WHEN Madam Catherine S. Kolandevelu's husband walked out on her, the 41-year-old was left high and dry. The housewife had not worked for more than 10 years, had no income but had five children to feed.

After five years of occasional work as a clerk, she will get a new start tomorrow. It will be her first day as a full-time administrative executive in a construction company.

She credits her change of fortune to a course that was introduced to prepare women to return to work.

It features a series of workshops that teach women a range of skills, from writing a resume to dressing for an interview.

The programme, designed by the Workforce Development Agency, is free and open to women older than 25, without tertiary education and who have been unable to get a job for at least six months.

It targets one of the key problems Singapore faces in coaxing older people to return to work. Latest figures show that not enough older women are doing so. Among the barriers cited as keeping them from working are the need to take care of children and a lack of flexible or part-time work arrangements.

A recent Manpower Ministry report found that two-thirds of non-working women aged 50 to 64 had never worked or had stopped working for at least 10 years.

Their situation was acknowledged by Mr Gan when he spoke to reporters after touring the job fair. He noted that besides being unfamiliar with the work environment, these women 'have inhibitions about going back to work'.

But he is optimistic that the Government's various efforts will bring more women back to work.

Two pilot runs of the programme were held recently. Among the early birds was Madam Kolandevelu, who praised it: 'The workshops gave me confidence to look for more serious work. If not, I'd have looked only for such jobs as a cashier or a security guard.'

She said she is able to work because her older children help to look after the younger ones at home. Her three sons and two daughters are aged between four and 20.

She intends to work beyond age 65, to build up a nest egg for her old age: 'I used to think I didn't need to work or save. But now, even if my children don't want to look after me later, I'll be okay.'

Her comments reflect a growing awareness among people that they have to work longer.

Mr Gan also addressed the issue, and highlighted the two main reasons for it: Besides the ageing workforce, many older Singaporeans are living longer.

'Many employers have come to accept that older workers are an important asset in their business,' he added.

Employers like Apex-Pal, which is behind the Sakae Sushi chain, have geared up for the greying population. The company has older-worker friendly policies like an extra day of paid leave a year for grandparents.

Said its vice-president of group human resources, Ms May Foo: 'We find that with mature workers, our turnover is low. They are committed to staying long.'

Madam Kwek Chong Kek, 44, recently joined the company as a kitchen helper after more than 15 years of staying at home to take care of her two children.

They no longer need her to be at home and, besides contributing to her family income, Madam Kwek says that 'if I'm not working, I'm useless to society'.

jeremyau@sph.com.sg

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