Two-day Career Discovery @ North East event by North East CDC and Employment and Employability Institute provides holistic support to job seekers as part of continuous efforts to intensify employment and social assistance amid increasing anxiety over job market uncertainties

1. Deeper impact of COVID-19 is starting to show on the labour market with reports on retrenchments being doubled in the second quarter of this year. On the community front, North East CDC has seen an increase of over two times in residents seeking employment assistance at Job Placement Centres within the North East District over the last 3 months, as compared to the previous quarter this year.
2. Organised by North East CDC in partnership with National Trades Union Congress’ e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), Career Discovery @ North East is a one-stop platform for job seekers and residents to explore employment opportunities and social assistance at the same time. In addition to employers’ booths, social service agencies and organisations such as Mendaki, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Temasek Polytechnic will be at the two-day event on 16 and 17 October 2020, held at the Central Plaza of Our Tampines Hub.
3. Job seekers and residents can attend physical or virtual interviews and consult with a career coach from e2i or North East CDC at the event’s Career Resource Station. There will be a wide range of employment opportunities offered from various industries including food and beverage, logistics, retail, transportation and more. Besides applying for jobs, residents can also sign up for various sectoral webinars offered under the SGUnited Skills Programmes to gain a deeper understanding of the industry they desire to work in. This includes better knowledge of job roles, skills and training required to support career transition or progression.
4. North East CDC has also taken the extra step to ensure that assistance schemes are made easily accessible on-site through North East CDC’s Assistance Ambassadors. This provides a seamless experience for job seekers to identify and learn more about the financial and social assistance available to tide over challenging periods while waiting for a job offer. The Ambassadors will be present to share about these schemes and provide advice promptly to residents.
5. Adding on to the convenience, representatives from the Social Service Office @ Tampines under the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will be on-site to offer additional guidance for those in need.
6. Mr Desmond Choo, Mayor of North East District, shared, “We understand how job losses can have huge repercussions on the social well-being of families and individuals. North East CDC hopes to render holistic support to our residents. As much as job seekers may want to land a job as soon as they can, this is not always possible. Our Assistance Ambassadors will be around at Career Discovery @ North East to identify other suitable solutions that can be of help to different profiles of job seekers, so they are not left stranded in the interim.”
7. “NTUC’s e2i has intensified efforts to engage companies, community partners, unions and the government to bring job and training opportunities to Singaporeans nearer their homes, since mid-June when most activities resume. There is room to do more, and we urge companies to come onboard the NTUC Job Security Council, for us to work towards a sustainable support system for workers and companies. Knowing which companies possess excess manpower and which companies are facing resource crunch, JSC can then channel resources effectively, minimising downtime for both companies and workers,” said Mr Gilbert Tan, CEO of NTUC’s e2i.
8. More than 1,700 residents were assisted through Career Discovery @ North East since it started in June 2020. Other than working with partners to offer such support, North East CDC also assists job seekers with temporary job placements in the community through its Community Employment Programme (CEP) and Community Employment Programme Plus (CEP Plus).
9. Attendees of Career Discovery @ North East are required to observe safe management measures that are strictly in place during the event, to ensure the well-being of all participants.