The Human Capital Partnership (HCP) Programme is a tripartite initiative that brings together a community of employers who are committed to grow their businesses and stay competitive by having progressive employment practices, and developing their human capital.
The focus on human capital development is essential for Singapore’s economy to remain competitive, for businesses to attract and retain talent, and grow, as well as for Singaporeans to continue to have better jobs, better salaries and better careers.
The HCP Programme seeks to grow an inclusive community of progressive employers, known as Human Capital Partners (HCPartners). HCPartners are committed to nurture a stronger Singaporean Core; maximise complementarity between locals and foreigners, and enhance skills transfer from foreign to local employees to increase the capabilities of the local workforce.
On 17 February 2017, Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister for Manpower, unveiled the pioneer batch of 74 HCPartners, just three months into its launch. Among them are MasterCard, The American Club, City Development Limited, GlaxoSmithKline and Jumbo Seafood Restaurant. These progressive employers received the HCP Mark as a symbol of recognition for their exemplary human capital development, along with Certificates of Partnership.
The HCP Mark is a symbol that identifies HCPartners as exemplary employers and visually represents a company’s relationship within the HCP community. It is an endorsement of the continued commitment by HCPartners to human capital development and can be used in the firm’s corporate and marketing materials.
Human Capital Partners (HCPartners) will contribute to Singapore’s overall human capital development by focusing on five key areas that encompass all career stages.
Ascott continually looks out for high calibre people with strong potential as it expands its global business. While bringing in the best people is an important first step in their talent management strategy, bringing out the best in them is just as important.
Young talents can learn how to run an international-class serviced residence and adapt to the cities in which it operates through its Global Exchange and Residence Manager programmes. An example is Azlinda, who joined the Ascott concierge team without any prior experience in the hospitality industry.
Over the years, Ascott exposed her to different areas of work and she has shown great willingness to learn new skills, and take on new responsibilities. Two years ago, she was posted to Malaysia where she successfully opened a new property. Today, Azlinda is a Residence Manager overseeing the operations of a 203-unit property in Kuala Lumpur, and a valuable asset to the company.
HCPartners aim to transfer critical skills to further develop their human capital, such as providing opportunities for multi-skilling to grow into technical subject matter experts. 3M has implemented this across the production floor, from production operators, to R&D and manufacturing engineers, who are provided with exposure to different processes and product lines.
As part of its strategy of developing globalised leaders, 3M brought Mark Ratzlaff from its US HQ in 2010 to help start-up the new Singapore operations and train the local teams. He mentored 3M Singapore’s Mr Eugene Chew, who was a Production Manager then, and also used his technical knowledge to train the local process engineering and production teams.
See: What will be the Future of Human Capital Management?
Mr Chew was able to take over Mr Ratzlaff’s position and became the new product manager for the Display Materials and Systems Division in 2012. Mr Chew, who started his career in 3M as a flex process engineer, later paid it forward by developing Mr Peter Huang, who eventually became the process engineering manager for the Display Materials and Systems Division. The engaging and collaborative environment at 3M encourages staff to develop and transfer skills.
Image caption: Minister of State for Manpower, Mr Teo Ser Luck, and other business leaders sharing insights on “Developing Human Capital for the Future” at the first Human Capital Partnership Networking Event.
This focus on developing leaders with global perspective and experience is a key one for DBS, and the bank is especially deliberate in growing a pipeline of future leaders with international experience. DBS’ internal mobility programme provides a platform for employees to take on different roles across businesses and geographies in the bank.
In 2016, about 30 percent of the bank’s positions were filled by internal transfers. In the last five years, more than 40 percent of staff (Vice Presidents and above) who took on overseas assignments were Singaporeans.
This is in line with the Human Capital Partnership (HCP) programme, which aims to strengthen the Singaporean workforce by nurturing promising local talents into regional or even global talents. High potential employees may take on both short- and long-term regional assignments, ranging from three months to three years.
These mobility opportunities are critical to their career development as they can gain a broader perspective and in-depth knowledge of the bank. They will participate in key projects or assume key roles which will give them opportunities to engage with stakeholders from different cultural backgrounds and to execute against different strategies due to varying market positions.
Royal Plaza on Scotts (RP) reviews all talents based on their ability to perform regardless of their ages. Madam Chan Ah Kiang, who turns 65 this year, was hired by RP as a Housekeeping Attendant at the age of 62 in 2014. She brings with her a wealth of experience in room cleaning and is currently a designated trainer to guide new colleagues on the job.
As part of the Hotel’s Talent Management Program, Ah Kiang was recognized as a high performer in 2016 for consistently exceeding performance targets.
RP treats all talents as individuals and not just another employee and recognises that talents are also looking for an emotional connection with their employers. In this, they embrace diversity in their effort to attract the right talents. In partnership with e2i and Workforce Singapore, RP also engages individuals looking for a career switch and older workers.
While it is performance driven as a business and believes in partnering its clients to build progressive investment solutions, Nikko Asset Management (Nikko) is also aware of the importance of being a progressive employer. There is strong belief in hiring based on merit and a culture that is supportive of women and working mothers.
Nikko’s flexible work arrangements have enabled mothers like Rose Lim to remain in the workforce and many other staff of the firm to re-join the workforce. The staggered working hours allowed Rose to spend more time with her special needs children as well as attend medical check-ups for her illness.
Nikko has made swift progress towards conducting an open conversation with every female staff with family responsibilities to understand their concerns and the level of support they need.
Also read: How HR Can Get the Most Out of Human Capital?
