The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) U Women and Family (U WAF) has partnered the North East Community Development Council (CDC) to expand the Women Supporting Women (WSW) Mentorship Programme to all female residents in the district. This follows the successful pilot of the WSW Mentorship Programme that was first launched by U WAF in Punggol Shore Constituency in 2020 that benefited a total of 48 mentees.
About 60 participants, comprising both mentors and mentees, attended the kick-off session of the WSW Mentorship Programme’s expansion to the North East CDC at Punggol 21 Community Club on Friday, 23 September 2022. The mentors and mentees learned more about one another through sharing of their personal motivations and expectations for the mentorship programme before officially embarking on it.
Empowering Women to Take the Next Step in their Career Journey
The WSW Mentorship Programme offers female job seekers, including fresh graduates, women-returners and mid-career switchers, an opportunity to be mentored by women leaders across different industries. Open to female residents from all 21 constituencies in the North East CDC, the programme seeks to help female job seekers achieve their fullest potential through a six-month long mentorship programme that focuses on professional development and personal growth. Women leaders who serve as mentors in this programme are residents from constituencies in the North East CDC, grassroots leaders, or union leaders from NTUC.
To ensure that mentors are adequately equipped, U WAF works in tandem with NTUC Learning Hub and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) to provide resources and training support programmes to build up the skillsets of mentors. Through workshops such as the Volunteer Career Navigator by NTUC’s e2i, mentors are equipped with the skills and knowledge to guide mentees effectively. To date, a total of 90 mentors have stepped forward to be deployed across the various constituencies.
Continuing to Help Women Thrive in the Workforce
As part of NTUC’s #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations, a public series of engagements, NTUC sought to understand the concerns, priorities, and aspirations of women through focus group discussions held at the event. NTUC Director for U SME and U WAF Ms Yeo Wan Ling participated in the focus group discussions to hear from the participants about their challenges, concerns, and needs regarding work. Discussions centered around the concerns of women returning to the workforce, juggling between work and caregiving duties, and the support they need at various stages of their transition back to work.
“I have benefitted greatly from the WSW Mentorship Programme, and I am grateful to my mentor who has encouraged me in my journey. The programme allowed me to network with like-minded women and experienced professionals, better understand the career opportunities suited to my needs, and undergo upskilling to meet the evolving needs of the economy. I would encourage fellow women, who are trying to rejoin the workforce, to join the programme, build up confidence and equip themselves with relevant skillsets to thrive in the work environment,” said Ms Poornima Nadarajah, 46, a WSW Mentorship Programme mentee and mother of two.
“We are proud to expand the Women Supporting Women Mentorship Programme at a Community Development Council level. There are women in our community looking to develop themselves in professional and personal capacities but face various challenges going back to the workforce - be it the need to juggle caregiving responsibilities or the fear of being out of touch with the workforce after taking an extended break from work. NTUC recognises these concerns and believes that the expansion of this mentorship programme will provide more women with the necessary support and guidance they need to thrive and reach their fullest potential in their professional and personal lives,” said Ms Yeo Wan Ling, NTUC Director for U SME and U WAF.
The expansion of the WSW Mentorship Programme to more constituencies is in line with the recommendations put forth by the White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development issued on 28 March 2022 in Parliament this year, particularly on one of the key action plans on ensuring equal opportunities for women in the workforce. This can be achieved by enabling more women to participate more fully in the workplace through career mentorship, networking opportunities, and training programmes for women at work and those re-entering the workforce.
Since the initial pilot rollout in Punggol Shore Constituency in 2020, U WAF has also extended the WSW Mentorship Programme to Yayasan MENDAKI and individual constituencies such as Jalan Kayu, Marymount, Thomson, West Coast and Nee Soon South.
