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This piece of news follows the announcement of Singapore’s hawker culture having made its way into the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Though integral to and deeply embedded into Singapore’s culture, the sustainability and stability of hawker culture has long stirred concerns of doubt.
With Temasek Polytechnic‘s 12-month work-study post-diploma in Hawkerpreneurship, hawker hopefuls will now get a bit of a head-start through classroom and on-the-job training which will prepare them for a career as both a hawkerpreneur, and also in the food and beverage industry at large.
The 12-month-long course comprises of three phases, in which trainees will undergo in-depth training to acquire business management skillsets and culinary skills needed to operate on a commercial scale.
Phase 1 (Training Phase)
This phase runs for two months, and will see trainees attend structured lessons on campus to learn foundational skills in culinary art and science, as well as business operations.
Phase 2 (Apprenticeship Phase)
This phase spans across four months—three months are spent working under the mentorship of an experienced hawker for the necessary experience and expertise of running a hawker stall. The last month of this phase is spent back on campus on business preparation training. They will learn how to prepare a business plan and perform product differentiation.
Phase 3 (Incubation Phase)
The last and longest phase lasts for six months that puts the previous half of the year’s training to the test. Trainees will be required to run their business at their individual stalls, and will apply for their hawker license under NEA’s Incubation Stall Programme. Throughout this phase, trainees can still get support, help, and guidance from experienced hawkers and mentors, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem and nurturing environment for these aspiring hopefuls.
Upon completion of each phase, trainees will receive S$1,000 of monthly training allowance throughout the duration of the course. With such measures and aid in place, we will hopefully see the longevity of Singapore’s hawker culture continue to thrive. Interested parties can apply here, but have to meet the requirement of being Singaporeans or Singapore Permanent Residents who are recent graduates of less than three years from Polytechnics or ITE, or from the Operationally Ready Date (ORD) for National Servicemen.
