Capitaland Investment extends partnership with Skillsfuture Singapore to uplift workforce and accelerate business transformation in Retail sector

CapitaLand Investment Limited (CLI) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) have extended their partnership under the SkillsFuture Queen Bee initiative for another 18 months, from August 2024 to January 2026.  During this period, CLI, as the SkillsFuture Queen Bee for the retail sector, will continue to leverage its deep industry expertise to onboard an additional 120 small and medium-sized retail partners in its network to upskill at least 600 of their employees.  

The renewed partnership builds on the achievements of the initial two-year collaboration, during which CLI partnered over 300 retail and food & beverage (F&B) SMEs since 2022 to upskill more than 1,500 employees.  Through the CapitaLand SkillsFuture Queen Bee Programme, CLI aims to enhance workplace learning capabilities and facilitate upskilling to support the business transformation of participating retailers.

Mr Ervin Yeo, Group Chief Strategy Officer and CEO, Commercial Management, China and Southeast Asia, CLI, said: “As Singapore’s largest mall operator, we are committed to supporting our retailers in navigating and thriving in an ever-changing landscape.  Our aim is to help our retail partners bridge skills gap and strengthen their workforce through this programme so that they can adapt to new challenges and seize emerging opportunities.  We are honoured to extend our partnership with SSG as a SkillsFuture Queen Bee, which recognises our efforts and capabilities in uplifting and empowering Singapore’s retail sector.”  

Mr Tan Kok Yam, Chief Executive of SkillsFuture Singapore, said: “It is crucial to support retailers, especially SMEs, by equipping them with the skills and capabilities to remain agile, competitive and responsive to the challenges of the changing retail landscape. With CLI's strong track record, we are pleased to extend this partnership, ensuring that more retailers and retail sector employees can benefit from CLI's expertise and industry leadership.”

The CapitaLand SkillsFuture Queen Bee Programme is specially designed for SMEs in the retail sector.  Through a comprehensive suite of learning initiatives – including seminars, webinars, exclusive training classes and curated Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) courses – the programme has consistently delivered value to retail and F&B partners.  SMEs that have participated in the programme have reported higher productivity, revenue growth, and enhanced employee satisfaction and adaptability.  The programme has also helped SMEs refine their human resource strategies, fostering proactive talent development and ensuring workforce agility in a dynamic industry landscape. 

For instance, the targeted training has not only strengthened employees’ ability to set, monitor and achieve sales targets but has also equipped them with the expertise to optimise operational strategies and manage customer interactions, driving notable improvement in sales performances.  Additionally, training in visual merchandising has enabled SMEs to elevate their in-store experiences, capturing customer attention and driving engagement. Service excellence training has also boosted employee’ ability to anticipate and meet customer needs, resulting in higher satisfaction and increased customer loyalty. 

In collaboration with NTUC LearningHub, one of the Jobs-Skills Integrator for the Retail sector ecosystem partners, and NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), CLI also introduced a series of Retail Career Fairs.  These fairs are strategically tailored to meet the hiring and skills needs of retail tenants as well as committing employers to upskilling their new and existing hires through CLI’s curated SkillsFuture Queen Bee Programme, and in turn strengthening the overall retail workforce.

As part of the renewed partnership, CLI will continue to focus on areas such as innovation and digitalisation adoption; Critical Core Skills including customer orientation, influence and digital fluency; as well as workplace coaching and mentoring to build a sustainable support and learning culture among SME retailers in the long run.

Visit https://www.capitaland-queenbee.com for more information about the CapitaLand SkillsFuture Queen Bee Programme and refer to the Annex for quotes from programme participants.

Refer to Annex.

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