New Enhanced Certificate of Service (COS)
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PARLIAMENT : NEW CERT GIVES MORE DETAILS ON NSF'S CONTRIBUTION New NS cert helped me get job
By Andre Yeo, 02 March 2008
LANCE Corporal Budiman Mohamad Som, 23, needed a job to help support his single mother - a sales assistant - and his two younger brothers.
Having just completed his national service (NS) in December, he was not hopeful of getting a job immediately.
But thanks to a new enhanced certificate of service (COS) for full-time national servicemen (NSF) who have just completed NS, he managed to secure a job within a month.
Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee, the Minister of State for Defence, yesterday announced the introduction of the new certificate, which gives a more detailed description of a serviceman's contributions and achievements during NS.
Those who performed exceptionally well or who assumed positions of responsibility will also get personal testimonials from their unit's commanders.
NSmen can use this certificate to apply for jobs, scholarships or places in tertiary institutions.
Previously, the certificate would only state whether the performance was 'good' or 'outstanding'. It did not describe what a person did - whether he was a team player or if he had good organisational skills.
The first Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) unit to get the COS was the 1st Battalion Singapore Guards in November 2007.
LCP Budiman was a light anti-tank weapon sharpshooter in the unit. In his COS, he was commended for having good organisational skills.
He organised company activities, took part in singing competitions to boost morale, and was praised for being a team player who carried out duties efficiently.
His performance and conduct were listed as 'outstanding'.
Using his COS, he applied for a job at Aetos, the auxiliary police force, two weeks after completing his NS on 8 Dec. He got the job during the interview and started work last month. He is now based at the Woodlands Checkpoint, earning $1,000 a month.
MORE CREDIBILITY
LCP Budiman said the COS helped him during the interview. He said: 'The certificate is from the Government, so it has more credibility and is recognised.
'If I were the boss of a company, why would I not want to hire someone who performed well in the army during stressful situations?
'It will motivate NSFs to work harder during NS.'
LCP Budiman's younger brothers are aged 19 and 13. An older sister, 24, who is married without kids, also lives in the family's four-room flat in Teban Gardens.
Aetos' commanding officer (land checkpoints), Deputy Superintendent (Auxiliary Police Force) Roland Wee, 47, is in charge of the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints. He interviewed LCP Budiman for the job.
He said previous certificates did not contain enough details of what an NSF did. The COS gives employers a better idea of whether job applicants were suitable.
He added that
LCP Budiman's COS contributed to the decision to employ him.
He said: 'The COS was a good one, as it reflected his contributions to the SAF. It has been accurate in describing his character and abilities.'
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MINDEF has enhanced the Certificate of Service (COS) that is given to each full-time national serviceman (NSF) when he completes full-time NS. MINDEF has redesigned the COS so that it contains more information which could be relevant in the job market. NSFs who have completed their full-time NS from Nov 07 onwards would receive the enhanced COS.
When they complete full-time NS, each serviceman will receive a transcript and a certificate of completion. The transcript lists the NSF's contributions, achievements and courses attended during NS as well as a short description of the skills he has acquired during NS and personal attributes he has displayed. The certificate is awarded to recognize the successful completion of full-time NS.
In addition, NSFs who performed exceptionally well and those who shoulder leadership responsibilities would be given a testimonial in recognition of their contributions.New COS Transcript
New COS Certificate
New COS Testimonial
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To deter more people from kenging.
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opps , my RQMS hates me .
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$1000 only man. if he had stayed in SAF, perhaps he wld really go far being an outstanding soldier. and the starting pay is a hell lot higher...
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Originally posted by del_co:
$1000 only man. if he had stayed in SAF, perhaps he wld really go far being an outstanding soldier. and the starting pay is a hell lot higher...
Saf also need qualifications to rise leh.
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so bullish...
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Well, i think the enhanced COS is a good thing.
But have they ENHANCED the system of appraising soldiers that is the basis of the COS?
My friend and I Enlisted together and ORD'ed together. Same rank & Vocation, only different company.
I would say we do what we did to get our jobs done, none of us did more or less.
Both of us got attached out to another unit for 8 months and we returned to our parent unit after that just to see our new OCs for 2-3 weeks and we go for our leave and ORD.
His new OC told him, "to be fair, I called your OC in your attached unit and he put in good words for you. I am putting Outstanding in your conduct and writing a testimonial for you."
My new OC told me, "to be fair to your friends in this company, i cannot assess you since you are away the past 8 months, and to be fair to you, i will just grade you "Very Good" (the default).
So much about enhancing the look, but the system?
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seriously, do employers really look at your COS and decide whether to hire you or not? maybe in the civil sector but maybe not so common in the public sector.
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Originally posted by del_co:
$1000 only man. if he had stayed in SAF, perhaps he wld really go far being an outstanding soldier. and the starting pay is a hell lot higher...
different people leh.
never read properly?
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This was one of the recommendations suggested by RECORD IV (2006) - i.e. the one that had also called for exit-permit revisions (only if 3-plus months overseas now for NSFs; & fully exempted for MR'd reservists) & the paying out of a NS bonus ($100-$400), amongst others. All such 'recognitions' are good, I say. They're also ultimately based on feedback on the ground, anyway.