Building capabilities for the future
January 2016
With CapitaLand laying out plans to build more integrated developments in the near future, a new learning and development programme called Integrated Development Programme has been developed by the CapitaLand Institute of Management and Business (CLIMB). The first run of the programme was held on 12-16 October 2015 at CLIMB’s campus in Sentosa.
This programme was designed with the aim of helping participants gain an appreciation of the general knowledge necessary to develop and manage integrated projects effectively. Unlike a single-use development, an integrated development combines several land uses, which could include offices, shopping malls and serviced residences. Such developments require a different set of skills and knowledge for investment planning, design, project management as well as asset management. By understanding the differences between a single-use and an integrated development, participants in this programme learnt about the challenges inherent in integrated projects and their solutions.
During the five-day programme, 33 participants from Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia were presented with a comprehensive suite of content that was carefully developed by CapitaLand’s very own in-house champions who are veterans of the real estate industry.
CLIMB was extremely privileged to have the support of our champions and their teams of in-house subject-matter experts. Each of them invested effort and precious time to impart their knowledge to our participants. Besides lecturing, their voices at the ‘back-benches’ provided many diverse perspectives during the question-and-answer sessions.
A core teaching methodology in this programme was the use of CapitaLand’s own case studies to illustrate the learning points. These include the upcoming Cairnhill project at Orchard Road and our iconic completed integrated developments such as Raffles City Singapore, Raffles City Chengdu, Raffles City Changning, ION Orchard & The Orchard Residences, Westgate Mall & Westgate Tower, Bedok Mall and Residences as well as Willkie Edge.
Ms Yvonne Ong, Strategic Projects, CapitaLand Commercial Trust Management Limited, was one of the participants. She said: “With the expected proliferation of integrated developments, this programme is very relevant for anyone involved in such projects. The programme content was well-structured and well-delivered by the speakers. The key ingredients necessary for the successful execution of an integrated development are particularly critical. I would certainly encourage anyone interested in development work to attend this programme.”
Another participant, Mr Ng Chun Leong, Enterprise Risk, CapitaLand Limited shared: “For me, this was a fantastic introductory programme on integrated developments. It provided key insights from our experienced practitioners on the challenges they faced and how they managed them with a ‘can do’ attitude and a creative mindset. Besides being insightful, I also found it to be very inspiring”.
Indeed, CLIMB would like to thank the champions, speakers and also the participants for their support. In the coming year, 2016, a second run of this programme will be held. We look forward to improving our programme and providing an avenue to build people with the relevant skills and knowledge to contribute towards future integrated developments.
This article is contributed by the Building People team at CapitaLand Institute of Management and Business