A Singapore Heritage Brand
With a century of heritage, Singapore’s F&B manufacturer and distributor Yeo Hiap Seng, commonly known as Yeo’s, has flourished from a family-owned business to a widely known stable brand across Singaporean and international households.
The success of the heritage brand is attributed to its employees, with many serving and committing to the business for as long as 40 years. As its biggest asset, Yeo’s recognises the importance to invest in its existing pool of talents and to dedicate its resources to employee training and development programs that would in turn, sustain the business growth.
The Human Resources – Learning and Development (HR L&D) function was thus formed in 2021, with its key objectives to 1) empower employees to learn new skills and processes, 2) develop and nurture potential leaders, and 3) improve employee performance and productivity. With the ever-changing business environments across markets, Yeo’s sought vitality to remain current, develop continuously and focus on staying one step ahead of the game for employees through its L&D efforts.
The Journey with e2i
Expanding its training horizons from its initial engagement of Internal Subject Matter Experts (ISMEs) within the organisation, Yeo’s embarked on the journey with NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) in 2022 under the Professional Development (PD) Programme. Developed to help employers upskill and train existing local employees, the PD Programme provides course fee funding for relevant approved courses.
Yeo’s was privileged to have sent 5 of its leaders and employees to a series of PD-related programmes such as the Hogan Assessments Certification, Emergenetics Associate Certification and the Singapore Institute of Directors’ Listed Entity Director (SID LED) Programme. The fulfilment of the programmes by the individuals bolstered Yeo’s hiring processes, expanded the ISMEs pool and deepened collaboration and communication across markets with applied learning from the certifications.
Building Capabilities through professional development supported by e2i
One of the trainees who had been awarded two certifications, was working with Yeo’s for almost a year. Talent acquisition and engagement formed part of her portfolio to empower employees in their learning and growth as an individual and/or a team. “Upskilling through the programme has helped me enhanced my capabilities and value-add to the business. One of my key milestones is stepping out of my comfort zone with the Emergenetics Associate Certification, supported by e2i. I am now able to conduct workshops regionally for Yeo’s and help strengthen team dynamics and positively impact the way teams work and engage with one another.”
Supporting training and development of employees similar to Tiffany is Mr Willis Phua, Group Director HR, also a trainee in the two certifications. “We must progressively expand our capabilities for our people and pursue advanced strategies to work more efficiently in the talent management field. Through the Hogan Assessments Certification, we have deepened our talent management process to improve hiring, identify talents and build stronger leaders in the workplace.”
Benefiting from e2i’s PD Programme for the SID LED Programme include Mr Yeo Keng Seng, Manager, Group Risks Management and Senior Management team – Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ong Yuh Hwang and Chief Financial Officer, Ms Daphne Heng. The programme equip the trainees with skills and knowledge to execute their duties as directors effectively.
The support from e2i has improved the productivity and efficiency of the business, giving a competitive edge for the business, leaders and employees alike. This will provide opportunities to progress as a forward-thinking organisation and remain relevant inspires Yeo’s to continuously work on its efforts to reskill potential and future leaders moving forward.
Learn more about e2i’s business solutions at e2i.com.sg/businesses