Skills Frameworks for food services and retail sectors launched

THE Skills Frameworks for the food services and retail sectors were launched on Friday to support the design of training programmes for skills and career development.

These frameworks provide key information on career pathways, as well as existing and emerging skills required, said Workforce Singapore (WSG), in collaboration with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and support from Spring Singapore.

Ng Cher Pong, chief executive of SSG, said: "The two Skills Frameworks that are launched today support the implementation of the ITMs (Industry Transformation Maps) for the food services and retail industries. Trends such as increased automation in the food services industry and the growth of e-commerce in the retail industry provide new business and career opportunities."

The initiatives aim to encourage more employers from both sectors to transform their operations by embracing innovation and adopting technologies, said WSG. More government support will also be provided for employers to sustain growth and overcome a manpower crunch.

To support and help offset part of the implementation costs, employers can tap into WSG's WorkPro Job Redesign Grant, under WSG's Transform & Grow initiative, to fund job redesign projects up to S$300,000.

For training and wage subsidy support, employers from both sectors can tap into WSG's suite of Adapt & Grow programmes such as Professional Conversion Programmes, the Career Support Programme and Work Trial to complement their hiring and training efforts.

To further encourage employers to embrace new technologies, WSG has organised a two-day Adapt & Grow Food Services and Retail Day on August 4 and 5 at the Lifelong Learning Institute. The two-day career fair features close to 1,200 job vacancies offered by 34 employers such as TWG and Charles & Keith.