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Having worked as a procurement specialist with a chemical/mining services company for over a decade, Mariska Tan, who is in her 40s, began considering other job opportunities. The idea of leaving surfaced as there were talks of her company outsourcing talent, and was further fuelled by the responsibility of caring for critically ill family members. Mariska eventually made the brave decision to resign. 

With her newfound time, Mariska decided to take up a course at NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) after hearing numerous positive reviews about learners’ experiences. She chose to take a six-month Community and Partnership Specialist course, which offered modules in digital marketing, event planning and Privacy Data Protection Act (PDPA) — all of which were of interest to her. She felt fortunate to be surrounded by classmates from diverse backgrounds, who pushed her to be the best version of herself intellectually and professionally. 

In the midst of her job search soon after she completed the six-month course, she still felt uncertain about her chances of securing new employment. Taking the advice from NTUC LHUB’s Skills Consultant, she also enrolled in the Career Resilience Executive Workshop (CREW by e2i) to equip herself with relevant interview skills.

The workshop not only boosted Mariska’s confidence during the interview process, but also gave her a unique advantage which differentiated her from other applicants. She wrote a handwritten card to her interviewers to express her gratitude for their time – a skill she learned from the CREW workshop. Serving as an added bonus beyond her technical capabilities, her sincere gesture demonstrated her soft skills, thereby creating a lasting impression on prospective employers and playing a part in landing her a job. The skills she acquired from both the course and workshop further enhanced Mariska’s relevance in her current role as a procurement and sustainability professional in an event organising company. 

To all those who are afraid to take that first step into uncertain territories, Mariska shares, “It is never too late to make a change in your life if you put your heart into it and stay positive.”

Reach out to our Skills Consultants to find out more about how you can transform your life through learning today!