WORK as a machine operator paid little and was boring to Madam Lim Hui Bin. But the 45-year-old stuck with it because she did not have the confidence to find another job.
After four years, the mother of one decided she had had enough and plucked up the courage to respond to a job advertisement by the new Employment and Employability Institute (e2i).
That was last September.
Today, she earns one-third more and is happier: 'I'm grateful that even though I'm into my 40s, I found a new job with bright prospects.'
Madam Lim is now a wafer fabrication specialist with semiconductor company STMicroelectronics, taking home about $1,200 a month.
More importantly, her confidence was boosted after e2i's five-day training camp, which she attended before starting work.
At its 'Employability Camp'', she was taught interview skills and confidence-boosting techniques.
Skills upgrading is among a range of services offered at e2i, a one-stop centre that wants to reach out to mature workers like Madam Lim as well as retrenched workers, contract and casual workers, and housewives who want to re-enter the workforce.
The institute in Bukit Merah also offers, among other things, job placement and career consulting services.
It was officially launched yesterday by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who said it will be the mainstay of a new national masterplan to arm more workers with skills to keep up with the relentless pace of economic changes.
It was set up by three organisations: the National Trades Union Congress, Workforce Development Agency and Singapore Labour Foundation.
Adopting a multi-faceted approach, it will help workers identify and address their specific employment problems.
Besides 'Employability Camps', workers can take on-the-spot assessment tests to find out whether they have the technical skills or qualifications to land a specific job.
They may also be sent to other government and private training centres to pick up industry-specific skills.
These centres cover 10 sectors, ranging from health care to real estate and security. Plans are afoot to add new growth industries, like tourism, to the list.
The e2i, which opened its doors last September, has trained around 3,000 workers and helped 230 unemployed people find jobs. This year, its target is to train over 10,000 and secure 2,000 job placements.
Mr Zee Yoong Kang, its chief executive officer, said the centre will work with Community Development Councils, unions and the media to reach out to those struggling to get a job or stay employed.
'We want to send the message to them that given their particular circumstances, training will help them bridge those gaps that come between them and a better job.'
