THE services industry is one of the

most important pillars of the Singa-

pore economy, with the sector alone

providing jobs to 80 per cent of the

country’s 3.03 million workers,

accounting for 70 per cent of total

gross domestic product today. Unsurprisingly, the

industry is extremely wide-ranging, encompassing

key areas such as food and beverage (F&B), hospi-

tality, tourism and retail, among many others. What

they all have in common, however, is the challenge

in recruiting and retaining human capital to keep

their operations running smoothly.

SIM Global Education (SIM GE), one of the larg-

est private education institutions (PEIs) in Singa-

pore, is doing its part to train and develop skilled

professionals for the services sector. SIM GE of-

fers a broad range of over 70 academic pro-

grammes – diploma, bachelor and post-graduate

degrees – from 12 renowned universities in the

UK, the US, Australia and Europe.

Armed with a strong foundation in their studies,

many of SIM GE’s graduates over the years have

gone on to stamp their mark in the services indus-

try, be it through setting up their own business or

moving up the ranks at global corporations.

Striking it out on their ownRoger Yuen is one who probably knows all about

the challenges of the retail scene in Singapore and

abroad, and he credits his time at SIM GE for giv-

ing him the confidence and know-how to be his

own boss.

The 57-year-old technology entrepreneur is the

founder and chief executive officer of social net-

working shopping portal Clozette, a local shopping

and networking start-up that boasts some 3,500

fashion brands covering handbags to shoes and

make-up products.

His start-up has raised more than S$7.6 million

since 2011. One of its biggest amounts came in No-

vember 2013, when Clozette closed a Series B

funding with US$3 million (S$4 million). The fund-

ing was led by Phillip Private Equity, part of finan-

cial company PhillipCapital, with participation from

existing investor Walden International and several

angel investors.

Although Mr Yuen graduated from SIM GE with

a Diploma in Management Studies in 1986, he re-

mains an active mentor to current students. He al-

so says the classroom concepts that he picked up

back then still remain very relevant today when it

comes to managing Clozette.

“I enrolled in this part-time course as I was al-

ready working at that time. What I eventually real-

ised later on was that this work-study arrangement

suited me very well as it allowed me to immediately

practice at work what I learned from my studies,”

he says.

Mr Yuen shares how he still practices Philip

Kotler’s 4Ps of Marketing – Product, Price, Place

and Promotion – that was taught during the Princi-

ples of Marketing module, a knowledge tool that he

applies every single day at work until this day.

“Since my passion and interest was in manag-

ing business and I had always aspired to eventual-

ly start my own business, the SIM GE course ap-

pealed to me with its encompassing modules of

sales and marketing, financial accounting, busi-

ness law, managing people and organisations.”

He singles out the law module in the course for

helping him “appreciate, understand and navigate”

the various legalities involved in conducting busi-

ness and managing companies. This, he adds, put

him in good stead when he eventually opened his

own company.

Dennis Tay is a young start-up entrepreneur

who graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor in Busi-

ness with a major in Entrepreneurship from the

SIM-RMIT programme. The 30-year-old is the

founder of Naiise (pronounced “nice”), an online de-

sign marketplace.

Grizzly bear bean bags, oil barrel coffee tables,

tumblers, rewritable chalkboard world maps, bam-

boo ladders, locally-themed “Everybody Huat”

T-shirts, and Horlick-coated cashew nuts are just

some of the unique products packed into his ware-

house-office.

In Mr Tay’s eyes, Naiise is more than just a busi-

ness – it’s his way of giving back to the local crea-

tive and design community and give them that plat-

form to showcase their talent.

“I’ve discovered over the years that we have a

lot of creative and gifted people in Singapore, but

many struggled to find a sustainable way of mone-

tising their skills and ideas. So they just fell through

the cracks and gave up, and that’s a real waste,”

he says. “We at Naiise not only better the lives of

those that we work with, but also better the lives ofconsumers who buy the products that we sell. Webelieve in the quality and tangible value given toconsumers.”

Mr Tay shares how his training allowed him tobetter understand the ins and outs of the demand-ing nature of the retail world, especially as he isnow busy expanding his business into severalphysical stores in Singapore as well.

“The course was useful because it enhancedthat knowledge. For instance, my lecturers empha-sised the importance of having a good cash flowand to always have mentors whom you can con-fide in and turn to for advice and guidance. Before Iset up Naiise, I had a mentor who would spendhours going through my business plans and financ-es and making sure that I left no stone unturned.”

Industry-ready graduatesAnother SIM GE graduate who chose an uncon-ventional career path is Amy Chua, the sec-ond-generation owner of the popular Chin HuatLive Seafood in Clementi, a restaurant that hasbeen in business since 1995. The 35-year-old com-pleted her Business Administration degree fromthe SIM-RMIT University programme in 2005 andis helming the family business in the highly competi-tive F&B line.

Besides supervising staff, Ms Chua handlesthe marketing role and oversees the purchasing ofsupplies. She also deals directly with her VIP cus-tomers, helping to arrange everything from han-dling their reservations to putting together a cus-tomised menu.

She recalls how one of her lecturers, a former

banker, gave her a valuable piece of advice: If you

choose to go into business, always think big in or-

der to succeed.

“Those words have a profound impact on me.

What she meant to say was, always look at the big-

ger picture. If you want your business to flourish,

you have to think out of the box and more impor-

tantly, work smart. Don’t always do things by the

conventional way. Sometimes, the alternative

route may be a better option,” says Ms Chua.

Fong Kah Seng is another firm believer in the

merits of lifelong learning to stay on top of the

fast-changing industry. Now 54, he first earned a

higher diploma in hotel management before going

on to do a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Man-

agement Studies at SIM-University of London

(UOL) from 1991-94. Mr Fong later completed an

Executive MBA at SIM-University at Buffalo and

then a Master of Hospitality Administration from

the US.

Now Group Chief Executive Officer of Grace In-

ternational, an international management and con-

sultancy group of boutique hotels, Mr Fong said his

four years at SIM-UOL had taught him crucial life

skills such as how to manage human capital.

“That is key in the hospitality industry for any

business to succeed. I also believe in the value of

having EQ, especially in our industry, as you must

be able to relate to your key shareholders, employ-

ees and your guests. Ours is a service industry,

and if you simply follow the guidelines of a text-

book, you will come across as lacking genuine

warmth and honest sincerity,” he says.

Grooming local talentBreadTalk Group President Goh Tong Pak appreci-

ates that a large percentage of PEI graduates are

likely to be working professionals pursuing their fur-

ther education, often on a part-time basis.

“Working and studying at the same time allows

them to relate what they learnt in the classroom to

practical workplace situations. The network and

connections that they developed during the course

of their studies are invaluable,” says Mr Goh.

“The students from PEIs whom we have recruit-

ed so far demonstrate high level of determination,

high energy level and very driven, are very hard-

working with humble disposition, goal oriented with

very clear vision of their future career end point. Im-

portantly, they adapt very well, even at the frontline

serving customers,” he adds.

One of BreadTalk’s newest employees is Victor

Chay, a 25-year-old who graduated in 2014 with a

Bachelor of Science with Honours in Management

from the SIM-University of Manchester pro-

gramme.

One of the top graduates in his cohort, Mr Chay

is now on the company’s Management Associate

track, a two-year training programme that exposes

him to all aspects of BreadTalk’s operations, from

working different shifts at one of the branches to as-

sisting the vice-president in handling special

projects.

Mr Chay, a former president of SIM GE

Scholars’ Network, rates the two-year BSc pro-

gramme, which covers the entire range of manage-ment subjects, from marketing and human resourc-es to strategy and investment, very highly for thevast exposure it gave him to prepare him for his cur-rent job.

“The different modules such as human resourc-es, economics, finance marketing – all thesehelped me a lot to better understand the world ofbusiness and how things are run,” he says.

Though still a newbie at the company, his mostmemorable time so far was a four-month stint atBreadTalk’s Causeway Point branch where he putin gruelling nine-hour shifts six days a week.

“It was tiring but extremely rewarding. It was aneye-opener and a good learning experience as Igot to serve customers, interact with them, andeven be part of the production team in the kitchen. Ifound it very fulfilling and I hope to get anotherchance to be in the frontline again,” he says.

Employers like BreadTalk are increasingly valu-ing the contributions of graduates of transnationaleducation, with PEIs like SIM GE playing a morepivotal role in grooming local talent for the servicessector.

“Continual education and training equips individ-uals with the knowledge and skills to take the indus-try into the future, and graduates from PEIs are es-sential to the future of our sector,” says AnthonyGan, Executive Director of the Singapore RetailersAssociation.

“Many have graduated and gone on to take sen-ior positions in the sector, making a huge differ-ence to the nation’s retail industry. We hope thistrend will continue long into the future,” he adds.

Grace International’s Mr Fong also points outthat it is less of a financial burden if one were tostudy in Singapore rather than at an overseas cam-pus, given that the cost of getting a degree abroadis often beyond the means of the average workingadult with family commitments.

He adds: “As there are now more global busi-nesses searching for candidates with more globaleducational experience and skills set, a transna-tional education provides you an added advantageand a foot in the door.”

Serving the services sector

Many of SIM GE’sgraduates over theyears have gone onto stamp their markin the servicesindustry, be itthrough setting uptheir own businessor moving up theranks at globalcorporations.

PHOTO: ION ORCHARD

◆ SIM GE is one of Singapore’s largest private educationinstitutions and offers over 70 full-time and part-timeacademic programmes such as retail marketing, banking,finance, economics and management from 12 reputableglobal universities.

◆ Its total student enrolment is 22,000 where 19,000 arefull-time and 3,000 part-time students. There are124,500 local and overseas graduates from SIM GE todate.

◆ SIM GE students often score top honours in its partneruniversities programmes. For example, 167 SIM-UOLstudents graduated with first-class honours in 2014; thehighest number of achievers in the world for UOLInternational Programmes.

◆ SIM-University of Stirling offers a retail marketingprogramme where students are eligible for RetailExecutive Scholarships awarded by the SingaporeWorkforce Development Agency that covers 90% of thecourse fees.

◆ SIM GE has been voted by the public as “Best PrivateInstitute” at the annual AsiaOne People’s ChoiceAwards 2015, its 7th consecutive win since 2009.

“I had always aspired to eventually start myown business. The SIM GE course appealedto me with its encompassing modules ofsales and marketing, financial accounting,business law, managing people andorganisations.”- Roger Yuen, founder and CEO of Clozette

SIM GE’s University Partners

This is the second of afive-part series on the

employability of graduatesfrom transnational education

programmes

SIM Global Education is doing its part to develop skilled professionals for an industry in need of local talent

About SIM GE

ADVERTORIAL

“The different modules such as humanresources, economics, finance marketing –all these helped me a lot to betterunderstand the world of business and howthings are run.”- Victor Chay, a Management Associate atBreadTalk Group

“I believe in the value of having EQ,especially in our industry, as you mustbe able to relate to your keyshareholders, employees and yourguests.”- Fong Kah Seng, Group CEO ofGrace International

www.simge.edu.sg

The Business Times | Wednesday, June 10, 2015 | 11