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WSG appoints UK firm Ingeus to serve local, unemployed job seekers

Workforce Singapore (WSG) is appointing two overseas, private sector placement providers (known as career matching providers - CMP) to expand its suite of career matching services for unemployed locals.

Both providers have been commissioned by WSG under a two-year pilot, with the first announced provider being - UK-headquartered Ingeus to help active PMETs job seekers who were made redundant or unemployed for three months or more.

Ingeus set up operations in Singapore on 3 April solely for the purpose of this assignment, and is currently operating with a team of about 10 local staff from the Lifelong Learning Institute.

Ingeus, and the second provider to be announced soon, were shortlisted from a pool of about five foreign organisations that met WSG’s requirements of having a positive track record in placing active jobseekers for governments in other countries.

Both the providers will complement WSG and NTUC's Employability and Employment Institute's (e2i) existing career matching services.

WSG and NTUC’s e2i will randomly assign the jobseekers to either WSG, e2i or a CMP for career matching services. WSG will pay the two agencies on an outcome-based model where they will be compensated only upon successful achievement of placement outcomes.

Ingeus will only be providing career matching services for job-seekers who make an appointment first via WSG’s hotline or approach WSG Career Centres or NTUC’s e2i centres. Any walk-in or direct job seekers to Ingeus will be redirected to WSG or e2i’s centres.

ALSO READ: NTUC launches PIVOT programme for job seekers in transition

About the process of selection

Between 2011-2017,WSG ran pilots with a total of four local employment agencies for the same scope of work i.e. assisting PMETs - with less than favourable  results.

Providers from the last pilot achieved lower than 50% placement rate, which is below the average PMET placement rate of 60% achieved across WSG Career Centres and NTUC’s e2i centres. Thus it was necessary for WSG to explore working with overseas providers in a bid to continuously improve career matching services to better assist job seekers.

"Through this pilot, we aim to work with job seeker-centric placement providers, on an outcomes-based model to drive placements for active jobs eekers. It is important to note that there is no change to how jobseekers will continue to have access to WSG and e2i’s career matching services.," said Lynn Ng, group director, Careers Connect Group.

She added that the providers will not only be localising their practices but will be staffed with ;ocals only. An implementation advisor will assist the local team to start up operations in Singapore and facilitate knowledge transfer, with customisation to Singapore’s context.

WSG continues to be open to hearing from local agencies who are willing to change their business model to serve active job-seekers.

ALSO READ: Internationalisation created 61% of PMET jobs in Singapore

What does this mean for employers?

The services of placing candidates through Ingeus and the to-be-announced agency are provided free of charge for employers, identical to employers' current model of working with WSG. Employers just need to post their available jobs with WSG and participate in career fairs organised by the latter.

What does this mean for job-seekers?

Job-seekers who approach WSG's career centres or NTUC’s e2i centres will be assigned to these providers on an unbiased, randomised process. Moreover, these services will continue to remain free of charge as it is.

Moreover, new ways of career coaching will be implemented by the new CMPs to better prepare job-seekers in resume preparation, interview management as well as profiling themselves to prospective employers.

Photo / 123RF

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