TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

The functional competencies within the Competency Framework were reviewed in 2022. This ensures that functional competencies reflect current business needs and helps to raise our employees’ learning and development capacity, yielding a capable and more agile workforce.

All employees must attend the CDL Onboarding Programme, which aims to induct and integrate new hires into the organisational culture.

Training Hours and Investments

Talent development is key in retaining and attracting top talents and developing a skilled workforce. In 2022, CDL invested over S$450,000 into training and development for our corporate office staff, with over 17,000 training hours and an average of more than five training days per staff.

To equip internal stakeholders with knowledge to support corporate advocacy efforts for a “Safe and Green” culture, CDL provides sustainability-related training such as EHS training and awareness programmes. The CDL360 Sustainability 101 Series was launched in 2021 to foster greater awareness and understanding of the company’s green initiatives and to encourage the adoption of sustainable practices. Staff are also encouraged to attend relevant external conferences and workshops to strengthen their sustainability knowledge and EHS management skills. This includes mandatory annual refreshers for CDL’s Corporate EHS Policy, Biodiversity Policy and other related policies. In 2022, 80% of CDL’s employees received sustainability-related training.

To continue to build up human capital and engage our employees during WFH measures, CDL launched several company-wide online training programmes. Throughout the year, CDL conducted 34 online workshops covering project management, big data and data analytics, sustainability, occupational health and safety, mindfulness, and the cultivation of healthy lifestyles.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING HOURS (CDL CORPORATE OFFICE)

Employee Type No. of Employees Total Training Hours Average Training Hours/Employee
Female 279 12,483 44.74
Male 127 5,165 40.67
Manager 260 12,368 47.57
Non-Manager 146 5,279 36.16

EMPLOYEE TRAINING HOURS (CDL GROUP BASED IN SINGAPORE)

Employee Type No. of Employees Avg training hours Avg amount spent per FTE ($)
Total CDL Group* 3419 16.1 $341.31
Female 1403 19.7
Male 2016 13.6
Senior Management 88 18.0
Middle Management 759 26.4
Junior Management 2393 9.6
* Data covers CDL Group employees based in Singapore only

 

Leadership Development and Succession Planning

Through the structured CDL Leadership Programme, we develop high-potential employees by sharpening their leadership and management skills to enable them to become more effective leaders.

To help our staff achieve personal development and career growth, CDL implements a well-designed job rotation programme to enhance employees’ competencies, as well as to increase job satisfaction through job variation. Structured talent deployment within CDL is part of HR planning, and it plays a major role in the following areas:

  1. a. Career Development

    By providing employees with exposure to the various business operations or by expanding their skills and knowledge, employees can build both breadth and depth of experience and learning.

  2. b. Talent Retention

    Developing a robust talent pool is crucial to strengthening CDL’s position as a leading property developer. Leadership and functional training programmes are organised annually to broaden skill sets, enhance engagement and ensure a productive talent pool.

Competency Development Programme

The competency development programme is designed to equip CDL Group’s employees with skills and competencies to ensure its workforce is future-ready to navigate the complex business landscape in the next 3 to 5 years. Under the programme, employees’ development are supported via a group of mandatory programmes including relevant courses that are identified to deliver these relevant competencies to the various employee groups through Catalyst 1, 2 and 3 sessions (Catalyst 1 refers to Junior employees, i.e. employee groups of seniority up to Executives), Catalyst 2 for middle management (Managers to Assistant Vice Presidents), and Catalyst 3 for senior management (Vice Presidents and above).

The programme is complemented by functional competencies which is department and employee-driven. Functional competencies refer to the skills required by the employee to perform the role. Each role is tagged with a specific skillset. The supervisor assesses the employee’s proficiency level of the employee, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Expert. The assessment underscores competencies gap of the employee and encourages employee-driven learning to stay relevant and abreast of the required functional competencies.

Through the competency development programme, CDL Group ensures that its employees remain competent and up to date with knowledge and skillsets in the changing business world to meet CDL Group’s future needs. In 2022, 100% of CDL HQ employees completed the Competency Development Programme.

Management Trainee Programme

The 18-month Management Trainee Programme provides opportunities for promising young graduates to learn about CDL’s various departments and operations, through a series of rotations at departments, with the potential for further leadership roles in the organisation. The programme structure also allows Management Trainees to participate in additional special projects or overseas assignments to enhance their career development. This allows trainees to acquire a broad range of skills and knowledge, equipping them to handle diverse responsibilities within the organisation. As a result, the program helps develop a skilled workforce capable of supporting the company’s strategic objectives. In 2022, 0.4% of CDL HQ employees was part of the Management Trainee Programme.

Education Sponsorships and Scholarships

CDL sponsors part-time courses relevant to the employee’s work, conducted locally by recognised institutions and universities. In 2022, we sponsored one employee for a Master’s degree and one employee for an Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualification.

Internships

CDL partners with local tertiary education institutions to offer internship opportunities for students interested in the property industry. In 2022, there were 15 interns assigned to various departments in CDL.