Education to boost business

Photo: University of Singapore

“If you drive fast from one end of Singapore to the other, about an hour after your car will fall into the sea,” Dr. Ng Pak Tee, a lecturer at the National Institute of Education, Singapore, once remarked in a class introduction for Vietnamese students.

“Singaporeans have always been aware that their country is a small island nation and lacks the advantages of natural resources, and so people and their infinite creativity seem to be the main strengths that Singapore can focus on exploring and developing,” Tee explained.

This resource has helped Singapore achieve admirable achievements – namely, it is the fourth-largest financial centre in the world, and the average income of the country is ranked third globally.

For a long time, Singapore has developed and standardised comprehensive human and educational investment policies, with such funding reaching 20 per cent of the total national budget. This policy not only enhances education for students but also focuses on building and developing a system of education and skills training for employees.

Adrian Toh, director of Success Frontiers Training and Consultancy, has for several years cooperated with Vietnamese education groups as a professional coach trainer and lecturer. He shared with VIR, “The cooperation skills training programmes between Vietnam and Singapore have become outstanding training initiatives in the country. However, that process did not occur quickly and smoothly at the start, but lasted for many years with the continuous efforts of many individuals and organisations, including the name of Growth Catalyst Vietnam (GCV).”

Since 2014, GCV is one among many local training and coaching groups that have cooperated with major training institutions in Singapore such as Coach Master Academy, Success Frontiers, AKLTG, and Compass SEI (Sales Excellence Institute) to bring courses and lectures to the fledgling training market in Vietnam.

These programmes have proven their strengths, attracting a large number of businesses and individuals to participate in learning and cultivating personal capacity. These cases have shown high suitability in the coordination of education and skills training inside and outside the enterprise between the two countries.

Furthermore, thanks to the investment in both finance and grey matter for education and training, Singapore has many initiatives with streamlined content, tightly structured and refined from global programmes.

According to Toh, the programmes are constantly updated and edited regularly to be able to follow the beats of the world market, ensuring expertise and news always go hand in hand. This global content is specially tailored for an Asian audience from the perspective of a mature country in the Eastern market.

Leroy Frank Ratnam, director at Compass SEI, has worked as a lecturer for GCV since 2014. “Another plus in Singapore’s curriculum that Vietnam can benefit from is its high-quality faculty,” he explained.

According to Ratnam, teaching in Singapore is respected by the whole of society. Everyone understands that becoming a teacher or a lecturer is a very proud thing because noble teachers have helped Singapore create generations of professional personnel, contributing to creating Singapore as it is today.

Therefore, the process of becoming a lecturer in Singapore requires specific and rigorous requirements, standards, and qualifications, as well as constant updates. Along with that, many lecturers in sales skills and leadership programmes also have practical experience in business. They have integrated passion combined their own experiences to be able to inspire students, creating the most practical values for their activities.

“The suitability of Singapore programmes for Vietnam also shows at a very reasonable cost. Compared to US or European training counterparts, the programmes that Singapore offers require a much more economical investment. A shorter geographical distance also allows activities to take place with reasonable frequency,” Ratnam added.

With many years being the bridge between Vietnamese learners and Singaporean experts, Do Thanh Tam, chairwoman of GCV, has used her practical experiences in organising and promoting training campaigns.

“Prestige has always been the top priority of GCV. This provides an opportunity to expand networks of high-end and reputable clients in Vietnam, both offline and online. The level of professionalism, great brand value, and high quality of personnel from all parties with GCV as a catalyst have created well-trained, up-to-date values,” said Tam.