UOB unveils new Entrepreneur Shadow Programme

It aims to help small businesses tap talents.

United Overseas Bank (UOB) announced their new Entrepreneur Shadow Programme, which will help Singapore’s small businesses acquire talents.

Through the programme, penultimate and final year undergraduates at the Singapore Management University (SMU) will experience walking in the shoes of small business owners, as well as the opportunities and risks of handling a business.

The programme is ran by the UOB-SMU Asian Enterprise Institute (AEI), and is open to all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Ang Ser Keng, senior lecturer of finance at SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business, and vice chairman of executive committee and director at the UOB-SMU Asian Enterprise Institute, said, “The new Entrepreneur Shadow Programme presents our students with a unique opportunity to learn first-hand from SME owners and their senior management. Throughout the shadowing period, the students will document their observations and will make targeted recommendations at the end of the programme. To further investigate and tackle the issues, the project outcomes can also be developed into new consulting projects under AEI’s flagship SME Consulting Programme. In this way, we can help small businesses to enhance their operational effectiveness and efficiency in a sustainable manner.”

Small business participants must first identify a specific outcome they want to achieve, such as exploring revenue streams, redeveloping business processes, or boosting productivity through digital technology, before they are matched with students who have the required knowledge, experience and skills.