NTUC LearningHub’s 2-Millionth Trainee – Jason Ang’s Learning Journey
Jason did not have his career path paved exactly the way he wanted. During his childhood days, his father, who still runs a landscaping business, had personal issues and worries on his business. This led to conflicts at home and Jason was not interested in studying during his early school days. Fortunately, he had encouraging teachers during his secondary school days and thus he was inspired to complete his secondary education.
Jason subsequently enrolled into the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and took up a course on automotive. After graduating from school and completing National Service, he was still unsure of what he wanted in life; let alone what he wanted to be. He took on several junior jobs, in sales and administration but could not hold on to a permanent job for long. In 2009, Jason’s mother encouraged him to work for his father before finding a permanent role. This was when he began his journey in landscaping.
Being a newbie in the landscaping industry, Jason was tasked to help in the operations work. He also took on the role to ensure that works such as tree maintenance are carried out smoothly. In addition, he had to supervise close to 20 foreign workers. A workplace accident happened in 2014 and became the turning point for Jason. One of his foreign workers was seriously injured during the course of work. As this was a workplace accident, Jason had to submit paperwork and reports to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). Prior to this, Jason had no idea what was needed to be done as he was not properly trained in the reporting functions and how to handle Workplace Safety issues. This left him unprepared for the situation. However, Jason was fortunate to receive help from his contractor’s safety officer who guided him to complete the reporting process.
This incident triggered Jason to know more on Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) and he realised the importance of safety. After finding out more from his contractors, his interests deepened. He decided to build a career in WSH and contribute more to his father’s firm.
He started attending courses on his own – starting with the WSQ Certificate in Workplace Safety and Health in 2016 to become a WSH Advocate. It was not an easy journey for Jason, but he knew that he had to persevere in order to succeed.
Using his SkillsFuture Credit, Jason is currently taking up the WSQ Advanced Certificate in Workplace Safety with NTUC LearningHub. He advocates safety at the workplace through imparting what he learned into use at work. Being a believer in continuous learning, he also reminds and advises his friends to take charge of their lives and to go for skills upgrading.
Moving forward, Jason Ang has plans to take up his diploma in WSH so that he could be an accredited WSH Safety Officer eventually and can be qualified to conduct training for his workers too.
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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.”