A certain job description on the MyCareersFuture job portal has piqued the interest of netizens over the… advanced skills one would need to have to apply.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is currently looking for someone to fill the role of a Procurement Manager in its Corporate Planning and Management department. It’s essentially a job that entails assessing products, services and suppliers, as well as negotiating contracts and liaise with the vendors awarded with said contracts.
While the standard requirements such as relevant past experience, problem-solving expertise and strong customer service competency are par for the course, it’s the additional skills needed that had people wondering exactly what kind of job it is.
In particular, the post indicated that someone with a specific set of high-level skills would be a great match for the role. Someone who sounds like they’d be a prime candidate for a globe-trotting spy. Or Prince Harry, at least.
What was supposed to be a surprise birthday gift from a colleague ended up in the dustbin as the unsuspecting birthday girl was not home to receive the delivery.
Stomp contributor Jasmin said her colleague had made an order from L’éclair Pâtisserie and arranged for it to be delivered to her home on Sunday (Oct 4).
“It was meant to be a surprise hence I was not given heads up to expect this delivery,” shared the Stomp contributor.
Jasmin, a condominium resident, said a deliveryman from the éclair specialty store called her “four times within 11 minutes” on Sunday morning as he was unable to access her unit via the intercom.
However, Jasmin missed the calls as she had been in the hospital visiting her mother.
She shared: “Next thing I know, I received a message from my colleague, who apologised and informed me about my gift being disposed into the rubbish bin by the deliveryman.
“The deliveryman later shared me with that he had been instructed by L’éclair to do so.
What was supposed to be a surprise birthday gift from a colleague ended up in the dustbin as the unsuspecting birthday girl was not home to receive the delivery.
Stomp contributor Jasmin said her colleague had made an order from L’éclair Pâtisserie and arranged for it to be delivered to her home on Sunday (Oct 4).
“It was meant to be a surprise hence I was not given heads up to expect this delivery,” shared the Stomp contributor.
Jasmin, a condominium resident, said a deliveryman from the éclair specialty store called her “four times within 11 minutes” on Sunday morning as he was unable to access her unit via the intercom.
However, Jasmin missed the calls as she had been in the hospital visiting her mother.
She shared: “Next thing I know, I received a message from my colleague, who apologised and informed me about my gift being disposed into the rubbish bin by the deliveryman.
“The deliveryman later shared me with that he had been instructed by L’éclair to do so.
New Zealanders should be proud as their country’s passport has been named the world’s most powerful in a new ranking, which considers openness of travel between countries.
According to real-time global ranking tool The Passport Index, New Zealand passport overpowers 192 other passports of United Nation countries.
The index came at a time when borders between countries were mostly closed and traveling became more challenging for many across the globe.
“Covid-19 has caused a historic dive in the World Openness Score (WOS); Passport Index’ benchmark of open travel between countries,” said the passport ranking organisation.
“Although active visa agreements were not changed, temporary entry bans and border closures resulted in a staggering decrease in the WOS. It has currently backtracked nearly half a decade […] a 65 per cent decline within months.”
New Zealanders are granted visa-free access or allowed visa-on-arrival in 129 countries. It is said to be one the most successful countries in containing the virus.
SINGAPORE: Singapore will set up more COVID-19 regional screening centres and testing facilities in dormitories, as well as offer night swabs for workers to “accommodate their work cycles”, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Health Promotion Board (HPB) said on Thursday (Oct 8).
There are currently 20 regional screening centres across Singapore, with 14 centres facilitating the rostered routine testing of migrant workers living in dormitories, as well as workers from the construction, marine and process sectors.
“More regional screening centres are in the pipeline to ensure that swab testing needs continue to be met,” said MOM and HPB in their joint press release.
“The plan is to have 25 to 30 regional screening centres progressively in operation by the end of the year and about two-thirds of these sites will be conducting (rostered routine testing).”
Nine more in-dormitory rostered routine testing facilities will be set up by the end of October, in addition to the 24 facilities currently in operation.
Four of these facilities – Acacia Lodge, Cassia @ Penjuru, Central Staff Apartments and Westlite Mandai – will offer night swabs for workers.
More than 35,000 migrant workers can benefit from the new initiative, the agencies said.
On-site COVID-19 testing facilities at Avery Key dormitory in Woodlands. (Photo: Ministry of Manpower)
“Employers whose workers reside in dormitories with (rostered routine testing) facilities can schedule their workers’ (rostered routine testing) appointments at their dormitories, or at regional screening centres,” MOM and HPB said.
“This adds to the convenience and ease for employers and workers to undergo rostered routine testing.”
Using the Swab Registration System, employers can select their preferred swab locations and testing dates for their workers. Once workers attend their first appointment, they will be automatically scheduled by the system for successive routine testing appointments.
Rostered routine testing is a “critical part” of early detection of COVID-19 and to contain its transmission, said MOM and HPB.
“Workers and employers are reminded to ensure that those who are required to undergo (rostered routine testing) continue to do so, in order to safeguard their health and that of the wider community,” the agencies added.
Unlike many other businesses which have been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Ikea Singapore is planning to hire 200 people for its upcoming Jurong outlet, reported The Straits Times.
Due to open next year at Jem, the store will be Singapore’s third Ikea outlet, with an estimated size of 6,500 sq m across three floors.
On its website, the Swedish giant posted 34 new job vacancies for various positions across its outlets, including at the new Jem outlet. Some of these positions range from customer relations officers to sales managers to interior designers.
SINGAPORE: The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has deployed aircraft and personnel to Australia for a two-month detachment from Oct 7 to Dec 11, the Ministry of Defence said in a news release on Thursday (Oct 8).
Around 200 RSAF personnel – along with RSAF’s F-15SGs, A330-Multi-Role Tanker Transport, and G550 Airborne Early Warning aircraft – will be stationed at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin during the course of the detachment.
Realistic and high-end unilateral training will be conducted during the training stint while observing COVID-19 safety precautions, RSAF said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“During the detachment, the RSAF will implement strict safety precautions such as pre- and post-deployment isolation and swab tests, and will ensure that our personnel also abide by Australia’s health and safety measures to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission,” RSAF said.
FILE PHOTO: Republic of Singapore Air Force training session. (Photo: MINDEF)
Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) must still maintain its operational readiness, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post on Thursday, adding that it is for this reason that the deployment has gone ahead.
The RSAF’s deployment also marks Singapore’s strong defence ties with Australia, Dr Ng said.
He also noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the SAF’s training presence in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area.
“We are grateful for the support of the Australian Government and the good people in Darwin and in other areas for hosting our military training,” Dr Ng said.
Due to airspace constraints in Singapore, the RSAF has to conduct overseas training to meet its training requirements.
Apart from Australia, the RSAF also has overseas training detachments in locations including the US and France.
SINGAPORE: About 1,300 eligible pre-school children from low income families will receive more financial aid under a top-up programme.
From November, eligible children will receive a S$250 top-up to their Child Development Account (CDA) each year for up to three years, said the Ministry of Education (MOE), EtonHouse Community Fund (ECF) and the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) in a joint media release on Thursday (Oct 8).
ECF and CFS will contribute nearly S$1 million to the programme over the next three years, the release said.
The Government will provide dollar-for-dollar matching contributions for the top-ups, up to the child’s eligible contribution cap.
This means eligible children can receive S$500 each in their CDA this year and up to S$1,500 each over three years.
“These funds can be used by their parents/guardians to defray child-raising expenses such as pre-school fees and medical bills at Baby Bonus Approved Institutions,” said the joint media release.
The eligible students are from 57 pre-schools under seven operators: E-Bridge Pre-School, Iyad Perdaus Child Development, Kidz Meadow Childcare and Development Centre, PPIS Child Development Centre, Presbyterian Community Services, Super Talent Childcare and YWCA Child Development Centre.
These children are Singaporeans who are enrolled in pre-schools under the seven selected operators. Their families have a gross monthly household income of S$4,500 or less, and they are receiving Additional Subsidy for their pre-school fees as of July.
The programme is facilitated by the Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Task force (UPLIFT), an inter-agency task force set up in 2018 to strengthen support for students from disadvantaged families.
(From left) Teacher Nadhrah Norzaini, Dr Maliki Osman, Ms Catherine Loh and Mrs Ng Gim Choo pose for a photo with pre-schoolers at E-Bridge’s Punggol Large Childcare Centre on Oct 8, 2020. (Photo: Ministry of Education)
Second Minister for Education and UPLIFT chairman Dr Maliki Osman said he is “hopeful” that the CDA top-up will encourage more low income families to send their children to pre-school.
“Pre-school plays a crucial role in laying the foundations for a child’s overall development – building their confidence and social skills and encouraging them to be active and curious learners,” he said.
“We welcome the partnership with ECF and CFS, who have stepped forward to contribute to this initiative, especially during this trying period of economic uncertainty and job losses which have impacted many families.
“We strongly encourage more like-minded community partners and corporates to step forward to support such causes, so that we can reach out to even more children from low income families.”
The initiative gives parents “a helping hand” through the early years of a child’s development, said CFS CEO Catherine Loh.
“We have a responsibility to strengthen our social safety nets to ensure no child gets left behind,” she added.
Director of ECF Ng Gim Choo said: “Children are the future pillars of society. With the CDA top-up programme, ECF hopes to improve the lives of children from low-income families through the power of education.”
SINGAPORE: Singapore Post (SingPost) staff members, including postmen and parcel ambassadors for courier arm Speedpost, will have new uniforms starting Friday (Oct 9).
SingPost unveiled the new designs on Thursday, the first for its entire suite of postal uniforms since 2011. In December, the company unveiled new uniforms for its frontline staff across all 56 post offices and the Philatelic Stores.
The new uniform features the company’s corporate colours – white, red and blue – as a nod to its 163 years of history, SingPost said.
New uniforms for Philately service ambassadors (left) and post office service ambassadors. (Photo: Singapore Post)
“The new look is streamlined to be bold, symbolic and unified so as to present a modern and relevant take on the storied history of Singapore’s postal service, even as SingPost embarks on Singapore’s urban transformation with its Smart Letterbox initiative and the job upskilling of the postman,” it added.
The redesigned uniforms include more than 10 different garments – including shirts, outerwear, aprons and headgear – designed to form six different uniform sets for various job roles.
SingPost consulted with postmen regarding the uniforms, which were designed to be “both practical and contemporary, while still enabling its postal workforce to carry out their duties in comfort”.
The new uniforms for Speedpost Parcel Ambassadors. (Photo: Singapore Post)
The uniform is made of polyester, viscose and cotton. It is “breathable, comfortable yet robust, making it suitable for delivery work in Singapore’s humid climate”, SingPost said.
“A key feature of the uniform is the use of ventilation flaps with inner mesh on the back, to ensure that the postman remains cool and well-ventilated throughout the day as they go about their work outdoors,” it added.
There are also prominent reflective strips on the uniforms as many postmen are constantly on the road.
A lightweight windbreaker and a wet-weather suit comprising of a heavy-duty weatherproof jacket and pants will also be issued to postmen.
US President Donald Trump has been criticised in the past for repeatedly calling CNN “fake news”, but it would seem that this there is a glimmer of truth to his accusations.
The American news network published a lengthy pillory against Trump yesterday (Oct 7), in which veteran CNN journalist Stephen Collinson found fault with the president’s actions after contracting Covid-19.
Collinson critiqued Trump’s attempts to downplay the virus and the irresponsible approach to handling the crisis in the United States, among other questionable issues concerning the president’s administration.
While that all may be constructive points to make, netizens found fault with CNN’s own reporting — one that specified Singapore as “not a country”.
