A NEW partnership aims to upskill 5,000 employees from 500 small retailers in Singapore over the next five years, by providing access to a curated selection of training programmes.

The deal was signed on Wednesday (Aug 16) between Nanyang Polytechnic and the Bosses Network, an advocacy group of more than 10,000 local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The two parties will design and develop tailored programmes, organise webinars and curate events such as overseas trips, seminars and specialised training. Nanyang Polytechnic’s Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (NYP-SIRS), which is spearheading the programme, will also offer consultancy in areas such as transformation, expansion and digitalisation.

The two organisations have worked together since 2019 to offer training courses, in which more than 100 companies have taken part.

The new partnership will give trainers from NYP-SIRS “first-hand insights” into the challenges faced by Singapore’s SMEs, and enable them to incorporate “authentic and relevant case studies into their training programmes”, said Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling.

The courses are available to employees of SMEs which are part of the Bosses Network.

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Low, the guest of honour at Wednesday’s event, said: “(NYP-SIRS’) training programmes, consultancy services and ecosystem partnerships are positioned towards supporting companies’ business development as well as innovation needs.”

She cited Unidbox Hardware as a retailer which has benefited from NYP-SIRS’ programmes.

The company’s sales were hit by outlet closures during pandemic-era movement restrictions. But its past efforts to develop e-commerce capabilities, from a 2019 training programme by NYP-SIRS, enabled it to pivot towards digital sales during the pandemic.

Following the training and engagement with NYP-SIRS, Unidbox grew its revenue by 100 per cent between 2019 and 2022, Low said.

Courses available under the partnership include a week-long study trip to Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba’s Hangzhou campus, where SMEs’ top management will take courses from Alibaba Business School.

Russell Chan, principal and chief executive officer at Nanyang Polytechnic, said: “Upskilling is paramount across all sectors, particularly for SMEs in Singapore, to help them stay competitive amid evolving market conditions.”