For one polytechnic student, the British Council helped make her dream of studying in the UK come true.

By Nabilah Husna A. Rahman

Growing up, Tee Ting Hui harboured a fascination with the UK, especially after seeing photographs of her cousins taken while they were there. Thus began her dream of studying in the UK, home to one of the world’s richest historical backgrounds and a plethora of cultures.

Known as an international cultural relations body for Britain, one of the British Council’s aims is to help bring students all over the globe together in an effort to strengthen cultural ties. For Ting Hui, the British Council assisted in making her dream a reality.

“British Council gave me the most useful advice, especially on module exemptions and culture in different parts of the UK. British Council has information on a wide range of universities, from which it is easier to choose the university that meets my criteria, academically and financially,” she recalls.

Three students share their rewarding experiences at Shelton, where they are exposed to a cosmopolitan student population and internship opportunities in preparation for the real world.

By Becky Lo

From a very young age, Vanessa d/o Sundrasagar has always known that she wanted to work in the media industry. Thus, when she was looking through her options in furthering her studies, the diverse and challenging mass communications modules offered at Shelton College International immediately caught her eyes.

The Maldives has long been a coveted holiday destination for many with its gorgeous beaches and crystal clear waters. However, for the TP students who went there for their internships, this idyllic island country is not just a tourist attraction but also a learning site beyond their classroom.

By Becky Lo

In October 2009, a group of 13 final-year Tourism & Hospitality students from Temasek Polytechnic (TP) were given the chance to work at the Four Seasons Resorts in Maldives as part of their internships. Among them were Joyce Xu and Ong Su Lin, both of whom had worked in the restaurants of two separate properties of the Four Seasons Resorts – Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru.

In any organisation, one of its most valuable assets is its staff. However, the best employees often look for recognition, new challenges and room for development in their jobs. Thus, one good way to attract and retain the most capable and hardworking workers is to invest in them and their future.

By Becky Lo

Employers who invest in the development of their workers’ talents will find that they stand to gain in the long-run, as adequate and relevant training opportunities will ultimately help to increase the firm’s productivity. Here are some benefits that staff training will bring for both the employers and their workers.

Enhanced maternity benefits, coupled with the tough economic times, are prompting some resource-strapped companies to fire pregnant employees or deny them their full entitlements. However, there are win-win alternatives that can benefit both the firm and the employee.

By Becky Lo

Recent figures from the Ministry of Manpower show that there was a spike in number of complaints regarding unfair dismissals in recent years – especially for pregnancy-related issues. The authorities have received 56 such complaints last year, up from 26 cases in 2008 and 16 in 2007.

The employers’ dilemma
Many factors may have led to this, including the implementation of new regulations that have substantially improved maternity benefits. For example, since 2008, paid maternity leave has been extended from 12 to 16 weeks. Also, the 180-day qualifying period for new employees to enjoy maternity benefits has been halved to just 90 days.

Are you known to be late for meetings or appointments? Do you feel stressed because you can’t seem to find time to have dinner with family members, go for your spa session or finish your work on time?

Are you always rushing your children from one place to another, taking them to ballet, French lessons, violin practice and other dreadful “enrichment” activities, and feeling more exhausted than they?

If you answer YES, heaven has mercy on your soul for you’re being condemned to a lifetime of penal servitude, no different from a convict doing hard labour.

Do you feel like your career is in a rut and that your work is making you unhappy? You may be suffering from a mid-career crisis. What brings about this predicament and how do you walk out of it before the resentment bleeds into the rest of your life?

By Becky Lo

Feeling the blues

You’ve heard of a mid-life crisis, but how about a mid-career crisis? Unlike a mid-life crisis, a mid-career crisis is not age-related, but is about the dissatisfaction you feel about your career.

Many working adults in their late 20s to mid 30s are facing mid-career crises, or what is also known as “mid-career blues”. It usually happens after a few years working in the same field as you feel that your job is heading towards a dead-end: Your work routine is becoming boring, you see your peers edging ahead of you but realise that you are not at all interested in catching up.

With an aging population, there is an increasing need for more professional healthcare providers. Ms Theresa Cheong, Head of Allied Health Sciences, EASB tells JobsCentral more about jobs in the healthcare industry.

1) How many allied health professionals are in shortage in Singapore at the moment? What is the estimated figure to be like in the next few years?

We have about 800 physiotherapists and this figure on a per population basis is way behind that of HK and Australia. The HK standard is 1 per 30,000 population, and Australia 1 to 10000 to 12000 population.

The comparative ratio for Singapore is 1 per 50,000 persons based on a population of four million. We will need another 500 physiotherapists to bring the comparative ratio down to 1 in 30,770.

There is always a sea of opportunities in the flourishing maritime industry for the savvy. Sharpen your skills at YMCA-AMC and you may very well be riding a wave to a brighter future.

By Becky Lo

Since the founding of Singapore nearly two centuries ago, she has been a thriving port at the crossroads of the most important sea trade routes in the region. Her prime position has enabled the island state to grow into one of the busiest ports in the world. As such, the booming maritime industry increasingly needs a large pool of talent.

To ride on the waves of this, Srinivasan Chinta decided to further his studies in November 2006. He chose to take up a MBA related to maritime and logistics management awarded by Australian Maritime College (AMC) through the YMCA as he felt that the AMC is “the best place for maritime degrees”.

Singaporean women in the accounting and finance sector want better work-life balance, says a survey conducted last May on more than 700 female professionals in the public and private sectors in Singapore.

Almost 60 percent cited work-life balance as their top priority, over other concerns such as opportunities for advancement, job security and skills upgrading. And more than 50 percent of those polled said they would leave their current job for one that offered a better work-life balance, even if it means less money.

It’s probably not just women, but men too, who need to find the right balance between work and their personal life.

Are you married to your work?
It can be tempting to rack up the hours at work — especially if you're trying to earn a promotion or extra money to send your child to university or for a dream vacation to the Caribbean. For others, it is simply necessary because of the heavy workload.

But if you're spending most of your time at work, what suffers is likely to be your home life and personal relationships. If you are perpetually working overtime and on weekends, you may miss out on important events such as your child's first bike ride, your father's 60th birthday or a reunion with your old friends. Missing out on important milestones may harm relationships with your loved ones.