Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited BCG’s inaugural RISE career fair on 25th June 2021. The event hosted over 25 corporate partners representing about 200 job opportunities
1. Together with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), global management consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) launched a unique Train-and-Place programme in early 2021 that aims to upskill and reskill 1,500 PMETs through BCG’s Rapid & Immersive Skill Enhancement (RISE) programme. Specially designed to help build a more resilient and digital-ready workforce, the RISE programme forms part of the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme – Company Training and emphasises the imperative of digitisation and reskilling, as highlighted in the Emerging Stronger Taskforce report. Since its launch, RISE has enrolled over 1,300 trainees, with the first batch of trainees set to graduate in August. The programme has been well-received, and over 10% of RISE participants have secured full-time employment even before graduation and successfully transitioned from the programme into new jobs and career paths.
2. Senior Minister, Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Chairman of the National Jobs Council, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited BCG’s inaugural RISE career fair on 25th June 2021, where he interacted with participating companies and prospective graduates, and attended hackathon presentations by trainees in response to real-world problem statements provided by corporate partners such as Singapore Airlines, National University Health System, and Sentosa Development Corporation.
3. Over 25 companies and organisations participated in BCG’s inaugural RISE career fair, offering about 200 job opportunities across different industries and functions. Some of the participating companies included UOB, Standard Chartered, JP Morgan, Shopee, Saladstop!, IHIS, Cargill, and PSA. Conducted in a virtual format, each company participating in the career fair was provided with a virtual booth where they could interact with prospective graduates and conduct one-on-one interviews.
4. Mr Ong Tze Chin, Chief Executive of SSG said, “We are heartened to see the strong response to the SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme – Company Training, which RISE is a part of. We strongly encourage mid-career jobseekers to tap on such avenues of government support, to reskill and upskill themselves for more career opportunities and growth”.
5. Mr Jeffrey Chua, Chairman of BCG Singapore said, “We designed and curated the RISE curriculum and programme to meet real market needs. We feel very proud to support workforce upgrade for Singapore to seize global opportunities, to bridge talent gaps for many companies who have found sourcing of digital talent a challenge, and to support individual trainees who are true lifelong learners to become more employable”.
Nurturing Digital Talents to Drive Digital Transformation
6. Tapping into BCG’s rich experiences driving digital transformation and leadership enablement for the world’s largest companies and governments, the RISE programme equips trainees with the skillsets necessary to excel in a data-driven and digital world. Trainees undergo the equivalent of 18 months of project-based “biztech” training with company-sponsored hackathons and final capstone projects over a period of 6 months. The experiential-based curriculum includes a combination of projects, live classes and workshops with BCG consultants and coaches, masterclasses conducted by industry leaders, and tools such as digital simulations, personalised digital communications coach, and AI-based CV screener, to enhance each participant’s professional and personal development journey.
7. Ms Wong Ee Jin, who found it challenging to move into the technology sector after her previous employer closed her business unit in Singapore, recently found a full-time job in a retail tech company. She said, “My learnings from RISE, including the structured frameworks, industry exposure and knowledge on digital technologies such as Industry 4.0, were instrumental in helping me secure the offer. I finally could understand what my friends in tech are talking about”.
8. Mr Bernard Soh, a 56-year-old finance professional who felt stuck in his career said, “I received interviews but either I couldn’t crack them or the roles themselves were a big step back. I realized that for the next jump in my career, I have to build new digital skills and an agile mindset. The knowledge of digital transformation from the RISE course now allows me to apply for jobs with a very different value proposition to prospective employers, building off my past strengths”.
9. The calibre of RISE trainees and quality of the assignment output have impressed many of RISE’s corporate partners. Group Chief Digital Officer of NUHS, Peter Forbes who was one of the judges for the hackathon said, “I am impressed with the very high-quality of the presentations enhanced by videos and product demos created in such a short time. The RISE digital talents have conducted excellent primary research and created fresh innovative ideas that we are keen to incorporate evaluating for incorporation into our organisation digital plans”.
10. Singapore Airlines Senior Vice President of Information Technology, George Wang said “The standard of the presentations exceeds my expectations. The output also reflected the quality of the training, skills learnt, and the mentoring and boost given by BCG to these participants. This is a great initiative to grow the pool of technology talent in Singapore. We will be happy to interview candidates from the hackathon for full time positions with KrisLab, SIA’s innovation lab”.
11. Mr Elijah Yong, Head of Learning and Development at Shopee, said “As a proud Singaporean tech company, talent is at the centre of our operations and Shopee is committed to the upskilling and development of local talent across all levels, in order to ensure they succeed and thrive in the rapidly growing digital economy. We believe the key skills to succeed in this ever-changing e-commerce landscape are a strong understanding of the business, active listening and adaptability, and are therefore honoured to partner BCG for the RISE Virtual Career Fair to empower personal growth and supercharge talent employability through impactful learning and real work experience”.
12. Set up to connect the RISE talent pool with a variety of companies, BCG’s RISE Career Centre welcomes collaborations with more Singapore-based companies to recruit digital talent capable of jumpstarting the transition to a digital economy. Besides providing companies with free profile matching services, the Career Centre also offers trainees coaching and support from specialists from BCG, 33 Talent and partner organisations. For example, Career Advisers from the Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) held a session for RISE learners at the career fair on how to prepare for a virtual interview, address common interview questions, and leave a lasting impression.
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