OOm’s Co-founder and CEO Ian Cheow, as well as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Team Lead Ng Jia Min were featured in The Business Times published on Thursday, 17 August 2023. In the article, they shared how the Career Conversion Programme established by Workforce Singapore (WSG) helped the company and mid-career switchers achieve better growth and performance.
The Career Conversion Programme (CCP) is designed to support individuals in Singapore who wish to make a career switch into a different industry. As part of the programme, individuals can take on courses that will help them acquire new skills and competencies necessary for them to thrive in their desired careers, even if they lack prior experience or formal education in those fields.
Through the CCP, Jia Min, who used to work in a shipyard and labs with her engineering background, was able to join OOm and the digital marketing industry as an account manager despite having no experience in client servicing roles.
Working as a team lead in the company now, Jia Min shared, “The courses I attended through the CCP prepped me with the skills and knowledge to respond to service challenges and manage agency-client relationships much efficiently and professionally. These communication skills have since helped me grow significantly in the way I work with my clients.”
Even with the lack of technical skill sets, OOm has also “helped me close the gaps by providing me with on-the-job training and guidance,” she added.
Janice Chua, another team lead with the SEO team, took the leap of faith with the support of WSG’s CCP. Her past role as a programme manager for art courses did not require her to manage a team or service clients. At OOm, however, she now has to oversee accounts and lead a team of other account managers.
Janice shared, “Making a career switch can be daunting, but the CCP helped to ease my move into a new industry by equipping me with what I needed to successfully fulfil the demands of a new role.”
Apart from cushioning the transition for mid-career switchers, the CCP also supports Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in meeting their manpower needs by reskilling mid-career new hires and providing salary support.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous agencies like OOm faced an increase in demand for their digital marketing services. In order to sustain growth and continue to provide top-notch services to our clients, the agency had to quickly hire new employees to fill up crucial positions.
The CCP allowed OOm to tap into a larger pool of talents and hire mid-career switchers to fill these roles. The programme also ensured that the new hires were ready to take on challenges by gearing them up with necessary skills, which enabled OOm to maintain smooth operations and accelerated growth.
CEO of OOm, Ian Cheow said, “The CCP was useful for OOm as we were able to hire candidates who may not have relevant experience in the field, but possess the ability to value-add the company and grow together with us. In a world where career paths are ever-evolving and talents are constantly searching for new prospects, initiatives like the CCP stand as beacons of opportunity for both SMEs and job seekers.”
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