By Kay del Rosario
The NTUC Women and Family Unit (NTUC WAF) together with the Women’s Wing (WW) of the People’s Action Party (PAP) launched a month-long International Women’s Day (IWD) series of programmes on 6 March 2021.
To celebrate the occasion, NTUC WAF and WW worked with the Textile and Fashion Industry Training Centre (TaF.tc) to organise the REIMAGINE Fashion Showcase at Punggol Shore.
It featured nine “reimagined” work outfits styled by local designers for women in various occupations. The clothes were made from sustainable materials like organic cotton, and even recycled items like umbrellas.
Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo graced the event with NTUC President Mary Liew and NTUC Director for U SME and Women and Family Yeo Wan Ling.
Some of the reimagined workwear on display represented unconventional career paths that more and more women are venturing into, such as plumbing and urban farming.
“We want to inspire all women, not just young girls but also back to work women to be bold in their career choices. NTUC WAF endeavours to create new possibilities for women's career options and to support women in reaching their full potential,” said Ms Yeo.
To help carve out alternative livelihood options for women, NTUC WAF will also be launching its Passion 2 Profit (P2P) initiative.
The initiative aims to help women turn their skills or passion projects into profitable ventures to supplement their income.
Aside from building their alteration skills, the first run of P2P will have trainees go through a robust alterations specialist training programme where they will study how to start and operate their own businesses.
Working with TaF.tc, NTUC WAF targets to train 100 women in the next year.
Throughout the month of March, NTUC WAF will be coordinating satellite celebratory activities organised by affiliated unions and associations, webinars, as well as a career fair featuring jobs curated for women that offer flexibility for caregiving responsibilities.
The series of programmes highlights the aspirations of women and aims to galvanise Singaporeans to build a more sustainable Singapore.
“Even with all the progress made, we recognise that helping women to succeed is a journey without end.
“With every shift in the landscape, we must be willing to re-examine how better to support women to realise our full potential, and to be protected from harm,” said Mrs Teo.
