Tribal Worldwide partners SG govt bodies to develop design talent for SMEs

Creative agency Tribal Worldwide has launched a skill-training development programme to help local small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in the design sector build the skills and capabilities of their workforce. The programme is supported by DesignSingapore Council and SkillsFuture Singapore through the SkillsFuture Queen Bee initiative. Under the initiative, Tribal Worldwide will reach out to design SMEs to understand their skills needs and develop a holistic plan to deepen design excellence within the industry, with the aim of responding to rising demand for quality experience design and innovation. The agency's goal is to support at least 30 SMEs on their learning journey over the next 12 months. It is added that the initial phase of recruitment for the programme has begun with five companies.

Through the SkillsFuture Queen Bee partnership, Tribal Worldwide aims to transform the current context of the design sector by fostering a community of learning and encouraging a culture of collectivism. It encourages smaller firms to come together or partner other firms that can complement each other’s capabilities, so as to grow their business collectively and share knowledge as well as gain a competitive edge when competing with larger design companies. Design SMEs that participate in the programme will also have access to a support network that shares a common goal to grow through skills. SMEs will also be guided by a skills development framework that draws on public resources from DesignSingapore Council and SkillsFuture Singapore. These resources include the Skills Framework for Design, funding support from the government, and private resources from Tribal Worldwide.

Jeff Cheong (pictured), deputy CEO of DDB Group Singapore, said: “Tribal Worldwide has been through its own journey of digital transformation by evolving our skills and services that focus on the experience economy. As a network, we arrived at Total Experience where each of our practice leads for business consulting, customer experience, technology, data and creative deliver innovative solution for our clients. Our in-campus operation, Equator, has expanded from Temasek Polytechnic to other polytechnics." He added that the agency is committed to impart and train up the next generation of tech-creative thinkers and doers for a postpandemic world. 

Mark Wee, executive director of DesignSingapore Council said over time, it hopes to see an ecosystem of design SMEs that see the value in, and are committed to prioritising training as a business and people development strategy. "We are heartened that Tribal, a leading firm in the design industry, has stepped forward to share its experience with other design SMEs, on how investing in their people through skills development and training could help businesses boost internal design and innovation capabilities and strengthen their competitiveness."

“Partnerships with SkillsFuture Queen Bee companies such as Tribal Worldwide, will help to extend the reach and impact of the SkillsFuture movement to more companies and in particular, SMEs. We are thankful to Tribal Worldwide for coming on board the initiative and will continue to bring more partners onboard to further build up our SMEs’ business capabilities and sharpen their competitive edge," Ong Tze-Ch’in, chief executive of SkillsFuture Singapore said.

The SkillsFuture Queen Bee initiative was developed by brings together a group of companies, industry leaders that are recognised for their expertise, have extensive business networks and deep sectoral knowledge, and can influence and support other enterprises particularly SMEs, to scale up skills development efforts and extend the reach of the SkillsFuture movement.

Besides Tribal Worldwide, Prudential was also appointed as a SkillsFuture Queen Bee company. According to a press release, the insurance company is running a SME Skills Accelerator programme to support SMEs in identifying their skills development needs to meet immediate and longer-term business objectives. The programme will provide a dedicated skills manager at Prudential, who will identify the skills needs of participating SMEs and customise suitable skills solutions to meet those needs. The skills manager will also work alongside a team of Prudential’s financial consultants who are equipped with knowledge on SkillsFuture initiatives, to engage SMEs who join the programme. Additionally, Prudential will be building a digital training course booking platform with reminders and course recommendations to help SMEs sustain their workforce development needs. The 12-month programme is designed to be flexible, so that participating SMEs have the option to take on training programmes that are most relevant to them and still receive the full-year skills advisory support, Prudential said. 

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