SINGAPORE - Media OutReach^[1] - 16 February 2022 -NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB)^[2], Singapore's leading Continuing Education and Training provider, and TikTok, the leading destination for short-form mobile video, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to officially launch their partnership to help 1,500 micro-businesses and freelancers in Singapore to connect with audiences through engaging social media content creation and trends via a platform like TikTok to drive business over the next three years.

From left to right: Director of Infocomm Technology at NTUC LearningHub, Anthony Chew (signatory), Chief Executive Officer at NTUC LearningHub, Jeremy Ong (witness), and Head of Brand Partnerships for SEA at TikTok, David Jay Gomez (signatory).

The outreach of the programmes, which will be driven by NTUC LHUB, will focus on the growing pool of Self-Employed Persons (SEPs), including freelancers and small business owners in Singapore. Against the backdrop of the positive economic outlook, SEPs would stand to benefit by creating engaging social media content that successfully creates awareness and demand for their services and offerings.

The MOU, which was signed by Anthony Chew, Director of Infocomm Technology (ICT) at NTUC LHUB and David Jay Gomez, Head of Brand Partnerships, SEA, at TikTok, signifies the mutual commitment of both TikTok and NTUC LHUB to deliver quality training and resources in social media marketing and content creation.

As more small businesses turn to digital platforms to reach new audiences, many are leveraging new age platforms such as TikTok which has exceeded 240 million users in Southeast Asia alone. From increasing brand awareness to extending their business reach, TikTok has played a key role in helping local micro-businesses such as Vintagewknd, a sustainable fashion store, and Dear Modern, run by a Singaporean architect, to connect directly with their customers and grow their presence online.

To boost outreach efforts, NTUC LHUB will leverage its strong network within the Labour Movement and its associations such as the Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit (U FSE), Singapore National Co-Operative Federation (SNCF) and Young NTUC.

In addition, as part of the initiative, NTUC LHUB will work closely with TikTok to develop a suite of courses that empower content creators to grow their brand presence on social media platforms. As a start, NTUC LHUB will begin running the TikTok-endorsed 'Design Thinking for Social Media' course in March 2022, which has already received strong interest from content creators. The two-day course leverages design thinking concepts for social media content creation. Furthermore, the collaboration will translate into training courses that are applicable to all workers in due course.

Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents can enjoy 50% off the course fees, and are eligible for the utilisation of SkillsFuture credit and Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA). Interested individuals can register for the 'Design Thinking for Social Media' course at www.ntuclearninghub.com^[3].

Commenting on the partnership, ICT Director at NTUC LHUB, Anthony Chew says, "We are thrilled to be partnering TikTok to empower Self-Employed Persons (SEPs) to navigate and keep pace with the rapidly changing social media landscape in order to create new business and employment opportunities. As TikTok grows in popularity in Singapore, many businesses, especially micro-businesses and freelancers have benefitted from the exposure that the platform brings because of the virality of some of their engaging and on-trend content. Working closely with TikTok, NTUC LearningHub will be on the pulse of new trends and developments straight from the source, hence ensuring that our training in social media and digital marketing remains highly relevant, timely and spot-on for our learners. In addition, NTUC LearningHub is also uniquely placed within the Labour Movement ecosystem to support the outreach efforts to self-employed persons."

TikTok's Head of Brand Partnerships for SEA, David Jay Gomez, says, "At TikTok, we are witnessing an increase in small businesses across Southeast Asia leveraging our platform to drive tangible impact and we are deeply committed to using our platform to educate and equip our community with the relevant skills and training as they navigate the ever-evolving business landscape. In Singapore, we have seen businesses on TikTok enjoy success as they fully embrace the creativity and authenticity of our platform to engage new audiences. Through our partnership with NTUC LearningHub, we look forward to empowering more micro-businesses and freelancers to drive their business and Singapore's digital economy forward."

Jean See, Director of NTUC Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit (U FSE) said, "U FSE and our associations are focused on enhancing work prospects for our members in freelancing and self-employment. The fast-changing landscape demands that our members continually scan and make sense of their clients' evolving needs. Hence, the course focus on design thinking and social media content creation is relevant to freelancers and micro-businesses keen to become more adapt and savvier in customer needs-discovery and product and service development. With continual learning support as a cornerstone of NTUC's membership proposition, we are excited that U FSE and NTUC LearningHub will be jointly rolling out a 'Community of Practice' series to bridge classroom training with expert insights to empower members to stand out from the competition."

"As an ecommerce store, our relationship with our customers is entirely virtual and we are always looking for effective ways to reach out and capture a wider audience. With TikTok's growing presence globally and in Singapore, we decided to give it a try and it has now evolved into a primary platform for our marketing efforts. With a vibrant and diverse community that celebrates creative expression, it has been encouraging to see the strong traction on our livestreams and creative style challenges among our target audience", says Vintagewknd's co-founder, Eileen Tan.

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) (www.ntuclearninghub.com)
3. ^{^} www.ntuclearninghub.com (www.ntuclearninghub.com)