After a 2 years hiatus, Supply Chain and Logistics Academy (SCALA) held its 3rd Graduation Ceremony for graduates from the Career Conversion Programmes on 1st December 2022, at Supply Chain City.

The Career Conversion Programmes are 9-month programmes, consisting of Advanced Certificate courses delivered by SCALA, on-the-job training and mentorship, to help mid-careers switchers smoothen their transition into their new roles. Employers also receive generous salary support and course fee grants from Workforce Singapore and Skillsfuture Singapore.

This year, our graduating cohorts from the Advance Certificate in Logistics Planning and Operations, Advanced Certificate in Supply Chain Management and Advanced Certificate in e-Commerce Operations Management courses celebrated their course completion in a certificate award ceremony graced by Mr Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General of National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Dr Robert Yap, Executive Chairman of local logistics enterprise YCH Group and President, Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF). Dr Robert Yap is also the Founder of SCALA.

The event opened with speeches by Dr Robert Yap and Mr Ng Chee Meng. Both encouraging companies to adapt and evolve to meet the logistics sector’s needs. Mr Ng called on companies to tap on NTUC’s tools and knowledge to equip workers with relevant future skills. While Dr Yap encouraged local enterprises to invest in people to continually innovate and remain competitive. Adding to their speeches, Dr Victor Goh, CEO of SCALA, gave an inspiring speech on the importance of taking ownership of self-development and adopting a growth mindset to stay relevant and constantly upskill and grow professionally.

In his speech, Dr Goh also highlighted that since the beginning of 2022, SCALA have worked on expanding our course offerings to include short courses on future skills. These include, AI, Data and Analytics; E-commerce and Digital Marketing, Cyber Security and Risk. SCALA also works with partners such as Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), The Logistics Institute, Asia Pacific, NUS, to bring high quality programmes to benefit the logistics practitioners. SCALA will also be contributing to Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)’s inaugural Bachelor of Science with Honours in Digital Supply Chain.

SCALA is currently in discussion with Institute for Supply Management, the oldest, and the largest, supply management association in the world, to make available their certification, namely, the CPSM® Certified Professional in Supply Management®, in Singapore. The ISM certification is highly valued throughout the supply management industry and recognized across the globe.

Another recent development is our new Masterclass programmes to senior management executives. Our team of programme consultants and facilitators will jointly create a customised training solution based on your organisation’s specific needs and challenges. The main aim is to equip the workforce with future skills and create awareness of the rapidly changing business landscape. Our sessions can be conducted face-to-face, Instructor-led Online session and in hybrid format. The aim is to equip them with future skills and to create awareness of the rapidly changing business landscapes.

Soon hereafter, the award ceremony began for the 60 graduates attending. The graduates lined up to receive their awards from Mr Ng Chee Meng. Among the graduates is Mr Lim Soon Teck. In his mid sixties, Mr Lim joined his employer, Corlison Pte Ltd, with little experience in logistics in 2020. The Career Conversion Programme gave him the foundations to adapt to his new logistics role. Today, Mr Lim is still with the company, as a Logistics Executive.

As the graduation ceremony drew to a close over a sumptuous buffet enjoyed by the graduates and guests, we reflected on how despite the challenges brought about by the Pandemic, the SCALA Team had to pivot and deliver the courses online. We are thankful to all our employer-partners who continued to support the Career Conversion Programmes and gave mid-career switchers an opportunity to be part of Singapore’s logistics industry.