Having completed courses at NTUC LearningHub, these avid learners share more about the positive impact of upskilling and reskilling in their lives and employability.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, caring for her mother was Ms Ravinder Kaur’s top priority. Then an operations manager in the food manufacturing industry, Ms Kaur, who is in her 50s, decided to leave her job and take over caregiving duties when her helper returned to her home country in 2020. “It has been very fulfilling for me to attend to my mum and her needs,” she said.
Despite being focused on her responsibilities, Ms Kaur was intent on staying relevant. She was on the lookout for upskilling and reskilling opportunities when she came across NTUC LearningHub’s advertisements. She enrolled in the International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile) and Scrum Master courses, and then embarked on a six-month-long Associate Project Manager and Scrum Master programme.
“I discovered that the Agile framework can be adopted not only in the workplace but also in my personal life. I’ve learnt to break down problems into smaller and more manageable parts, which are essentially the basic building blocks of Agile development,” she explained.
Ms Kaur believes that her broadened knowledge base has made her a stronger candidate for employment in the future. “The good thing about learning is that it’s never too late,” she said. “Upskilling and reskilling have been a critical part of my journey. I find the process deeply satisfying.”
BECOMING MORE AGILE IN HER CAREER
Several retrenchment rounds and an unstable workplace environment spurred Ms Estelle Su – a former global account manager in the infocomm technology sector – to call it quits after a year of uncertainty.
She acknowledged that her resignation was a risky move: “2020 was a volatile period and I was not sure if I would remain jobless for some time. But making the decision to move on trumped the stress of working in a rocky environment. Thankfully, my loved ones supported my choice and helped me out financially.” In pursuit of new skills, she took up a series of ICAgile courses at NTUC LearningHub. She chose the CET provider for its reputation and raft of certified courses. The ICAgile – Agile Coaching course, for instance, comes with the ICAgile Certified Professional Agile Coaching (ICP-ACC) accreditation that is recognised worldwide. “Agile methodologies are relevant to the changing economy and are good for my portfolio as they are applicable to sales-related roles,” she shared.
She is heartened that her newly minted skills are applicable in her current position in business development at a British consumer tech conglomerate. “I’ve learnt to harness the Agile framework and virtual collaboration tools when catering to the different working styles of people,” she shared.
Her tip to others who are facing career-related speed bumps? “You are not alone – ask for help when you need to. Things will get better with time.”
Interested in upskilling and reskilling? Check out NTUC LearningHub’s array of courses.