How a software giant helps workers bridge the digital skills gap

As Kamarozaman Kosnan (41) was job hunting during the pandemic, he realised that many employers were looking for candidates with digital skills or experience in technology. Formerly running his own online shop, it became clear to Kamarozaman that he needed to upskill if he wanted to return to the workforce.

"I needed a job but didn't know where or how to start. I realised I didn't have the skills or the experience that the hiring companies wanted, so I decided to participate in the Salesforce Career Kickstarter Program with an open mind and a willingness to learn," he says.

Through the programme, Kamarozaman not only gained new skills, but also secured a new job as a junior consultant with an IT management company. "Salesforce connected me with my current employer," Kamarozaman adds.

Designed to enhance the employability of mid-career PMETs, the Salesforce Career Kickstarter Program is offered in collaboration with Skillsfuture Singapore and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and is also known as the NTU SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme - Company Training (SGUP-CT).

Over a duration of six months, trainees go through courses that are jointly curated by Salesforce and NTU to impart broad skills that are relevant to multiple job roles. Trainees also receive career guidance from NTU and Salesforce, and a monthly training allowance of $1,500 funded by SkillsFuture.

Since its launch in January 2021, the Salesforce Career Kickstarter Program has trained a total of 180 individuals from 14 batches. To date, seven batches have graduated and many, like Kamarozaman, have gone on to secure jobs in the Salesforce ecosystem.

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Helping reskilled employees find new careers

For Singapore to stay competitive, more than 1.2 million digitally skilled workers will be needed by 2025, a 55 per cent jump from today's 770,000. Businesses are speeding up their digitalisation amidst the pandemic and in the process creating millions of new jobs that demand digital skills.

James Lim (30) is keenly aware of the digital skills gap and the need to reskill himself for a different career path. Originally from an asset management and investment banking background, the pandemic gave him pause when it came to planning for his future.

"Covid made me realise that I wanted a career that I am passionate about, and one which gives me potential to grow and succeed in the digital economy. I wanted to do something different, and the Salesforce Career Kickstarter Program was a pathway for mid-career professionals like myself to acquire the necessary skills for a career in tech," says James. He successfully switched to an e-commerce company as a business analyst after completing the programme.

Helping individuals keep pace with shifting skills needs

In addition to the Salesforce Career Kickstarter Program, Salesforce also offers another initiative aimed at bridging the digital skills gap, helping individuals ease into careers in technology. Formerly called the Salesforce Professional Conversion Program, the Salesforce Career Conversion Program has helped 95 trainees to date.

Offered in partnership with Workforce Singapore and SGTech, the Salesforce Career Conversion Program is a six-month place-and-train initiative where trainees are employed by one of Salesforce's clients who provide on-the-job training. The training is complemented by guided coaching from Salesforce-certified instructors, and funding support for salary and course fees components of up to 90 per cent subsidies for the hiring company.

The classroom learning component for the Salesforce Career Conversion and Kickstarter programmes is delivered over a video conferencing platform and complemented by Trailhead, Salesforce's dedicated learning portal, to facilitate students' understanding of the curriculum.

An interactive platform that makes use of gamification to encourage learning, Trailhead caters to individuals preparing for a digital career and those who simply wish to acquire in-demand skills.

Commenting on the hundreds of guided learning paths and modules on marketable skills available for free on Trailhead, Salesforce's Senior Vice President and General Manager for ASEAN Sujith Abraham says: "We ensure that the Trailhead platform is regularly updated with new modules and career paths to ensure that professionals gain access to the latest in-demand skills and can keep pace with shifting skills needs."

Users are awarded badges for every module they complete. Since its launch in 2014, more than 33.9 million Trailhead badges have been awarded to Salesforce employees, its customers, partners, and individuals. In the 12 months that followed the start of the pandemic in March last year, the number of Trailhead badges earned in Singapore increased by 59 per cent, signalling greater awareness and adoption amongst workers here.

Three new in-demand roles of Marketer, Sales and Designer were added to Trailhead recently to provide more guided entry points for these careers. Mr Abraham explains: "This gives people more opportunities to learn valuable skills for free and to connect with a community of experts to transform their digital marketing, sales and design careers."

From 2020 to 2026, Salesforce will create 7,100 new direct jobs and more than 11,000 indirect jobs in Singapore. The company is also accelerating its efforts to help people upskill and reskill for these roles.

"We're looking to partner with other tertiary institutions to nurture and support young talent who are eager to kickstart their career as digital professionals. By building the tech talent pipeline, Singapore-based companies will have access to talent while Singapore can meet its demand for digitally skilled workers," Mr Abraham adds.

Salesforce is helping to bridge Singapore's digital skills gap by partnering with SkillsFuture and Workforce Singapore to kickstart careers, and help mid-career professionals move into in-demand roles. By combining free training on its learning portal, Trailhead, and tapping its vast ecosystem of partners and clients, Salesforce enhances employability and connects workers to job opportunities in the digital economy.

Find out how you can benefit via https://www.salesforce.com/ap/campaign/gov-career-skills/ or explore Trailhead to pick up a digital skill or two: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/en