Hawkers and their trade are a part of our national identity. After all, our hawker culture is immortalised in the UNESCO cultural heritage list.
The government hopes to ensure that this trade continues into the future with a new post-diploma programme that will train up ITE and polytechnic graduates as future hawkers.
They’ll get both an apprenticeship and mentorship, and receive a monthly allowance of $1,000.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) and SkillsFuture Singapore worked with Temasek Polytechnic to develop a new track under the Hawker’s Development Programme.
Named the Work-Study Post-Diploma (Certificate in Hawkerpreneurship), it will be launched in Mar and is set to be open for recent polytechnic and ITE graduates.
However, learning the tricks of the trade won’t an easy feat, and participants will have to undergo a 12-month course.
According to NEA, the course will begin with 2 months of interactive classroom lessons which’ll teach cooking techniques and nutrition.
This is followed by a 4-month apprenticeship with experienced hawkers.
The next stage is a 6-month mentorship with hawkers while running their incubation stalls before running them on their own.
On top of this, participants will receive a monthly allowance of $1,000.
Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor said setting up a hawker stall may be considered a way to enter the F&B sector, reports The Straits Times.
She also mentions that there’s an increasing appreciation for hawker food, and the programme will help aspiring entrepreneurs get a foot into the hawker industry.
With the increased capacity of the Hawkers’ Development Programme, NEA says it will set aside more stalls for students.
Up to 80 stalls distributed islandwide will be available in the future. Doing so will help upcoming hawkers sustain their businesses.
Aspiring hawkers interested in joining this course can register via this link. Applications close on 7 Feb.
Singapore’s hawker culture is something that we can be proud of. Over many generations, this trade has been carried on by generation after generation.
Fears of the trade dying out, however, has resulted in attempts to keep this indelible culture going.
If you would like to step up to the plate and keep hawker culture alive, this course may be what’s needed to give you a boost.
Interested applicants can do so here.
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Featured image adapted from eats365.
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