Michael Leong, Managing Director (APAC) of Beyond Security, had recently re-hired a former employee and wanted to know if there were any available manpower grants to support him.
He contacted SME Centre @SMCCI earlier this year, where he was referred to our WSG Business Advisor, Manisah.
During their initial meeting, Michael explained that Dominic, a former employee had left the company back in 2018 to pursue a career switch. However, he realised that he had excelled more when he was in Beyond Security and wanted to return to the company. Michael decided to re-hire Dominic as he had deep knowledge of the company’s product and found him to be valuable to the company. Tapping onto Dominic’s expertise, Michael considered him for the position of Digital Marketer.
Leveraging on available training schemes
Based on the former employee’s qualifications and experiences, Manisah recommended Michael to apply for the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP), which supports PMETs in career switches.
“Dominic required a certain set of skills to manage his new role. PCP would enable Dominic to undergo training inn digital marketing so that he is better equipped to take on the new responsibility,” shared Manisah.
She also encouraged Michael to apply for the Career Support Programme (CSP), which would provide salary support for employers who hire Singapore Citizens. With Manisah’s assistance, Beyond Security successfully received funding for both PCP and CSP.
“We received up to 90% funding for Dominic’s training and salary support over a period of six months. Today, Dominic manages Beyond Security’s website and its contents. He has also acquired new skills which allows him to manage our social media marketing and generate leads for the company. We also received CSP funding for up to 18 months. This has helped us to defray costs and allocate our budget to other aspects of the business,” explained Michael.
Upgrading HR framework and management
Additionally, Manisah suggested that Michael try out P-Max, a Place-and-Train Programme aimed at helping SMEs better recruit, train and manage newly hired PMETs. Upon Manisah’s recommendation, Michael and Dominic enrolled themselves into a Human Resource Management and Leadership course respectively.
“The P-Max Programme presented me the opportunity to upgrade my skills in other areas. It also enabled me to prepare myself for working in a SME environment and adopt the right mindset needed to excel in such a workplace,” highlighted Dominic.