Leaving Behind Retirement

The best thing that Mr Chong Khin Yong (Engineering '79) enjoyed most about retirement was being able to enjoy quality time with his family, especially his grandchildren. But while Mr Chong delighted in watching the little ones grow up, he wasn’t quite ready to leave the workforce. 

“Working provides me an identity and purpose. And it also enables me to contribute to the society in more meaningful ways,” he admits. 

So after tasting retirement life for two years, the IT professional chose to make the leap back into the working crowd once more. 

Bidding Retirement Goodbye — For Now

Having built his corporate skills in multinational companies such as Fujitsu Asia, Mr Chong’s impressive resume caught the attention of Hans, a local Food and Beverage firm, which was looking for someone to help improve its software systems. Recognising his IT expertise, the company was keen to hire him, but was worried of the cost that came with doing so. 

Shares Ms Lilian Teoh, Learning and Development Manager at Hans: “While we are always keen to hire these highly skilled workers, we may not always have the financial capability to do so, especially when resources are already stretched amongst various operations.” 

Seeking Assistance

Han’s decided to get help from Workforce Singapore (WSG) for its salary support initiative, Career Support Programme. This allowed the company to not only employ Mr Chong, it also helped defray initial hiring costs of up to $42,000. 

Now part of the IT department, Mr Chong has helped update the company’s enterprise resource planning for overall management of orders at the back end. He has also urged management to update the existing point-of-sale system to reduce breakdowns and analyse sales data. 

Mr Chong continues to set his sights on taking Han’s further in the digital age. With the help of P-Max programme, which helps facilitate the hiring and familiarisation process between SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and PMETs (Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians), he learnt to manage and set goals for himself, allowing him to grow into his job role.

No Regrets

Mr Chong is excited to continue contributing to the working world. “Knowing that I can lend support in my own way to help the company progress is something that energises me,” he reveals. 

“I hope to continue doing this for as long as I can.” 

This article is contributed by Workforce Singapore. Want to know more about WSG’s Career Support Programme? Visit bit.ly/NUS0419 or call 6883 5885 to find out more.