Given the challenges of a tight labour market and an ageing population, the Republic’s ability to be productive and adaptable is critical for its competitiveness and there is an urgent need for SMEs to be innovative with keen focus on raising productivity, Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Manpower said today (Nov 5) as he launched the Mentorship for Accelerating Productivity (MAP) Programme at the Singapore Productivity Conference.
Participating companies in MAP programme, another joint initiative by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and Singapore Business Federation (SBF) to drive innovation and productivity, will be taken through productivity concepts relevant to their sector and will also be assessed on their overall workflow efficiency before being placed on a customised mentorship programme supported by productivity consultants. Selected staff from each company will be groomed to become productivity champions to continually initiate and drive productivity projects.
Companies, Mr Teo said, can then capitalise on the initial mentorship, sustain their productivity improvements and build a supportive culture over the long run. WDA has set aside over S$1 million to train up to 300 workers from 60 companies through the MAP.
“We would also require a change in mindset, one that is geared towards increasing productivity, where everyone takes pride in being efficient and aims for excellence. We need a culture of lifelong learning and mastery of skills, where employers and employees are committed to developing their expertise, no matter the job,” Mr Teo added, emphasising that collaborations between the Government and Trade Associations and Chambers (TACs) continue to be instrumental in helping companies transform.
The MAPS programme, according to Mr Teo, complements the recently launched Lean Enterprise Development (LED) Scheme that aims to support progressive SMEs to become more productive, innovative and manpower-lean with the ability to offer quality jobs and careers to build a stronger Singaporean core.
“The restructuring journey is not an easy one for many companies, particularly the SMEs. Hence, the Government has put in place a range of schemes to help our SMEs improve productivity and enhance their capabilities,” Mr Teo said, referring to the Empowering Efficiency and Excellence (3E) Programme rolled out in in 2012 by WDA and SBF to train companies in productivity tools and methodologies whereby companies embarked on productivity projects to reduce manpower and processing errors.
About 200 workers and over 28 companies, most of which are SMEs, had benefitted from the 3E Programme, reporting at least 10 per cent improvement in productivity.
SBF has also launched the Holistic Industry Productivity Scorecard (HIPS) which allows companies to calculate their labour productivity besides nine other productivity indicators aligned to the Integrated Management of Productivity Activities (IMPACT) framework by SPRING Singapore. Companies can also check their performance pegged to industry, and track productivity performance year-on-year. With the data collected through HIPS, companies will be able to tap on the MAP programme and tools to effectively address productivity performance gaps, Mr Teo said, while urging companies to make the most of these initiatives to overcome challenges and secure opportunities in this new global economy.
news source & image credits: todayonline.com
