Press Release: Singapore’s First Video Training App for Migrant Domestic Workers to Increase Skills and Productivity

For Immediate Release

Just hired a Migrant Domestic Worker (MDW)? You’re in luck. An innovative app, Step Up, has launched an easily-accessible online video training app that guides MDWs on what it takes to care for homes and family members. The videos are narrated in the workers’ native languages.

Set to deliver great benefits to both employers and domestic workers alike, Step Up is created by a progressive video tech company, Infini Videos. There is no other training technology for MDWs in Singapore to increase their skills.





The Need for Training & Education

While training is crucial for any job success, most employers of domestic workers are usually families with many of the members having full-time jobs. Training their domestic workers is currently done face-to-face and can take up to a few months to achieve competency. And when a MDW makes poor personal choices such as borrow from moneylenders or fall for scams, her actions could also directly impact the employer’s family, especially because of the live-in nature of the job.
According to a CDE (Centre for Domestic Employers) survey, only about half of Singapore employers said their MDW are adequately trained while nearly all the workers claimed to have undergone training.

Only half of MDWs Complete a Year of Service

Even after the employer spends time training the worker, there is no guarantee she will stay till the end of her two-year contract term because statistics show that only about 50% of domestic workers manage to complete a year of service. With such a dismal turnover, the employer has to bear the burden of taking time off to train each new worker.

Higher Retention from Video Learning

Common routine tasks such as bathing a baby, cooking, and walking the dog, are often assigned to a MDW. Teaching these can be easily accomplished with videos that provide clear, step-by-step instructions in the worker’s native languages. Research has shown that video is the best medium for learning, as viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it on a video compared to 10% by reading it. (insivia, 2016). Step Up offers training micro-videos in MDW native languages for easy-understanding and at the end of each video, the workers will complete a quiz.

A Simple Solution

With Step Up, domestic workers can learn anywhere and anytime. They will learn new and useful skills that are not just applicable to their current work but can help them in their personal lives in the future. Employers reduce face-to-face training time and can be kept updated on their workers' learning progress through the app and email reports. Video topics include:

  • Chores like cooking, food safety, and hygiene
  • Living in Singapore
  • Childcare
  • Pet care
  • English lessons
  • Personal development ones like “How to save money”, “Smartphone addiction”, and “What not to post on social media”.
  • How to use online banking services (Collaboration with POSB)

These topics have been carefully researched in consultation with the Ministry of Manpower, welfare groups, employment agencies and most importantly, employers themselves.
Available in both free and subscription accounts, Step Up has almost 50 videos in Bahasa Indonesia and Tagalog languages. Training videos will be regularly updated.

Further information:
How does Step Up work?
Watch explainer video here.

How to subscribe?

Free: $0

Employers can access selected free videos.

Paid monthly: $8.99

Employers can choose videos from the full library for their domestic workers and get the progress report via email. A worker can log in to start learning in their native language. Cancel anytime.

Paid yearly: $89

Employers can choose videos from the full library for their domestic workers and get the progress report via email. A worker can log in to start learning in their native language. Cancel anytime.

About app creator Infini Videos: 
Infini Videos a video technology company that is part of MediaCorp’s Mediapreneur startup program. Step Up is the brainchild of co-founder and mom-of-2, Tracy Wong. She has won numerous awards in advertising and video production. Tracy has personally experienced the woes of training her domestic workers but says she can’t live without their support because, “their work makes all our work possible” (quote by Poo Ai-Jen, US activist for domestic workers).

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