SINGAPORE – The fruits on sale at Mr Ng Hock Hin’s shop now come with the country of origin listed prominently along with the price.

Although he has been selling fruits at Teck Whye Shopping Centre for 23 years, it was only in November last year that Mr Ng learnt more about topics such as merchandise display, customer service and sales techniques.

“Now when people pass by, they say: ‘Eh! it looks better’. So, of course, they will think of buying from me,” said Mr Ng.

He was among some 300 neighbourhood bosses and workers from 100 “mom-and-pop” shops who had completed a national retail training programme.

The scheme by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) brings training to the doorstep of these outlets.

Launched in September, the programme aims to train 900 neighbourhood retail shops in the 21 HDB-owned shopping centres across Singapore over two years.

So far, 16 retail shops in Teck Whye have completed the course.

Nearby residents make up the bulk of shoppers at Teck Whye, but with two big malls located just a few minutes away, attracting and retaining customers is an ongoing challenge, especially with rising food prices. Shop-owners say going for the retail course is one way of staying afloat during tough times.

The vice-president of the Teck Whye Merchants Association, Mr Peter Chew, said: “Consumers are not willing to spend a lot of money. They will think twice before they buy. We try to improve our service, for example, displaying more products to sell more items.”

The Heartland Retail Workforce Upskilling Programme is a joint initiative between the WDA, Housing and Development Board and Singapore Institute of Retail Studies.

Employers who send their staff for training may be eligible for absentee payroll under the Workfare Training Support Scheme. The scheme also gives workers subsidies and grants as incentives for training. Hoe YEEN NIE