Memorandum of Understanding Between Yellow Ribbon Singapore and Mediacorp to Enhance Skills and Career Development of Inmates & Ex-Offenders

Singapore, 3 August 2020 – A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) and Mediacorp Pte Ltd (Mediacorp) today, with the aim of enhancing the skills of inmates and ex-offenders to enhance their career prospects in the media industry.

The MOU was signed in a virtual ceremony by CEO YRSG Mr Matthew Wee Yik Keong and CEO Mediacorp Ms Tham Loke Kheng. The event was witnessed by the Chairman of YRSG, Mr Chng Hwee Hong and the Chairman of Mediacorp, Mr Niam Chiang Meng.

YRSG collaborates closely with partners across the private, public and people sectors to support ex-offenders in rebuilding their lives through the deepening of skills for long-term career development and mobility. Under its “TAP” (Train, Attach and Place) & Grow initiative, YRSG partners like-minded employers, training institutions and community partners to set up training academies inside prisons. This enables inmates to undergo industry-specific training, develop the requisite skills to facilitate their recruitment into relevant industries and grow in their new careers after their release.

Under the MOU, a new media training academy will be set up in Prisons’ Multimedia Hub located at Tanah Merah Centre. The academy will offer courses that provide accredited media skills training for inmates from September 2020, namely the Specialist Diploma in Social Media Marketing and Online Content Creation, and the Diploma in Film and Television Production. The first batch of 40 Specialist Diploma students is expected to graduate in February 2021, while those pursuing the Diploma in Film and Television Production will graduate in June 2021. Graduates from these courses may be employed by Mediacorp and media production houses after their release if they are successfully recruited.

YRSG’s career coaches will work closely with Mediacorp and other employers to provide retention support¹ to ex-offenders as they re-join the workforce and transit to a new work environment. In addition, YRSG will assist ex-offenders to tap on the SGUnited Skills programme² to deepen their skills and progress further in their new careers.

With this collaboration, inmates and ex-offenders stand to gain valuable media knowledge and skills. These will stand them in good stead not just within the media industry, but also in other sectors where content creation capabilities are highly sought after by companies to augment their communication, marketing, social media and customer engagement efforts.

“We are delighted to collaborate with Mediacorp to expand our ‘TAP’ & Grow initiative to offer a career development pathway for inmates and ex-offenders in the media industry. Through this collaboration, those who enrol in the new media training academy will learn the necessary skills to enable them to join and succeed in the media industry, particularly with companies that depend heavily on social media platforms and video content creation to engage their clientele. With new skills and renewed motivation and determination in being given a second chance, ex-offenders can re-join the national workforce with confidence and contribute actively to society.” said Mr Matthew Wee Yik Keong (黄毅强), Chief Executive Officer, YRSG.

“Mediacorp is committed to doing our part in nurturing a continuous pipeline of professionals for the media industry, and we are proud to partner Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) to offer inmates accredited media skills training and facilitate their reintegration into the workforce through potential job placements. With this MOU, we aim to further support YRSG in their mission to enhance the employability of inmates and ex-offenders, and look forward to a fruitful and meaningful collaboration,” said Ms Tham Loke Kheng (谭乐琼), CEO, Mediacorp.

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¹This includes regularly engaging ex-offenders at their workplace to set behavioural goals. Career coaches also work closely with the employers and supervisors to resolve work-related issues and support ex-offenders in other areas as needed.

²The SGUnited Skills Programme for infocomm and media is a full-time training programme designed in partnership with the media industry to help trainees acquire industry-relevant skills to improve their employability. This programme was introduced in July 2020 to help workers emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit https://www.skillsfuture.sg/sgunitedskills.

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Media contacts

Shazwani Babjee (Ms)
Telephone: 6214 2836
Mobile: 9099 9374
Email: shazwani_babjee@yellowribbon.gov.sg

Jaz Siaw (Ms)
Telephone: 6513 1600
Mobile: 9856 1884
Email: jaz_siaw@yellowribbon.gov.sg

Mark Tan
Communications Specialist
Mediacorp
mark.tan@mediacorp.com.sg

About the Yellow Ribbon Singapore

Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was established on 1 April 1976 as the Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE) and rebranded as YRSG on 1 May 2020.

YRSG adopts a multi-faceted approach to prepare ex-offenders for reintegration into the national workforce, which includes initiatives to help them develop skills and long-term careers through partnerships with industry, as well as initiatives to garner community support and acceptance of ex-offenders.

YRSG works with more than 7,000 like-minded partners. Our collective efforts have contributed to the low and stable recidivism rate in Singapore.

About Mediacorp

Mediacorp is Singapore’s largest content creator and national media network, operating six TV channels, 11 radio stations and multiple digital platforms including CNA, Singapore's most used news app, and meWATCH, its digital video platform. Its mission is to engage, entertain and enrich audiences by harnessing the power of creativity.

Mediacorp pioneered the development of Singapore’s broadcasting industry, with radio broadcast in 1936 and television broadcast in 1963. Today, it reaches 98% of Singaporeans in four languages weekly and has a growing Asian audience base through CNA as well as entertainment content that is distributed across markets in the region.

The Mediacorp Partner Network brings Mediacorp together with industry-leading brands like ESPN, Edipresse Media, 99.co and VICE to deliver rich content for consumers and effective solutions for advertisers.

Mediacorp is the recipient of industry accolades including New York Festivals, World Media Festivals, PromaxBDA (World and Asia) and Asian Academy Creative Awards.

For more information, please visit mediacorp.sg.