It’s Never Too Late: The Second Act in Helping Others
Prior to joining the healthcare sector, Jesser Png, in his early 50s, ran his own cake business for seven years, pouring his heart into serving the community through food. However, he could never shake the persistent feeling that he was meant to pursue something more purposeful with his life.
Things took a turn when his father’s health began to deteriorate, and Jesser found himself thrust into the role of caregiver, looking after his father at home and accompanying him on frequent hospital visits. This experience opened Jesser’s eyes to the dynamic healthcare sector, where he was inspired by the selfless compassion demonstrated by the professionals.
Jesser decided to take the bold step to transition into the healthcare sector. Despite feeling daunted by the prospect of starting anew at this stage in life, especially without prior experience, his once fleeting interest in the medical field has now grown into a genuine resolve.
His first foray into the healthcare sector was at a special needs centre, where he had the opportunity to assist in conducting therapy, igniting his interest in the area. While exploring options to deepen his skills, Jesser chanced upon the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) Certificate in Therapy Support (Healthcare) offered by NTUC LearningHub and was immediately drawn to it. Beyond clinical competencies such as patient care, the course also equipped him with critical soft skills such as empathy and patience when interacting with patients.
Although the initial learning curve was steep, Jesser pushed through with the help of his trainers and coursemates, who fostered an encouraging learning environment. Gradually, he gained the competencies and confidence needed to close the gap, while also forging lifelong friendships along the way.
Upon completing the course, Jesser managed to leverage the skills learnt to secure a job as a therapy assistant. Now, he aids therapists in conducting sessions, documenting patient progress, maintaining therapy equipment and more. He came to realise that while hard skills were important, it was the human connection that truly made a difference in patients’ lives. He fondly remembers the patients who wanted to take pictures to commemorate their therapy sessions, and one who even brought a homemade cake as a token of appreciation.
However, this is still far from the end of his learning journey. Jesser's ultimate goal is to become a physiotherapist, helping patients get back on their feet following injury or illness. For him, age was never a barrier, rather, having the heart and passion to learn was what truly mattered on his journey. Today, he echoes the same advice to other learners who may be hesitant about taking that first step - “Never stop learning, no matter at what age.”
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Brewing a New Chapter Through Lifelong Learning
Sheena brings more than a decade of experience in the retail and education sector, where she managed multiple retail outlets specialising in educational toys and oversaw day-to-day operations. Over time, she began to notice a shift. Customers were increasingly seeking more unique and experience-driven products, while the retail landscape itself was becoming more competitive and fast-changing. At the same time, Sheena observed a growing interest in more mindful and natural lifestyle products, which sparked her curiosity about opportunities within the Food & Beverages (F&B) space. With her experience largely rooted in traditional brick-and-mortar retail, Sheena made a deliberate decision to pursue her lifelong interest in F&B entrepreneurship. Inspired by her passion for floral and herbal infusions and her desire to create a brand of her own, she enrolled in the Flavourful Ventures: A Journey Into F&B Entrepreneurship course at NTUC LearningHub to turn her vision into a reality. Returning to the classroom was initially a challenge for Sheena, as she had not studied for a long time and found some of the learning processes unfamiliar. However, with guidance from her trainers and support from her classmates, she gradually adapted and grew more confident throughout the course. Throughout the programme, Sheena gained practical exposure to key aspects of building and managing an F&B business, including identifying business opportunities, product development, branding and bringing products into the market. The hands-on learning experience also gave her greater insight into creativity, innovation and customer engagement within the F&B industry. Beyond equipping her with practical entrepreneurial skills, the programme also broadened her perspective on what it takes to build and sustain a business in today’s competitive landscape. Sheena eventually went on to start her own tea brand, Tea Therapy Singapore, offering a distinct range of caffeine-free, unsweetened and 100% natural floral tea blooms. Through the course, she was able to turn a long-standing personal interest into something more tangible, gaining the confidence and practical knowledge needed to pursue her passion in the F&B space. The course also gave her a supportive space to experiment, learn from mistakes and grow her confidence as a first-time digital business owner. Today, she manages the business end-to-end, from sourcing raw materials to product design, branding and online sales, applying the skills and knowledge gained from the programme to shape and grow her business. Through the journey of building her brand, Sheena also came to appreciate the importance of lifelong learning, adaptability and continuously upgrading herself to stay relevant in an evolving business landscape. Looking ahead, Sheena remains committed to lifelong learning as she continues to grow both professionally and as a business owner, and plans to further develop her skills through NTUC LearningHub courses, including public speaking. Reflecting on her journey, she shares, “Learning is a lifelong journey. When we continue upgrading ourselves and apply what we learn, we can turn our passion into new opportunities.”
Taking the Next Step: A Mid-Career Digital Journey
At 49, Farizan has built a steady career in the services industry where she has worked for the past four years as a Sales Admin Executive, overseeing sales coordination, purchasing, logistics and finance support. Working closely with multiple departments, she ensures smooth daily operations and keeps workflows running efficiently within her organisation. While working hard to establish herself as a dependable, meticulous and consistent teammate, she could never shake the persistent feeling that she could further streamline her work processes by expanding her skillsets. As businesses moved deeper into digital transformation, Farizan took a step back to reflect on how she could remain relevant in Singapore’s highly competitive and dynamic economy. Through her own research on social media, she began to see the potential of technology to enhance efficiency and productivity in her daily responsibilities. Determined not to let comfort and familiarity stagnate her professional development, she seized the opportunity and enrolled in the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) Digital Marketing Specialist course at NTUC LearningHub after chancing upon it online. The structured and industry-relevant curriculum gave Farizan clearer insight into how digital strategies translate into real business impact. It also helped her better understand how campaigns are planned, executed and measured in today’s digital landscape. Farizan gained practical knowledge in digital marketing strategies, search engine optimisation (SEO), online copywriting, campaign analytics and online campaign management, areas she had always been curious about but had not had the opportunity to explore in her previous scope of work. The guidance from experienced trainers and the unique insights shared by coursemates from diverse industries further enriched her learning experience. By embracing the intensity of the knowledge-filled course, she was able to bring together the different concepts she had learned through the programme’s capstone project and apply them in a practical digital marketing scenario. Building on what she learned from the course, Farizan now approaches her role with a broader perspective. While she continues her core operational responsibilities, she has also taken on expanded responsibilities at work, supporting digital marketing initiatives, assisting in online campaign coordination and contributing insights to enhance customer engagement. These opportunities to apply her new skills have not only allowed her to add greater value to her team but has also strengthened her confidence in navigating change. This step forward marks just one of many in her journey of self-improvement and lifelong learning. Shortly after completing the programme, she began exploring other courses to further develop her data analytics capabilities, such as the Retail (SF): Data Science Fundamentals course. Recognising that others may still be on the fence about taking the first step, she shares, a mindset she now carries beyond the workplace and even onto the stage as a performer, “Do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Learning new skills may feel challenging at first, but it opens new opportunities and builds confidence.”