors. This focus will happen across various initiatives such as expanding the Progressive Wage Model, working with organisations to push for better working environments, job redesign, as well as upskilling and reskilling workers to take on new and emerging opportunities. 

In 2020, e2i worked with the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore (SEAS) and its members to redesign jobs for the solar industry. This included an industry-first Career Development Plan (CDP) for Solar Technologist. The CDP redesigned the Solar Technologist role to be more in-depth and provide the capability for workers to manage projects across the entire lifecycle of a solar photovoltaic system, including installation, commissioning, utilisation to maintenance. Workers on this CDP start their journey as an entry-level technician and are progressively developed through training and on-job experience to become a Principal Solar Technologist. 

What is a career development programme (CDP)?

A career development programme is an initiative – created in collaboration with sector and industry partners – to attract talent to specific industries and provide a structured progression pathway for these workers.

Benefits for talent include better job progression, securing a higher certification accompanied by more training, better salaries, and upskilling and career development opportunities. 

For talent that participate in a CDP, they can expect to undergo a training schedule with area and topics pre-set by the sector and organisation. The training will allow talent to learn new skillsets that are directly relevant to the job roles. Post-CDP, remuneration will be calibrated based on the skill levels and experience. The tiered approach in a CDP, with training, upskilling and coaching offered over a long period, allows talent to progressively build up skills and experience from entry to principal-level positions. This will support talent with their career progression and mobility in the sector. 

Organisations that work with a CDP stand to gain local workers with relevant skills and competencies required to build a sustainable talent pool. In turn, this helps organisations with their talent shortage, and provides a measure of stability for operations that can support business and long-term growth. 

Benefits of a Career Development Programme

Future Roadmap

A career development programme offers a clear path for the talent’s professional development, helping them set realistic goals and milestones. This approach allows them to understand the steps that need to be taken to advance in their careers, making it easier for them to stay focused.

Skills Gap Identification

Participating in a career development programme enables the talent to identify areas where they may be lacking. This awareness allows for targeted learning and training initiatives, ensuring that they develop the competencies necessary to excel in their current roles while preparing for future opportunities.

Motivation Booster

These programmes inspire motivation by showing talents that their growth and advancement are valued by their employers. Knowing that a plan is in place for their professional development can improve morale, increase job satisfaction and encourage the talents to be more engaged in their work.

Participate in the ongoing marine and offshore engineering industry CDPs 

e2i, the Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI) and NTUC’s Electronics, Marine & Engineering (EME) Cluster are working on two CDPs for Drafting Specialists and Quality Professionals to support the long-term development and growth of the marine and offshore engineering industry. 

This industry contributes SGD 3.6B to Singapore’s GCP and is critical in securing our position as a global trade hub. The industry has a goal to increase this value to SGD 5.8B and create 1,500 new jobs by 2025. 

Launched in October 2021, the CDPs cover two key functions within the industry, and seek to attract local talents to join. Talents can expect a structured pathway for progression over the development of skills, wages and job scope. 

Dyna-Mac Engineering, Keppel Offshore & Marine, PaxOcean and Sembcorp Marine are four of the first organisations to participate in the CDPs. 

NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng shared at the launch of the CDPs: ” The two professions chosen for this launch are important as they are evergreen jobs that are critical to almost every aspect of the marine and offshore industry. More importantly, the skills of the career development plans nurtured into the workers, are all transferable.”

Mr A.C. Lim, Dyna-Mac Holdings’ chief executive opined: “In the long run, this helps us achieve cost savings and increase productivity while tackling the lack of local manpower with its long-term career prospects.”

The CDPs are open to Singaporeans with multiple pathways for advancement. Individuals who can apply for the programme range from fresh graduates, mid-career switch workers and existing workers from the industry. Proposed starting salaries for talent with no relevant experience starts from SGD 1,900 and climbs to SGD 6,000 for talent with at least 5 years of relevant experience. 

The role in my previous company mostly revolves around supporting functions within an engineering department. Joining the CDP has provided me with training opportunities, allowing me to contribute towards structural development works. I am happy to develop my career through this structured pathway. – Mr Oon Chin Wei, a Structural Drafter and mid-career switcher shares his thoughts about participating in the CDP for Drafting Specialist

For companies interested to adopt or recruit under the CDPs, they can contact e2i directly through this link. 

(Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash)