Hougang residents seeking jobs now have a job placement centre right in their constituency.
The Hougang Job Hub aims to match such residents with jobs they can reach within 30 minutes of travel from their homes.
The centre, launched on Saturday, will be run by the North-East Community Development Council (CDC) together with Hougang grassroots organisations and the Workforce Development Agency. It was initiated by Hougang grassroots adviser Desmond Choo and his grassroots team, as many residents had sought help in finding jobs.
Employment is a perennial concern, Mr Choo said, and as the economy goes through restructuring, many older workers are likely to need more help.
These companies have tied up with the North-East CDC on a Community Aid Programme, where they commit to hiring residents for a year and the CDC subsidises their salaries for the first six months.
Both Mr Choo and North-East District Mayor Teo Ser Luck emphasised that the Job Hub's opening is not connected with the impending by-election in Hougang.
On Saturday, Mr Choo said work on the Job Hub started nine months ago and is part of his team's long-term plan for the constituency.
He said: 'We are serious about really helping the people. Timing is not an issue. If (the Job Hub) is linked to any major event, this wouldn't be a permanent thing. So we're here to stay, we're here to expand our outreach to the people.'
While insisting that the by-election is 'not the key thing on my mind', Mr Choo said he has built good relationships and hopes to continue serving residents in Hougang, which has become his 'second home'.
When asked if he has approached the WP about the job centre, Mr Choo said he would not be going to any particular party as the job hub is 'apolitical'. The centre will help all residents referred there, he said.
Mr Teo, who is also Minister of State for Trade and Industry, said the Hougang Job Hub is part of North-East CDC's ongoing plans to create a network of local job placement centres around the district.
The CDC supports two such centres in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and Aljunied GRC, and Mr Teo hopes to open more centres in areas like Eunos, where there are concentrations of job seekers
The Hougang Job Hub aims to match such residents with jobs they can reach within 30 minutes of travel from their homes.
The centre, launched on Saturday, will be run by the North-East Community Development Council (CDC) together with Hougang grassroots organisations and the Workforce Development Agency. It was initiated by Hougang grassroots adviser Desmond Choo and his grassroots team, as many residents had sought help in finding jobs.
Employment is a perennial concern, Mr Choo said, and as the economy goes through restructuring, many older workers are likely to need more help.
These companies have tied up with the North-East CDC on a Community Aid Programme, where they commit to hiring residents for a year and the CDC subsidises their salaries for the first six months.
Both Mr Choo and North-East District Mayor Teo Ser Luck emphasised that the Job Hub's opening is not connected with the impending by-election in Hougang.
On Saturday, Mr Choo said work on the Job Hub started nine months ago and is part of his team's long-term plan for the constituency.
He said: 'We are serious about really helping the people. Timing is not an issue. If (the Job Hub) is linked to any major event, this wouldn't be a permanent thing. So we're here to stay, we're here to expand our outreach to the people.'
While insisting that the by-election is 'not the key thing on my mind', Mr Choo said he has built good relationships and hopes to continue serving residents in Hougang, which has become his 'second home'.
When asked if he has approached the WP about the job centre, Mr Choo said he would not be going to any particular party as the job hub is 'apolitical'. The centre will help all residents referred there, he said.
Mr Teo, who is also Minister of State for Trade and Industry, said the Hougang Job Hub is part of North-East CDC's ongoing plans to create a network of local job placement centres around the district.
The CDC supports two such centres in Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC and Aljunied GRC, and Mr Teo hopes to open more centres in areas like Eunos, where there are concentrations of job seekers
