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News Release: China (Chongqing) Southeast Asia Commercial Center Set Up in Singapore to Accelerate Regional Trade, Collaboration and Technology Innovation

NEWS RELEASE

Singapore, 11 Apr 2022

China (Chongqing) Southeast Asia Commercial Center Set Up in Singapore to Accelerate Regional Trade, Collaboration and Technology Innovation

Singapore – To deepen the collaboration under the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity (CCI), and to promote regional trade between Southeast Asia and Western China through Singapore and Chongqing, Chongqing’s Yuzhong District Government and Netxus Global Pte Ltd inked an agreement to set up the China (Chongqing) Southeast Asia Commercial Center today.

2 The agreement is signed at the seventh Joint Implementation Committee Meeting for the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity, at The Treasury Building, Singapore.

3 Besides encouraging commercial and innovation collaboration, the China (Chongqing) Southeast Asia Commercial Center’s other scope of deliverables include the talent exchanges, network integration and facilitation of data or experience sharing especially between the companies in Western China through Chongqing and ASEAN companies through Singapore. With the support of the Yuzhong Government, the Commercial Centre will help to facilitate the collaboration between industries, companies and Institutes of Higher Learnings under the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative. The Centre will help to anchor Singapore’s hub status for RCEP and Chongqing’s role in Western China

4 Netxus Global Director Mr Lance Guo and Chongqing’s Deputy Secretary of Yuzhong District Committee, District Head Mr Huang Mao Jun signed the agreement through video conferencing.

5 Witnessing at the event were Minister of Communications and Information and Second Minister of Home Affairs Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister of State Mr Tan Kiat How and Deputy Secretary (Trade) Ms Jane Lim, joining them via teleconferencing from Chongqing were Chongqing Municipal People’s Government Vice Mayor Mr Cai Yun Ge.

6 Mr Lance Guo, Director of Netxus Global, said: “The combined strengths, capabilities and networks of Yuzhong Government and Netxus Global will greatly benefit enterprises in China and Southeast Asia through better market reach with faster and more precise business solutions, while at the same time building momentum for RCEP countries moving forward.”

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Media contact:

Regine Chin
GM, Marketing
WiseNet Asia
+65 6337 2231
regine.chin@wisenetasia.com

About Netxus Global Pte Ltd

Netxus Global is an international enterprise that empowers the future development of the global political, business and academic industry through intelligent analysis and network distribution technology. It’s SkillsTech leverages big data and AI technology to power intelligent skills training and talent deployment.

Headquartered in Singapore, Netxus Global is a JV company formed by WiseNet Asia and the Millet Holdings. For more information, visit http://netxus global.com/

About WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd

WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd is a regional integrated Human Resources services provider and consulting firm headquartered in Singapore. WiseNet Asia’s HR solutions consist of talent acquisition, talent transition, talent development and HR outsourcing. WiseNet Asia’s core value is to accelerate human resources development through innovative HR models and knowledge sharing. For more information, visit http://WiseNetAsia.com/

About Millet Holdings

Millet Group’s Millet Holdings (MH) is a business consultancy arm of TRCL, a model for the sustainability of enterprise in Southeast Asia. In 2016, Millet Holdings incorporated Millet World as a place management company. For more information, visit https://milletgroup.sg/

Seated in center row, from left to right: Mr Lance Guo, Director at Netxus Global; Mr Diron Chua, Executive Director at WiseNet Asia. Standing at back row, from left to right: Minister of State Mr Tan Kiat How, Second Minister of Home Affairs Mrs Josephine Teo, Deputy Secretary (Trade) Ms Jane Lim

Picture Credits: Ministry of Trade & Industry, Singapore

News Release: Vocational Training in Design Thinking, Technologies and Advanced Manufacturing with Industrial Attachment and Potential Employment Opportunities in Chongqing China

NEWS RELEASE

Singapore, 11 Apr 2022

Vocational Training in Design Thinking, Technologies and Advanced Manufacturing with Industrial Attachment and Potential Employment Opportunities in Chongqing, China

WiseNet Asia, Singapore Polytechnic International, Chongqing Xiantao Data Valley, Technology Services Market and China United Network Communication Chongqing are teaming up to provide the vocational trainings to upgrade the regional workforce through Singapore and Chongqing.

11 April 2022, Singapore – Strong Singapore-Chongqing consortium comprising WiseNet Asia, Singapore Polytechnic International, Chongqing Xiantao Data Valley, Technology Services Market and China United Network Communication Chongqing are committed to pull in the resources to upgrade the workforce in the region, especially RCEP through Singapore and Western China through Chongqing.

2 The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is signed by the five consortium members at the seventh Joint Implementation Committee Meeting for the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity at The Treasury Building, Singapore. The MOU is signed by the management of the consortium members represented by:

Chongqing Xiantao Data Valley Investment Management Co Ltd,’s Chairman, Mr Wan Xiao Pin;
Singapore Polytechnic International Pte Ltd’s Managing Director, Mr. Toh Ser Khoon;
Technology Service Market in Chongqing’s Director, Madam Zhao Li;
China Unicom Chongqing Branch’s General Manager, Strategic Customer Service, Mr Chan An Quan; and
Wisenet Asia Pte Ltd’s Executive Director, Mr Diron Chua

3 Witnessing at the event were Minister of Communications and Information and Second Minister of Home Affairs Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister of State Mr Tan Kiat How and Deputy Secretary (Trade) Ms Jane Lim, joining them via teleconferencing from Chongqing were Chongqing Municipal People’s Government Vice Mayor Mr Cai Yun Ge.

4 Under the MOU, the five parties will put forth the strongest resources and commitment to support the regional workforce upgrading in view of the rapid industrial and technological advancement further catalysed by the Covid period. The main highlights of the collaboration in the MOU framework are as follows:

Sharing of Singapore’s vocational training experience to enhance regional workforce: Singapore Polytechnic International will provide the latest educational modules and experience in providing the series of courses related to latest advanced manufacturing, technology, design thinking to upgrade the workforce including the industrial attachment, internship, mentorship to the workforce including the management professionals, production workforce, graduates, A-level and technical students. Language and cultural assistance courses will also be provided for the trainees too.
Provision of industrial attachment, internship, continuous education and potential employment: WiseNet Asia, Chongqing Xiantao Data Valley, Technology Services Market in Chongqing are joining forces to liaise with potential employers in Chongqing and RCEP so that the vocational trainees in ASEAN and Western China will have choices of industrial attachment, continuous education in Singapore’s international stream and even employment opportunities in Chongqing, China. Full support from the partners will ensure the smooth operation and conducting of the vocational trainings and hands-on practical if necessary.
Hybrid and Flexible Vocational Training Platform: WiseNet and China United Network Communication Corporation Chongqing Branch will provide hybrid smart virtual and physical platforms with smart classrooms in Singapore and Chongqing as well as dedicated China-Singapore data channels and other communication capacity facilities to cater for wide range of trainees and students from Chongqing, Western China, Singapore and South East Asian countries.
Singapore Polytechnic Examination Centre Set Up in Chongqing: WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd will help to set up Singapore Polytechnic Exam Centre and provide relevant preparatory courses for students who are keen to enrol into Diploma International stream from Chongqing.
Benefitting wide range of workforce at different levels in anticipation of the future industrial needs in the region: China and Singapore consortium especially WiseNet Asia, Chongqing Xiantao Data Valley, Technology Services Market in Chongqing and China United Network Communication Corporation Chongqing Branch will jointly study the regional market needs based on the regional shift in the future years. The consortium will hence plan for a systematic range of vocational training to upskill the technical graduates in Chongqing, technical and professional workforce in Chongqing and Singapore as well as graduates to continue their education in Singapore.

The vocational training will substantially strengthen the talent exchange in the region. The consortium is putting forth strong series of vocational training with practical industrial attachment and internship to support the people-to-people exchange under RCEP and the China Chongqing China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity.

For more information about WiseNet Asia internship and entrepreneurship programmes, please refer to the following: https://wisenetasia.com/hr-solutions/internship-programs/

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Media contact:

Regine Chin
GM, Marketing
WiseNet Asia
+65 6337 2231
regine.chin@wisenetasia.com

About WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd

Articles, Belt Road Initiative, WiseNet Asia in the News

Inauguration of the first China – Southeast Asia economic and trade cooperation platform in Chongqing, China

30 March 2022, Chongqing, China – The Yuzhong District in Chongqing organized an event titled ‘A window for the world to know Chongqing, with open arms welcoming global friends’. The conference showcased new initiatives such as the China (Chongqing) Southeast Asia Business Center. This is the first China – Southeast Asia economic and trade cooperation platform in Western China.

The China (Chongqing) Southeast Asia Business Center is established in Singapore as a base to work comprehensively with the Chongqing Yuzhong District Government under the RCEP concept. The Center aims to promote comprehensive and multi-level cooperation with Southeast Asia and other RCEP member countries in trade development, talent growth, innovation, think tanks and academia; with a focus on potential industries. Thus, bringing in further development to Western China through Chongqing Yuzhong, and expanding to the world through RCEP, in line with the spirit of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Strategic Connectivity Demonstration.

The China (Chongqing) Southeast Asia Business Center is operated by Netxus Global Pte Ltd with the support of Chongqing Yuzhong District Government. Netxus Global is a subsidiary of WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd.

Other projects that are launched during the event include the International Consumption Center of the New Land-Sea Channel, the RCEP Trade Promotion Center, and the Chengdu-Chongqing Foreign Trade Chamber of Commerce and the China (Chongqing) ASEAN Business Center.

At the press conference, ten major demonstration projects were signed in Yuzhong. These include implementation of RCEP, Pilot Free Trade Zone, China-Singapore Chongqing Connectivity Initiative, Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, Comprehensive Opening of Service Industry, Main Bearing Area of Western Financial Center, Core Area of International Consumption Center City, and International Exchange Center in Central and Western China driven by the ten opening opportunities.

Additionally, Yuzhong has introduced three functional platforms for foreign economic and trade exchanges in the central and western regions, focusing on key countries and regions.

Among them, the RCEP Trade Promotion Center, the first RCEP public service platform in the Midwest, was unveiled at the meeting. It is set up to help small, medium and micro enterprises to tap on opportunities under RCEP by providing high-quality information and consulting services such as policy interpretation, supply chain finance, and talent introduction. The move will help to gather more small and medium foreign trade enterprises to set up base and further develop in Yuzhong.

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Articles, Events

WiseNet Asia Listed as Official Business Partner of Enterprise Singapore

19 March 2022, Singapore – WiseNet Asia is now an official business partner of Enterprise Singapore. Listed as an in-market consultant for doing business in China, WiseNet Asia helps enterprises entering China in the areas of talent acquisition, talent development, talent transition, HR outsourcing, China internship placement etc. To enterprises in both Singapore and China, WiseNet Asia provides a one-stop human resources services. For more information, please contact:

Karen Woong
GM, China
WeChat ID: kwoong
+86 23 8873 0078
+86 132 7406 5268
Email: karen.woong@wisenetasia.com

For more information about Enterprise Singapore, please visit: https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/overseas-markets/asia-pacific/china/doing-business-in-china/in-market-consultants

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Articles

STRATEGIES ON HOW TO NEGOTIATE SUCCESSFULLY IN ASIA

WiseNetAsia Knowledge Center
Copyright © 2022 WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

The recent rapid rise to economic prominence in Asia marks the beginning of a trend that will continue to increase in the future and it sure seems like it is not slowing anytime soon.

The Chinese economy is the second largest in the world and it is currently attracting more direct investment than any other nations in the world. It is truly astonishing as to how China has emerged itself into an economic powerhouse in just a few decades. It is estimated that by 2025, China will be the world’s largest economic power surpassing the United States.

It is estimated that in 20 years’ time, the combined economies of China, India and Japan will dominate the global economy. Asia’s growing economic dominance stems from their rigorous and continuous search for new business opportunities, this will eventually drive Western businesses to have much stronger ties with Asia: joint ventures, foreign-owned businesses and direct investments.

The Asian culture stems largely by the teachings of Kong Zi, widely known as Confucius. The Confucian doctrine practices pragmatism, moralism and non-religious ethics. Confucianism advocates behaviours of virtue, righteousness, benevolence, justice, impartiality, trust and sincerity. There are a few behavioural ideals that are deeply respected in the Chinese culture.

There are a few important points to take note of in the Asian culture: Firstly, hierarchy is the foundation of societal stability and seniority is highly respected. Secondly, a harmonious relationship is the prototype of all social organizations. An individual, group or community are not self-pursuant towards their own benefit but as a collective. Thirdly, being well mannered and civilized, having self-worth, dignity and pride is highly regarded.

However, the most important of all in a Chinese culture would be: constant learning, improving and self-betterment. These principles and values that the Chinese upholds ultimately shaped how the Chinese negotiates in general.

To be successful in negotiation, one has to master these negotiation strategies:

Forward thinking, prioritizing long term instead of short term

Chinese cultures are inherently different from Western or Anglo-Saxon cultures – which tend to be short-term focused and individualistic. Whereas on the other hand, Asian culture sits on the other end of the spectrum, being fonder towards collective interests and long-term orientation.

According to Jeanne Brett from the Kellogg School of Management, negotiators from individualistic cultures, particularly in the West need to keep in mind that negotiators in collective cultures share an array of similarities with political and union leaders whose fate in the workplace depends on their ability to deliver value to their constituency. In a collective culture, the maintenance of harmonious relationships within the social group will shape its future social status.

Build good rapport and listen actively

During the first meeting, though it is not always feasible to engage in small talk at the very start of a negotiation, however, research has shown that doing so can bring real benefits. Being courteous and friendly shows that a person cares more about the wellbeing of their counterpart rather than it being all business talk. In return, it is more likely for both parties to be able to reach to a mutual agreement through “breaking the ice”.

Once the discussion starts and when substance sinks in, do resist the common urge to respond immediately before thinking on how to phrase your sentences correctly. Worst case scenario is interrupting your counterpart before they finish talking, that is a huge turnoff in any negotiating circumstance. Furthermore, if a person is able to acknowledge body languages, signals behind messages – the other party may respect and mimic these exemplary listening skills.

Phrasing appropriate questions and asking good questions

Asking good questions allows a person to gain more insights in integrative negotiations but one might be able to get helpful answers through this experience as well.

Avoid asking questions that lead to one or two worded answers, as this would usually be a conversation stopper. Instead, craft neutral questions that could encourage detailed responses. Refrain from using a condescending tone or being too straight forward as people would be taken aback by such aggressive behaviours.

Always think and react logically than emotionally

Confucianism promotes the notion that a civilised individual must exercise self-control and restrain selfish urges to display emotions as it threatens harmony.

A good negotiator must be able to react sensibly and not lose their temper or overreact in any situation. In Asia, strong emotional displays are usually seen as a disadvantage and not an advantage. Those who are unable to contain their emotions would deter their counterparts from negotiating further as their weakness ie: inability to handle emotions, having low emotional quotient (EQ) has been made obvious.

Implementing military doctrine (mobile warfare and joint quest) in negotiations

Mobile warfare and joint quest are the English terms from Mao Zedong’s military techniques. Mao is the former president of China and this negotiation style stems from Mao’s military technique of “conceding territory” and “avoiding battle unless necessary”, in other words always try our best to come to a common ground before resorting to unwanted measures resulting in a lose-lose situation.

Asian negotiators prefer contextualism hence they prefer cooperative and competitive negotiating styles. To promote the likelihood that the constructive joint quest negotiating style will be used, proceed with the negotiation after you have established good relationships and some degree of trust.

In a nutshell, it is always important to negotiate with an open mind, instilling impartiality and dismissing unconscious bias regardless of race and background. Always keep in mind that we are negotiating with a human being, an individual hence it is best to not to be stereotypical and group a certain race as one entity.

Doing research beforehand about who you are negotiating with would definitely bring benefits to the table but knowing too much about the other party’s culture and assuming that they would act accordingly to the cultural prototype is just wishful thinking. Thus, excellent cross-cultural negotiators would rather proceed steadily and slowly, adjusting and manoeuvring with different strategies that would work best with the other party without compromising on their goals.

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Articles, Events, WiseNet Asia in the News

Huang Maojun, Deputy Secretary of Yuzhong District Committee and Acting District Mayor, met with representatives of enterprises participating in the “Chongqing Tour of Singapore’s Well-known Enterprises in China”

12 October 2021, Chongqing – Huang Maojun, Deputy Secretary of Yuzhong District Committee and Acting District Chief, met with Liang Caifen, General Manager of Chongqing Raffles Hospital, part of Singapore’s Raffles Medical Group; WiseNet Asia’s General Manager Karen Woong; President of Orchard International China Wu Wenjun; Vice President of Enshi Xun Technology Co., Ltd. China and Head of Innovation Center Yang Zhengyuan, etc. Representatives of Singapore companies participated in the “Chongqing Tour of Singapore’s Well-known Enterprises in China”.

Huang Maojun and representatives of various enterprises conducted pragmatic exchanges on leveraging the advantages of the China-Singapore Connectivity Initiative platform, identifying the starting point for cooperation, and promoting in-depth cooperation in multiple fields. Huang Maojun said that Yuzhong is the “mother city” of Chongqing and also a demonstration area for high-quality development of the service industry in Chongqing. Since the implementation of the China-Singapore Connectivity Initiative, Yuzhong has given full play as the platform in opening up to the outside world, focusing on building a window for China-Singapore cooperation, with Chongqing Raffles City and others taking the lead in opening up, cultivating the fertile ground for China-Singapore cooperation. It has become a Fortune 500 company, a multinational enterprise, an industry leader, and an international institution.

Huang Maojun warmly welcomed Singaporean enterprises to visit Yuzhong for research and cooperation. He said that Singapore and Yuzhong have certain similarities in terms of resource advantages and industrial development, but also have their own characteristics in economic and social development. The two sides are highly complementary and have broad prospects for cooperation. This year is the first year of the “Second Five Years” of the China-Singapore Connectivity Project. Yuzhong will continue to thoroughly implement the important instructions and requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping, and in accordance with the arrangements of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, continuing with the expansion and opening up of the service industry, international consumption Policy dividends such as central city cultivation, pilot free trade zones, and business environment innovation pilots, etc., to be more integrated into the Belt and Road Initiative. The Yuzhong District will continue to deepen “point-to-point” and “face-to-face” cooperation with Singaporean enterprises, and promote more China-Singapore interconnection projects to settle in Yuzhong , to achieve new results, and to a new level. At the same time, it will be more proactive in providing services to Singaporean enterprises in the region, creating a high-quality development environment in all directions, sharing development dividends, and creating a better future together.

Representatives of the visiting companies showed great interest in investing in Yuzhong, and they all expressed their optimism about the development environment and future development potential of software and hardware in Yuzhong.

Deng Guanghuai, deputy head of Yuzhong District Government, attended the meeting.

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View original article in Chinese: https://www.cqcb.com/county/yuzhongqu/yuzhongquxinwen/2021-10-13/4516685.html

Articles

The Essential Guide to Create a Personal Brand

WiseNetAsia Knowledge Center
Copyright © 2022 WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

You snooze, you lose – Personal branding is a game changer

First things first, what exactly is personal branding? And how does personal branding affect a business or your career trajectory?

Personal branding is a form of storytelling. At a corporate level, it is how the company represent itself, it is who the company is, how they differentiate themselves from their competitors and lastly, what is their value proposition – in other words, what makes your brand stand out from the rest and what value it offers to the consumers? Whereas for a personal level, it is the image you project – how you want the world to see and know you: it could be your vision, mission, principles, goals and ethos in a professional landscape.

In the past few years, the concept of personal branding has gained much momentum and traction as the job market becomes more competitive.

Many high-profile individuals, be it celebrities, politicians and various public figures, most of them are tied to a personal brand. Take Elon Musk, Barack and Michelle Obama, Mark Zuckerberg, even BTS are great examples where they have already established an impeccable level of identity in the public realm.

They managed to unvarnished the nature of social media, allowing themselves to be vulnerable by revealing more of their real personalities, this creates a sense of genuine connection with their followers as showing true personalities through content that makes celebrities appear more human.

Though some might think its hype, but branding yourself is extremely important at this day and age especially in a professional context. The widespread use of the internet and social media have made it essential for any professionals.

For instance, it is impossible to disassociate Tesla with Elon Musk, same goes to Apple where the tech giant is an embodiment of the late Steve Jobs. When you think of Microsoft, your mind would naturally pivot to Bill Gates. Microsoft is Bill Gates. Amazon is Jeff Bezos. Tesla is Elon Musk. These public figures are synonymous with the companies they have built, tethering their personal branding to magnets on a fridge.

Continue reading if this excites you and makes you want to take the next step in personal branding.

Here are five proven steps to build your personal brand:

Figure out who you are and what you want to accomplish

A personal brand requires you to be an honest reflection of yourself, what are the skills that you have, what are your aspirations, values and principles, what motivates you to get out of bed, what work drains your energy and what work fuels you, what industries do you find interesting, what impact do you want to create?

It is crucial to determine this vital information – take a step back, reframe your thoughts, think deeply and most importantly is to be authentic.

Discover your unique value proposition

To build your personal brand, it is important to leverage on your differences as it is what makes you unique and stand out from everyone else.

If you have no unique selling point, you will be seen as similar to everyone else out there and your personal brand would not be authentic. Always keep in mind that people remember those who stand out from the crowd, as it allows you to achieve “top of mind” awareness from the rest.

Optimize your personal websites and social media profiles

In this day and age, almost everyone has access to the internet and probably already possess a personal website and multiple social media profiles to gain traction, engagement and social awareness. As for social media profiles, there are abundance of different channels to utilize, ranging from Tiktok to Instagram to Linkedin. While it is vital that these various platforms align to tell a cohesive message, choosing and focusing on one would bring better results.

So, what should you include in your personal website and social media profiles for a start?

Key points such as your interests, education, aspirations, past experiences and accomplishments, testimonials, your unique value proposition are valuable assets for both personal website and social media profile.

Be consistent with your content and always add value to your audience

You have to be consistent with your messaging on your social media profiles. There are way too many talents and leaders with extremely strong social presence, and one thing in common amongst them would be their consistency in creating content that is insightful, imparting knowledge and being involved in conversations within their industries or in topics that interests them, step by step, they create a community with an impact.

Building a tight knit community of your own

We can all agree that social media is overly saturated with content, and amassing a large following may seem incredibly impressive, it is not going to generate any value for your personal brand if there is no engagement in place.

Building a community is creating a space where people would converse with one another and helping each other out. If you are thinking of starting a business or to advance your career, joining Facebook or Linkedin groups, joining or conducting webinars and meet ups would help.

Building your personal brand requires an enormous amount of effort and time, and it is almost impossible to succeed overnight. However, the payoff would be massive if done correctly and consistently. A successful personal brand allows you to build a network and community of professionals and like-minded individuals who value your worth, opinions and perspectives. It does not matter if you are building a business from scratch, or you want to accelerate your career, or to find a mentor, a great personal brand will pave the road for you and get you to where you want to be in life.

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Articles, Events

Singapore Polytechnic International Collaborates with WiseNet Asia to Promote Training Courses to IHLs and Industries in China

Singapore, 20 December 2021 – Singapore Polytechnic International (SPI), representing Singapore Polytechnic (SP) and WiseNet Asia today signed an agreement to promote skills-based training courses and collaborative programmes to institutions of higher learning (IHL) and industries in China. SPI is a wholly owned subsidiary of SP and was set-up with the purpose to “Support SP in its internationalisation strategies and prepare SP learners to be Life ready, Work ready and World ready”.

The agreement was signed by Mr. Lance Guo, Director, WiseNet Asia and Mr. Toh Ser Khoon, General Manager, Singapore Polytechnic International Pte. Ltd.

Under the agreement, WiseNet Asia will assess training needs, recruit participants and provide administrative support for travelling participants. Whereas Singapore Polytechnic will develop, conduct and organize training programmes agreed upon by both parties.

Leveraging on SP’s strength in developing industry relevant curriculum, the collaboration is expected to accelerate the development of a new generation of resilient leaders with global mindset in China.

From left to right: Mr. Lance Guo, Director, WiseNet Asia; Mr. Toh Ser Khoon, General Manager, Singapore Polytechnic International; Mr. Wesley Hui, Founder, WiseNet Asia

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Articles

Soft skills that every employee needs to be successful

WiseNetAsia Knowledge Center
Copyright © 2022 WiseNet Asia Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

The widespread use of artificial intelligence in many organizations undoubtedly made the way we live and work more efficient, but this efficiency comes with the need of eliminating human jobs across many different industries, the highly impacted fields would be manufacturing, retail and customer service. Jobs that are mundane and repetitive are highest at risk to be automated away.

Hence, it is crucial that fresh graduates and professionals should start developing skills that automation can never replace, and they are – soft skills. These are the type of skills that will make an individual employable regardless of how the job market and circumstances turn out to be.

It is true that technical skills are important in the workplace and far more learnable than soft skills, but not all hope is lost as any individual can start building or polishing their soft skills such as the ability to communicate effectively, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These are all significant leadership traits and they are key to a professional’s success.

As time goes by, it is evident that the job market is constantly changing and jobs are ever evolving. In today’s workforce, having one skill or capability is insufficient for an employee to guarantee a successful career, one must possess at least three or more skills in order to survive in this ever-competitive job market.

Here are five soft skills that are most advantageous in the workplace and cannot be automated away:

Effective communication

Effective communication can be challenging between individuals because we translate messages differently neurologically. Communication is a two-way street; it is about relaying and receiving information. How do we make it effective? The objective of effective communication is ensuring that the intended meaning of a message is being comprehended correctly by the sender and receiver.

We have to acknowledge that we all have cognitive biases. An individual’s perception of reality by nature, is bias. We need to be open to the possibility that in reality, other individuals possess different perspectives and perceptions – in other words, not everyone think like us, that is where effective communication comes into play. The more we have the ability to communicate with different mindsets, the more effective our communication will become.

Critical thinking

Employers are always on the lookout for individuals who can analyze situations and make informed decisions that are supported with rational and logical thinking. Critical thinking is also useful in data analysis, coaching and mentoring of juniors as well. Studies have shown that employees who often think critically have a strong sense of self awareness and reflection, more independent, competent and efficient in their work.

A critical thinker not only accumulates information well but they are able to deduce important facts and outcomes by connecting ideas to logical thoughts. By conceptualizing outcomes, critical thinkers are said to be better at solving problems than those who just blindly memorize information.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the capacity to understand and manage our and others’ emotions. The skills that are correlated with emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-reflection, self-regulation, empathy, interpersonal skills, motivation and perseverance. It is beneficial if everyone in the workplace starts to embrace the nuances of human emotions in the workplace. When an organization has employees that embodies emotional intelligence, they are better in collaboration, prioritizing team work, better ways of conflict resolution which leads to a more conducive working environment.

Emotional intelligence is intricately blended into the decisions and actions made in the workplace. It could be in a basic instruction for the team, or in a massive organizational/structural change. Therefore, individuals with higher emotional intelligence can easily navigate the workplace more effectively, build and drive successful teams to be agile and responsive than those who have lower emotional intelligence.

Active listening

The best communicators are not just good at articulating their own thoughts, they are also superb listeners. Active listening can be defined as “giving your complete, intentional focus to what someone has to say, not interrupting someone midway through, and having the ability to hear what isn’t being said by watching facial and body language or reactions.

Active listening is the key to getting the most out of a conversation which allows a person to reap personal and interpersonal relationships. A study conducted by York University found that individuals who “listen to understand” are able to forge better and happier relationships with their peers, colleagues and direct supervisors.

Great work ethics and moral compass

Work ethics are generally defined as “well-founded fundamentals and principles of an individual”. Ethics are used to determine right from wrong, and it usually dictate our course of action throughout our daily lives.

Characteristics such as honesty, discipline, respect, integrity and accountability are highly sought after by employers. In the long run, having a workforce that encompasses these traits will improve the company’s business and reputation while raising the overall morale compass of employees which will subsequently result in positive returns.

This would lead to increased employee performance, job satisfaction which would shape the organization’s culture and behaviors to include altruism, conscientiousness and courtesy.

Those who wish to become un-automatable should have the ability to communicate their domain effectively and understand the context of who they are communicating with, be it with their team members, direct supervisors or colleagues in the company.

These days, companies look for individuals with strong emotional intelligence as it is essential to develop strong interpersonal skills if they want to succeed in any industry.

Having the right soft skills in the workplace enables employees to communicate effectively, problem solve, work together in teams and organize successfully. The modern employee will have to work on developing soft skills in tandem with strengthening their technical capabilities.

Furthermore, professionals should also strive to be effective leaders, coaches and mentors and build a large network of human connections, in and out of the workplace. Possessing a moral compass will be crucial when artificial intelligence machines start to make morally weighted decisions, but as the saying goes “It is never too late to start now”.

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Articles, Events

WiseNet Asia Hosted Webinar on Overview of Singapore Education System for Principals Academy Inc (PAI) and Chongqing Bashu Secondary School

29 December 2021 – WiseNet Asia today hosted a webinar on overview of the Singapore education system for the Principals Academy Inc (PAI), Singapore and Chongqing Bashu Secondary School, China.

The Guest Speaker is Mrs. Belinda Charles, The Dean of PAI. The Principals Academy Inc (PAI) was established in 2003 as part of the Singapore Government’s vision to develop the nation into a thriving international education hub. PAI’s work revolves around the provision of professional development, accreditation, consultancy and enrichment to educators in Singapore and around the world.

Established in 1933, Chongqing Bashu Secondary School is one of the top ten secondary schools in China. It’s alumni include former Vice Premier of the State Council, academicians and professors in renowned universities, scientists and experts in different sectors.

The webinar enabled participants to have better in depth understanding of the educational system in Singapore, and also facilitated exchanges on educational best practise in both sides.

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Articles, Events, WiseNet Asia in the News

2022 Singapore Chongqing Youth Talent Internship Program Launching Ceremony

Chongqing, December 17, 2021 – The opening ceremony of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Big Data Intelligent Industry Demonstration Park was held in the Xiantao International Big Data Valley in Yubei District. During the event, the online signing ceremony of China-Singapore cooperation projects in the field of information and communication was inked, together with the launch of the 2022 Singapore Chongqing Youth Talent Internship Program

The launch of the Singapore (Chongqing) Youth Talent Station internship program in 2022 signifies the determination of Chongqing enterprises to bring in high-quality overseas talents. The program is a talent cooperation project created by China and Singapore to jointly promote remote internships and entrepreneurship among Singaporean university students and young talents.

WiseNet Asia, as a close partner of the Singapore (Chongqing) Youth Talent Station, is represented by Karen Woong, General Manager, China. Ms Woong, together with leaders of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Connectivity Initiative Bureau and the People’s Government of Yubei District, jointly launched the 2022 Singapore (Chongqing) Youth Talent Station Internship Program. The heads of the four universities, National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Polytechnic University, and Singapore Xinyue University of Social Sciences, also participated in the launching ceremony online.

According to the plan, in 2022, we will continue to launch summer joint internships, accelerate the progress of cooperation with Singapore Management University (SMU) and University of Technology and Design (SUTD), and strive to achieve full coverage with all 6 public universities in Singapore within this year (currently four post pandemic). It is planned to promote 100 young talents from universities and colleges to come to Yubei for field inspections, innovation and entrepreneurship, and provide more international outstanding young talents for high-quality enterprises.

The Singapore (Chongqing) Youth Talent Station will be based on the Yubei District Youth Talent Station. Through the establishment of strategic cooperation with top universities in Singapore, it will take the lead in promoting young talents from Singapore and the “Belt and Road” countries to come to Chongqing for internship training, entrepreneurship and employment.

With its sound talent servicing mechanism and collaboration model, the youth talent station will continue to expand its network base in the future, and explore to provide more international outstanding young talents for Singapore enterprises and Sino-Singapore projects in Chongqing.

About the Singapore (Chongqing) Youth Talent Station

Singapore (Chongqing) Youth Talent Station is jointly started by the Chongqing Connectivity Initiative Bureau (CCIB) and the People’s Government of Yubei District. Based in Yubei District, it is the first to promote Singapore and the “Belt and Road Initiative” through the establishment of strategic talent cooperation with top universities in Singapore. “National young talents come to Chongqing for internship, training, entrepreneurship and employment, to create a demonstration platform for Sino-Singaporean youth talent cooperation.

In September 2019, the Yubei District Talent Service Center, Xiantao Big Data Valley and WiseNet Asia, Singapore inked the “Singapore (Chongqing) Youth Talent Station Collaboration Agreement”. In the same month, the People’s Government of Yubei District and the National University of Singapore signed an agreement for joint development of the Youth Talent Station. In December 2019, the first batch of 30 students from the National University of Singapore successfully carried out a 5-week cross-border internship training in more than 10 companies including Huawei Innovation Center in Xiantao Big Data Valley and Transsion Communications.

In May 2020, April 2021, and October 2021, on the basis of cooperating with the National University of Singapore, Yubei District also collaborated with Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) respectively. In the 2020 summer remote internship program, 30 students from Singapore, Malaysia and other regions carried out a 2-month remote internship in major companies in Yubei such as Jinshan Technology and Haite Automobile Exhaust.

WiseNet Asia is responsible for coordinating the selection and placement of interns with employers, assisting interns to go to Chongqing Xiantao Big Data Valley for internships and exchanges, and will also provide a series of pre-training programs for students going overseas for internships, such as personal assessment, workplace training, cultural IQ training, etc., to prepare overseas interns for pre-employment and to integrate them into Chongqing’s culture more easily.

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AI is Shaping Our Future and it is Not Slowing Down Anytime Soon

Tech Trends in 2022 and Future

Brace yourself, the next big thing in the tech sphere that could ultimately impact our life is when artificial intelligence (AI) teaches itself to achieve goals that humankind have yet to achieve, or have a hard time achieving.

2020 and 2021 are no doubt the toughest times for many generations – from baby boomers, millennials to Gen Z. Though there are still lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which causes fear, uncertainty and doubt in humankind, it is not surprising that people may think that the world’s progress have reached a plateau, or worse declining.

However, on the flipside, scientists have made huge advancements through research on artificial intelligence in the recent years. Many people still associate AI with science fiction robots, but in reality, AI improves and streamlines our day-to-day processes, eliminating repetitive and mundane tasks, allowing us to accomplish more in less time.

AI makes it possible for machines to learn from experience and perform human tasks, from customer service, to self-driving cars, from tools aiding us in avoiding traffic, instant translation of machines, offering books, movies and music recommendations are just some forms of examples that AI has taken up today.

Here are five interesting AI trends that will change our lives in 2022 and beyond:

Bigger, bolder and better language modeling

Language modeling is a process that allows machines to comprehend and communicate with humans in a language that both understands.

Data scientists and engineers have been working on this for years and it seems to be coming into fruition, the most plausible and logical way of achieving this is by taking natural human languages and turn them into computer codes that can run applications and programs.

This is one step closer to being able to create a universal language and hold conversations that are indistinguishable from those of humans.

Shifting the Future of Working

With the occurrence of a sudden pandemic that has shifted the ways of how we work, with employees being accustomed to remote working, organizations are going to need to leverage technologies seamlessly to enable collaboration for all employees regardless of location.

With tools like Slack, Zoom, Cisco, Discord, Microsoft, Google and Salesforce, we can expect to see a software and hardware boom that will continue to advance where new operating systems for work will be built to improve meeting equity and enable a level of unmatched collaboration.

The work shift is also changing how we interact and function to enable us to be more productive. More tools are going to be deployed rather than just employees living in their inboxes, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and traditional productivity tools.

Effective self-driving cars powered by lithium-ion batteries

Over the coming decade, AI will inevitably guide autonomous cars, aircrafts and other moving vehicles that is going to revolutionize travel and society.

Based on an research article by WHO, approximately 1.3 people die of traffic accidents every year, and 90% were caused by human errors. When the public starts adopting the use of autonomous cars, the rates of traffic accidents will decrease tremendously.

As effective autonomous cars start penetrating into the automobile industry with further good news, Tesla says that its cars will demonstrate full self-driving capability by 2022 but more testing has to be done prior before it can be sold to the public and ready for general use.

Increased adoption of Creative AI

It is a known fact that AI is being used to create art, music and video games, but 2022 will be a game changer, Google Brain, who are literally the brain behind Google’s AI research team under the umbrella of Google AI, a research division at Google dedicated to AI – they are set to redefine the boundaries of what is possible, as we can expect more creative output from them.

For instance, when AI is increasingly being applied to routine creative tasks, such as designing logos and infographics and more. Creativity has long often been seen as a human skill but we are now experiencing these capabilities appearing in machines, meaning AI is moving a step closer in terms of scope and function in what we constitute as genuine, authentic intelligence.

Advanced AI in Cybersecurity

In 2021, World Economic Forum identified cybercrime as a potentially significant risk to society than terrorism itself.

This comes as a shock because physical weapons used in warfare used to be the biggest threat among all but ever since technology advanced in such an unprecedented rate where machines have almost total control of our lives, hacking and cybercrime have inevitably become a major nuisance for governments, businesses and individuals. For example, every connected device we add to a network is a potential risk where a hacker could use against us.

Here is where AI intervenes to save the day, by analyzing network traffic and learning how to recognize patterns that suggest nefarious intentions, regardless of locations, smart algorithms are playing a vital role in keeping our data and ourselves safe.

AI relies heavily on natural language processing and deep learning, not only is it just a technology but it has gradually but steadily seep into our daily lives. Many find it fascinating that AI has fully become intertwined in our lives and existence, we rely on technology on a daily basis in our lives without even realizing when did it occur.

Though unfamiliar to many at first but through curiosity and our willingness to adapt and learn, we have successfully embraced tech into our daily lives without hesitation due to the benefits it brings.

Artificial Intelligence is impacting the future virtually in every industry, and also humankind. AI is the main driver of great technologies like big data and robotics, needless to say, AI will continue to act as a technological innovator for the foreseeable future.

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