3 rebranded career centres to help more jobseekers find work

From new career management and counselling programmes, to immediate tips from career coaches on hand, Workforce Singapore's (WSG) three remodelled career centres will offer a wider suite of services to match more jobseekers with vacancies.

Launched on Wednesday (July 19), the rebranded Careers Connect centres at the Lifelong Learning Institute in Paya Lebar, Our Tampines Hub and Woodlands Civic Centre will feature three new programmes.

With one-on-one career counselling across four sessions, the Career Recharger initiative will help jobseekers who find it hard to surmount emotional challenges after losing a job, for instance, build a positive mindset as they start their job hunt.

Career Catalyst will see career coaches working with jobseekers to iron out their work preferences, transferrable skills and chart action plans towards employment, while the Career 360 peer support programme will help jobseekers tap the networks and resources of peers to raise job-search effectiveness.

These programmes have been piloted over the last three months with a total of more than 160 people.

The three centres will also be spruced up to include an improved self-help area complete with desktop computers which allow jobseekers to access career profiling tools and update their resumes, for example. Career coaches will also be on hand to provide instant career tips on tapping self-help resources.

The Paya Lebar centre will also feature an eLobby with expanded operating hours to provide information such as sought-after jobs. The eLobby will open between 7am and 10pm. Previously, jobseekers could access services only during the centre's operating hours from 9am to 5pm.

Besides improving support for jobseekers, Careers Connect will also step up hiring advice for employers.

For example, it will offer a job description workshop to guide firms in searching and selecting candidates using skill-based requirements. This will reduce "missed matches" between employers and jobseekers, said Ms Lynn Ng, group director of WSG's Careers Connect Group.

The centres will also have new spaces to link jobseekers to employers, including interview pods to enable firms to conduct multiple interviews at one go, streamlining the process for firms, said Ms Ng.