The inaugural batch of the Co-operative Leaders Programme, comprising 16 leaders, is set to benefit from the exclusive three-month long course.
The Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) have jointly signed a professional service agreement on Friday (May 8).
Seeking to enhance the capabilities of co-operative (co-op) leaders within the Singapore Co-operative Movement (SCM), the service agreement comes after the government announced a $30 million budget for the SCM 10-year Transformation Roadmap earlier in March.
The Roadmap, which began this year, aims to revitalise the SCM with efforts channelled to develop existing leaders, attract new blood to the movement and scale up co-ops’ capabilities in doing good in Singapore.
The agreement is set to support the first batch of co-operative leaders under the Co-operative Leaders Programme (CLP). Comprising 16 leaders, they will undertake hands-on projects to develop actionable solutions for their co-ops and communities. Beyond the projects, the programme will highlight themes, such as ethical leadership, cross-sector collaboration, digital transformation and impact measurement.
Representing the SCM, Mr Ang Hin Kee, Chief Executive Officer of SNCF, signed the agreement in the presence of CLP leaders and guests from SUSS. “Co-ops today face a crunch of talent, so we decided to find a way to uplift our current pool of leaders as well as create the right conditions for new entrants to join a mature, well-connected community,” he said.
“This partnership will help in equipping leaders with strong leadership and management capabilities to shape the Movement’s future and ensure that co-operatives remain a force for social good,” Mr Ang added.
Mr Ang was joined by Professor Robbie Goh, Provost of SUSS. “As social needs grow more complex, there is an increasing demand for leaders who can deliver practical, community-centred outcomes,” Prof Goh said.
“Through our partnership with SNCF, we are developing such leaders. This reflects the vision of the Cheong Hee Kiat Lecture Series, which supports the next generation of community leaders and strengthens cross-sector collaboration,” Prof Goh added.
Among those who were present at the signing ceremony included Minister of State for Ministry of Community, Culture, and Youth & Ministry of Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash, President of SUSS Professor Tan Tai Yong, Director for the Centre of Excellence at SUSS Professor Ang Hak Seng, SNCF’s First Deputy Chairperson Thian Ai Ling, and Vice President of Strategic Partnership & Engagement at SUSS Associate Professor Justina Tan.
This is not the first time SNCF has partnered with SUSS.
In September 2023, both entities signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine expertise in training, research and consultancy, with the aim of developing a series of sustainability-focused courses for co-operatives. In that same year, SNCF invited Professor Ang to deliver a keynote speech on Environmental, Social and Governance at the Annual Co-operative Leaders Conference 2023.
Mr Arunachalam Subramanian, a director at TCC Credit Co-operative and a participant, said that the age-old co-operatives principles and values are still applicable in today’s context. The collaboration with SUSS and the themes that surface are even more relevant to address the modern challenges.
“CLP is a good platform to collaborate with other credit and service co-operators in Singapore,” Mr Subramanian said. “The co-operative sector needs to attract young talents for leadership renewal at workplace and at board levels too.”
Earlier in February, the inaugural batch of the CLP went to Manchester, the birthplace of the global co-operative movement, for a study visit. Mr Ashokan Ramakrishnan, former chairperson of A Good Space Co-operative, described the study as pilgrimage-like. Being in the birthplace of the co-operative movement and hearing leaders share their stories within the same historic space, he said, gave the trip an emotional weight that no classroom or textbook in Singapore could replicate.
“The forces that gave birth to the co-op movement in the 1800s, such as the advent of steam engine disrupting industry, rising inequality and dislocation of workers are the same forces reshaping our world today. The only difference is that today disruption is driven by AI and climate change,” said Mr Ramakrishnan, who is now the co-op’s general secretary.
Mr Ramakrishnan said the programme comes at a timely moment, as co-operatives navigate increasingly complex challenges that require new forms of collaboration, citing cross-sector collaboration and digital transformation as key interest areas.
“Co-ops have always been built on collaboration. But the forms of collaboration needed today — across sectors, communities, and increasingly complex systems — require new mindsets and tools,” he said. “I hope the SUSS workshops will provide practical insights into how these new collaboration models can work.”
SNCF aims to develop 150 leaders over the next decade.
By Sng Ler Jun
Image Credit: SUSS
