Mariam Jaafar
Singapore
“One trusted person who knows their story, who checks in, who believes in them when they do not believe in themselves can make all the difference. As we scale, how do we protect that relational core as numbers grow?”
“I thank Members for the robust debate. I think healthcare is probably one of the most complex Ministries. On behalf of this Health Government Parliamentary Committee, I would like to say thank you to the healthcare family, from everyone at MOH to the frontliners in the hospitals and community. With that, I seek to withdraw my amendment.”
“Every young Malay/Muslim deserves to know: they are seen, they are valued, they are supported – in faith and in life. When our youths are anchored in faith and supported in well-being, our community – and our nation – are stronger. Singapore College of Islamic Studies”
“We must adapt S+3M: financing not only healthcare, but health itself, not by abandoning the principles, but by fulfilling them fully. Shared responsibility must include shared prevention. Personal ownership must empower early action. Equity must recognise cumulative burden. This is not about spending more.”
“Could MOM share the uptake and outcomes so far? And could we expand practical models so seniors can pace themselves while staying engaged? And with the Tripartite Workgroup on senior employment, when can we expect key recommendations and how will success, beyond placements, be tracked?”
“Can we strengthen incentives for FWAs and provide structured coaching at key transition points, so caregivers do not have to choose between career and care. Third, re-entry. Can we create structured return pathways so that stepping up for family does not mean stepping back professionally. Supporting caregivers is not charity.”
The complete record
Every one of 375 lines we hold for Mariam Jaafar, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 8.
“My resident, a new mother, recently quit her job. Because when she asked if a room at her workplace could be converted into a nursing room, she was told, "Why can't you just use the toilet?" Another resident struggled to find a job after she was retrenched. "Once you are a woman over 40, your value plummets. There is always someone younger," she said. Understanding and attacking these "moments of truth" could have disproportionate impact on the number of women in our workforce. I ask if the Government could consider more standards on structural workplace benefits, such as nursing rooms, emergency respite care, return-to-work programmes and hiring incentives for women over 40. International Women's Day is around the corner. I call on the Government to "Choose to Challenge" so that no women will be made to feel the way my residents were made to feel.”
“I thank the Minister and the Senior Ministers of State for the clarifications. I particularly want to express my deep appreciation as it is very evident that the approach that has been taken is a very inclusive one, with the focus on SMEs, hawkers and the elderly and also vulnerable women. I am very glad to hear of the move to different kinds of schemes, so including more customisation and deeper hand-holding for digital starters. For example, the CTO-as-a-Service as well as for our Digital Leaders Programme. Ideally, I hope that this will also be somewhat sector-specific, and also address – as I had said in my cut – the internal process and the change management that would need to go along with any advice on adoption of digital solutions. At the same time, I do want to raise a little caution, having heard some feedback on earlier programmes, which is that SMEs themselves tend to under-estimate the degree of hand-holding needed, and how hard it is, actually, to make a digital transformation. Perhaps, at this point, I should probably declare my interest as a consultant in this space. Mass customisation is notoriously difficult, even with technology. So, I hope that these schemes will truly, really, be adequately resourced, which does involve cost, and evaluated frequently on their effectiveness and what needs to be done differently. Because I really do think that it is important for SMEs to get onboard. So, if it comes to a matter of looking at ways, for example, to fund the journey, let us not skimp on the cost but actually think forward and proactively about how we can enable the highest number of SMEs.”
“I also hope that the different Ministries involved in this space will ensure, for example, that digital traineeships and SME digitisation can be synced to leverage each other in order for us to maximise our investment value. Otherwise, often, I find that MNCs are much more willing to accommodate digital trainees than our SMEs themselves. This will have to change for a sector that has to take 70% of our workforce. Support for SMEs to Transform Digitally”
“Mr Chairman, no fewer than 10 of our colleagues have spoken before me. The focus on SME digitisation in the Budget is welcome, with new initiatives as well as increased support levels for existing initiatives. For SMEs, it is important that initiatives deliver value quickly. Otherwise, sign-up rates will be slow and dropout rates high. SME digitisation programmes often underperform because they do not meet the needs of the SMEs. As one SME told me, it is like these programmes only have one hammer and it does not matter what kind of nail I have. One way to bridge this is to focus on scalable use cases rather than broad topics or frameworks that they have to figure out how to apply themselves. Getting value from any use case is also often about changing internal processes and driving a digital culture. It is therefore critical to provide a meaningful level of change management support. SMEs have quite different needs and expectations for the type of support and the degree of handholding. Programme designs can therefore be more targeted and differentiated for different segments. In addition to this push approach of financing and grants, the Government can also work more with digital eco-system partners, especially tech giants, who are able to leverage their extensive networks and experience to pull support for SMEs. In China, for example, the JD "Spark" programme provides supply chain, business support and credit to bring stalls and shops online as well as flexible employment and work from home opportunities in poorer regions. I hope the Government will elaborate on the take-up and effectiveness of the SME digitisation programmes that are being extended—and the lessons that have been learnt to date.”
“Mr Speaker, as a community, we Malays love nature, which is an important element of sustainable development. We must ensure that all in our community join in this climate change discussion – not just the fortunate few. (In English): We are all in this together. The Green Plan outlines a whole-of-nation approach to climate change. And that is what it takes, the whole nation and our partners, to unite in this fight. We are all in this together. Mr Speaker, the world lauds our Government’s exceptional handling of the COVID-19 crisis. But good governance is only part of it. Our success has been because our people trusted that we are doing our best to keep us safe during this crisis. Devastating as the COVID-19 crisis has been, climate change is an even bigger crisis, with even higher stakes. I hope that, again, our people, our businesses, our partners will trust that we are doing our best, not only to keep us safe, but to keep the world safe; not only today but for future generations. And that they will push together with us to lead the world. If we do this, Mr Speaker, I am sure Brian will feel proud that we are, indeed, doing our best. I am sure he will feel proud to be Singaporean. Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. I support the Budget. [Applause.]”
“Instead, let us identify the root causes, the key steps where Malays fall out – be it when they choose what to study in school, or when they choose their first job, and address those. The Government, schools and M3 must help Malay youths and Malays in the workforce to get an equal chance at developing interest, knowledge and skills in STEM, including green technologies. This exposure must come early. It means creating an environment that is attractive and conducive for Malay students to choose STEM courses and careers, for example, by ensuring that Malays are part of the faculty, providing better support systems and building confidence. I have spoken to a Malay youth in Woodlands. Despite qualifying for Junior College, he decided to take the Polytechnic route. I found out that he had shown promise in Science and Math, but ultimately chose to go into another field. The reason was, the youth was uncomfortable, felt that he did not belong, there were few Malays. He also believed that the STEM fields will be harder and yet the returns he might get or the levels he might get to will be commensurate. Mentorship and role models are key. Malays in the workforce should have access to and take advantage of the training and reskilling required to support the transition to the new green economy and further their careers there, as part of a broad-based workforce transition or as part of a commitment to diversity and inclusion among our companies. At the same time our young Malays and their parents must be proactive to position themselves in the new green economy. They must hone their skills and learn, from Malays and non Malays, in the STEM fields. M3 must provide the platforms and the outreach.”
“The rebates help but, may I ask, for how long will this be extended for this particular segment? The duty hike comes when alternatives do not yet really exist, certainly not for this segment. Actually, I take that back. There is one alternative – e-bikes that many switched to after the PMD ban. But Mr Speaker, it was with despair that I learnt that e-bikes are being financed in the market at exorbitant interest rates. We have got to stop these predatory behaviours. It is just not fair. Further, as technology continues to accelerate, driverless cars will become a reality. An inclusive transition must, therefore, create new green jobs, with training and reskilling, so that the most vulnerable will directly benefit. Mr Speaker, I would like to continue in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Climate change is going to affect all us, and more importantly, our children and our children’s children. It is a matter of life and death. Technology will play a big role, but we also need to change how we produce, consume and dispose. The government’s Green Plan articulates a compelling vision where taking care of the environment is no longer seen as at odds with economic growth. New jobs will be created in the new Green Economy, in fields like engineering, carbon services and green financing. Many of these jobs will require a good foundation in Science, Technology and Engineering (STEM). Although our Malay community has made progress overall in tertiary education, we remain underrepresented in STEM fields. It is already hurting us in the digital economy. Let us not miss the boat in the green economy.”
“Developing countries suffer the brunt of the impact of climate change, physically through flash floods, the destruction of flora and fauna, disease outbreaks and whole islands sinking, as well as economically through lower crop yields, for example. At the same time, many emerging countries exhibit high emissions intensities. The developed nations are reducing their emissions, but it is a case of been there, done that. Many developing countries, especially in Asia, are still industrialising – iron, steel, cement will be needed for years to come. Developed countries have been able to mitigate their emissions partly because global manufacturing has migrated to emerging markets that have invested heavily in energy, in particular, coal. The average age of coal plants in Asia is only 12 years versus a useful life of 50 years. The cost to transition is, therefore, huge. China, perhaps, can do it. But many emerging markets will need help – aid, debt assistance, technical assistance. Singapore can advocate for their voices to be heard, not to give them excuses, but to get them help from the advanced economies. We ourselves must be happy to help, happy to share our expertise and platforms in technical and financing aspects because that is leadership. An inclusive transition also means considering and mitigating the impact on the most vulnerable people, including lower income groups whose livelihoods depend on the carbon economy, for example, taxi and private car drivers and delivery riders. Many of my colleagues have talked about them today. The petrol duty hike is an immediate hit to their pockets when many are already struggling. One resident told me that he needed to drive the equivalent of an extra day to make up for it.”
“We can lead the region down a collective 2-degree path; an ASEAN 2-degree path that plays to our individual strengths. My third proposal is to be innovative in encouraging individual actions. Many of us in this House have made our green resolutions – from metal straws to collecting rainwater to planting trees. In the Budget, the Government will partner Singaporeans and support ground-up projects. I hope, I know, our wonderful youths will pick up the baton and push the boundaries. But we cannot just preach to the converted. For the ambivalent or the sceptical, it can be hard to make climate change relevant. It can be harder still to get Singaporeans and Singapore companies to pay more to go green. We cannot simply tout statistics. We cannot simply tell people they must pay more, we cannot simply tell them to stop doing something. But we can provide a vision of a sustainable Singapore in a way that appeals to both reason and emotion. I believe that one way is through stories, poetry and literature. So, let us bring our creative arts community into this campaign. Then let us encourage all who have a stake in Singapore – individuals, families, communities, SMEs, corporates, to commit to climate change action. An inclusive transition. We all hope for an inclusive transition, one where the disadvantaged are not further left behind. One that is free from the hypocrisy and power plays that, I hate to say, are often thinly veiled in their space. An inclusive transition means advocating to support developing countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change.”
“The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping is a coalition that has been established to drive the maturity of decarbonisation technologies in shipping, with seven founding partners. But it is European-centric. An Asian platform is lacking. Singapore can set up or enable a similar coalition in Asia. Mr Speaker, many green economy jobs will be technical and engineering work. Thanks to our development history, we have a strong local core in areas like process engineering, energy management, control systems, from the vocational level to advanced engineering. We can be optimistic that this time, with some training, it is our Singaporean workforce who will benefit most from the transition. My second proposal is to push forward on international and regional engagement, coordination and leadership, starting with ASEAN. The 10 ASEAN economies contribute 7.5% of global emissions. Four of them are in the top 10 countries in the world most at risk from climate change. Singapore is not one of the four. The countries have very different carbon intensities, with Indonesia accounting for more than 60%. Indonesia emissions from land use, land use change and forestry – or what we call LULUCF in the industry – are higher than their forest carbon sinks while Malaysia and the Philippines have net negative emissions from their carbon sinks. There is scope for collaboration – things that can be done at scale. Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), expensive in Singapore, but, with cross-border carbon sinks, we may be able to get the economics to work. Singapore could tap on regional renewable energy grids while providing carbon offset markets and green financing to complement our neigbours’ green efforts.”
“As we build and learn, I call for the Government to stay open to revisit our commitments and put in more aggressive targets over time because a bigger ambition drives the pace of innovation, gives businesses and investors the confidence to invest, and gives us the licence to engage more broadly – to lead the world. Mr Speaker, I would like to propose three ideas where I think there is scope for us to invest more so that we might lead the world. I will focus on decarbonisation, leaving the also important restoration of our natural habitats and nature-based solutions to others. First, double down on the sectors for which Singapore can be the world's most sustainable hub; in doing so, increase our value-add and our competitiveness. There are sectors where because we are a hub, Singapore has an opportunity, and indeed, some might say, an obligation to define the 21st century vision for the sector. I highlight two today: petrochemicals and shipping. There are more than 100 petrochemical companies with major operations in Singapore, mostly on Jurong Island. This manufacturing base and our position as a trade and logistics hub for petrochemicals make us uniquely positioned to incubate and scale technology, solutions and services to enable a green petrochemical supply chain. With best-in-class sustainable assets, and symbiotic relationships across the eco-system to unlock collective benefits and drive resilience in the face of externality pricing. Now shipping. Normally shipping generates 2% of global greenhouse emissions. As a country it will be the sixth largest. There is growing policy and social pressure to decarbonise shipping.”
“There is a gathering momentum on carbon reductions from the demand side, from businesses, investors and government. I know because my clients are asking for advice. What if our trading partners introduce carbon border taxes – which Europe is already planning? What if pressure on net zero shipping cripples long distance shipping? Now, if that is not an existential crisis of epic proportions for Singapore, I do not know what is! In some sectors, a wait-and-see approach could be more risky than getting ahead of the curve. Mr Speaker, it does not look likely that we will meet the two-degree goal. We are unlikely to get to carbon negative by 2030 which is what it would take. But let us not be discouraged. Singapore has the potential to lead the technological innovations, the business model innovation, the necessary eco-system collaborations in order to push the techno-commercial limits around decarbonisation, and then turn all of it into our new exports. We did it before with water. We can do it again. Our economy will be more competitive, more resilient and we will be enabling, empowering the rest of the world to reach the two-degree goal. In short, we can lead the world. Surely, that is something to be proud of. Pragmatic problem-solving, innovation, execution – that has always been the Singapore way. We aim for best in class, but we know that this will evolve over time, so our approach must be a humble, learning approach – learning from the past, learning from others – as we position ourselves to lead in policy, technology, collaboration and advocacy.”
“And I think, it is important to look at things from all sides so that we can carve the best pathway to fit our needs and our aspirations and bring everyone along. Where do we stand today? Singapore accounts for only 0.1% of global emissions. In reducing emissions, we face constraints in our size and our geography. A complete shift to renewables is probably not on the cards. While in our CBD, the "urban canyon" effect affects temperatures at the micro level. It is true Singapore ranks 27th highest out of 142 countries in emissions per capita. But it is not surprising; we are a hub economy. Our status as a manufacturing hub, a trade hub, is the envy of the world. Take Jurong Island – home to more than 100 oil and gas companies, and petrochemical companies, and investments of more than $50 billion. Mr Speaker, you and I, and I am sure every one of our colleagues in this House, have residents who work on Jurong Island, or Changi Airport, or the Port of Singapore. Oil and gas, petrochemicals, aviation and shipping – these are all hard-to-abate sectors where direct electrification or shift to renewables is technically not yet viable or too expensive, but they are also a significant share of our GDP. For a hub like us, a better metric is emissions per GDP dollar, or emissions intensity, where we are in the best 20. As a hub, we provide goods and services to the world, and as a hub, we are already doing this more cleanly than most. Mr Speaker, the climate change space is fast developing. According to the International Energy Agency, 50% of global emissions reduction to reach net zero needs to come from technology that is still in the demo stage. Yet, we cannot underestimate the progress of technology, nor the power of the people, especially young people.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first, Happy Chap Goh Meh! Second, I would like to declare my interest as managing director and partner of a management consulting firm that does work in the area of sustainability and climate change consulting. COVID-19 has given us a unique opportunity – to "build back better". Mr Speaker, I am proud of the public commitments in the Green Plan, from planting one million trees to phasing out internal combustion engines by 2030. Climate change is absolutely the biggest existential problem of the 21st century, for the world, for Singapore. I am particularly proud that we are forging a brave new green economy, with new green jobs in green technology, including agri-tech, alternative fuels, the circular economy and also green financing and carbon markets and services. This is the big unlock. The idea that we can grow our environmental sustainability and our economy, both together. So, I was perturbed when a young resident, Brian, said to me that he was ashamed to be Singaporean, because we are not doing enough; that Singapore's emissions are still rising at 2% to 3%; that we are among the worst in the world in terms of emissions per capita; that on the Climate Action Tracker website, we are squarely in the Red zone, indicating that our policies and commitments are, I quote, "outside of (a country's) fair-share range and are not at all consistent with holding warming to below two degrees Celsius, let alone with the Paris Agreement's stronger 1.5 degree Celsius". Mr Speaker, I am not an activist. I am a consultant who works with businesses and Government. But I am also a lover of Nature and a global citizen who is deeply concerned about the world we leave behind for our future generations.”
“I thank the Minister for the support given to the madrasah community. I would just like to raise a question on the level of parity between the support given to the madrasah community by MUIS versus by MOE, in particular, as we look into the future support that is given by MOE in the sense of continuing education as well. I understand that today, madrasah students are not eligible for Edusave bursaries. And things like the IMDA support programme for computers are also done through MUIS. I would just like to know if, and this can be done in future, I guess, whether the level is at parity. For example, are the thresholds for means testing the same as applied by MUIS to be eligible for certain support programmes?”
“Yes, I think since the end of an HIP project that perhaps was completed at the end of last year or somewhere where during the COVID-19 period, we have had the liability periods come up.”
“Good afternoon, Sir. I just have a question. For the defect liability period for both BTO and HIP projects, given the length of time of the circuit breaker and shortage in workers, will the Ministry consider an automatic six-month extension or some suitable period for the defect liability periods that have expired within this time frame?”
“This is what I think about a lot as I try to comfort, encourage, guide and help my residents through these challenging times. I am sure we all do. We are used to the Government telling us we have to be better, faster, work harder. Do excuse my use of a Hokkien word: "mo chai". How do we also provide support and inspiration? How do we open doors for them to ease their way through this world? Call it social capital, call it the human touch. The battle for hearts and minds can only be won on the ground and we must lead the way. As business leaders, this is our chance to lead a renewal of the economy through working together with the Government, unions and our employees on thorny issues of labour market practices, costs, regulation and discrimination. It is time for us to ask ourselves how the organisations we lead can be better corporate statesmen and women, and proactively contribute to addressing critical societal issues in order to strengthen our social contract with society in order to earn the social licence to operate. Today, in this House, we must answer the President’s call for the Government, Singaporeans and, I will add, companies, to work together, learn faster and to create a better and stronger Singapore on the other side of this crisis. I support the Motion. [Applause.]”
“If we all – Government, employers and citizens – step up to the plate, our Singaporean workforce will surely be well-positioned to be the fastest in getting the right skills and the most adaptable, able to hold our own against anyone in a competitive and rapidly changing market. Mr Speaker, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I have spoken today about how the Government and, especially companies, can do more to help our people acquire skills and to give them opportunities, looking beyond paper qualifications and past experience. Many efforts are already underway. But we know that the best schemes do not always work for everyone. We all know friends and family members, who do not feel they are being given a fair chance. The Government has committed to address discrimination and prejudices through enforcement, education and dialogue. At the same time, we need to focus our energies on taking advantage of the schemes available for us to learn and progress. If we all – the Government, employers and citizens – step up to the plate, I strongly believe we can be the nation that learns the fastest, which will give us a unique advantage, allowing us to remain one of the most competitive economies in the world. (In English): Mr Speaker, I would like to conclude by addressing two distinguished groups I now have the incredible privilege to belong to – our Members of Parliament and our business leaders. As Members of Parliament, we are the ones that people turn to for help when they are at their lowest. “You are my last resort" – I have heard this too many times. How we lead during the coming years could make or break their spirit.”
“The 50-something PMET who was retrenched when his company was acquired and has gone for countless interviews, only to be told he is “overqualified” for the roles; the 40-something banker who was first put on no-pay leave and then let go because he was told there was no business need, only to see a foreigner take his place two months later while he himself is unable to get back into an industry that is supposed to be still growing; the 30-something Malay accounts clerk who goes through countless job advertisements and interviews only to find that many of the jobs are for Mandarin speakers only, as if computers and ledgers can only speak Chinese; the 20-something graduate, a few years out of school, who goes for interviews for jobs that ask for experience, only to be offered a salary that he believes can only be called a low-ball offer, lower than what a fresh graduate should be making. If people get a bad taste that, no matter how hard they work, the system is stacked against them, it leads to cynicism. And because we Singaporeans actually have a strong sense of fairness and rooting for the underdog, if people see too many people around them like that, it can lead to polarisation, which only hurts our competitiveness. We have seen that efforts are being made with the recent interventions already highlighted by many of our colleagues today. But perhaps we can do more to ensure fair employment is ingrained in the legal and regulatory framework and strongly enforced with TAFEP and other relevant agencies stepping in to intervene on behalf of Singaporeans of all walks of life. We must continue to address prejudices and correct negative stereotypes and to encourage inclusive workplaces and be willing to have sensible dialogue on these issues.”
“Some companies will require support to do all this. For example, for SMEs, Government can play a bigger role, creating platforms to train their employees at scale and at speed, while simultaneously helping the SMEs to transform and redesign their jobs where necessary. And of course, the Government is already helping. Adapt and Grow, SGUnited Skills Programme, SGUnited Trainerships are all great schemes, offering much needed hope to our jobseekers. Since the SGUnited Traineeships Programme started on June 1, more than 16,500 vacancies have been approved and 1,000 trainees placed on the programme. According to media reports, they are converting the sceptics. We need to have more of them and make them sharper. Today, big data and AI give us insights into the supply and demand for a multitude of skills and using machine learning allows us to be much more surgical in our learning interventions and give us a better shot at landing a job for our people who can use the skills that they have. But even while we turn to AI, I hope we will always stay open to new possibilities to make our schemes more human. Take the SGUnited Skills Programme. With a training stipend of $1,200 a month, for the mid-career worker with children and ageing parents, it is quite a difficult sell. "We are paying you to learn", they are told. Yes, but let us not forget, they also need to survive. So, we must find ways to make it easier for our people to take the pathway of learning. A good policy, in itself, is not enough. People must also trust the implementation – trust that they will be given a fair chance. But we all know the best schemes do not always work out for everyone. We have all met them among our residents, our friends – Singaporeans who do not feel they are being given a fair chance.”
“And if you are a university, you would probably sit up faster than you can say technology disruption. Of course, we do not know how many of those who complete the Google Certificate programme will actually get jobs as a result, but it does paint what the future could be like: employers developing their own or collaborating with higher learning institutes and other partners to offer pre-skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling opportunities, from apprenticeships and traineeships, to short courses, to re-skilling bootcamps, along a lifelong learning path where they are able to quickly apply what they learn. Here is the thing. For most employers, it actually makes business sense to do this. You see, all businesses need to transform; yet, the skills required for transformation – hard digital skills, transformation skills and soft skills – are all in short supply. A company can buy, borrow or outsource these skills to people like myself, but I believe building them by investing in our people, has the biggest payoff in the long term, and is even more relevant today given the global pandemic that restricts movement, and the increased scrutiny on the contribution of business to society. Ultimately, being known as an employer that invests in and develops its people will help companies attract and retain the best talent. To increase opportunities for jobseekers, in particular, we also ask companies to consider if they can hire a little ahead of demand, or to loosen their screening criteria and take a chance on Singaporeans who may not look like the perfect fit in terms of paper qualifications and past industry experience, but have sufficient relevant skills to get in the door and the attitude to learn the rest on the job if they are just given the opportunity.”
“So, I asked a friend with a big data start-up to run it through this fancy matching algorithm that his company had built, that matches people with available job openings, based on the skills on their resume. I got a list of job openings that had a high match for Mr Lee. When I sent the list to Mr Lee, he wrote back to say he appreciated the list, but he did not meet the educational qualifications required. Sure enough, when I checked the job profiles, they all specified Degree holder. Mr Lee has a Diploma. Mr Speaker, I did not sleep well that night – it bothered me because I know how to read resumes and I know Mr Lee’s experiences suggested he could definitely do all those roles. The next morning, I emailed him, to suggest he try and apply anyway. He has yet to get a single interview. Can his story be different? Last month, Google launched its new Google Career Certificates programme, a collection of six-month long courses designed to help participants get qualifications in high-paying, high-growth job fields without attending university. Google said, I quote, “We will consider our new career certificates as the equivalent of a four-year Degree for related roles”. After completion, Google promises support in the job search as well, with over 50 companies signed up to participate on exclusive job boards and interview days. Google has also announced 100,000 apprenticeships. The cost of this programme? For example, the IT support certificate costs US$49 a month, or US$300 for six months. It is less than what you and I get in SkillsFuture credits. Whether you are a millennial eager to climb the corporate ladder as quickly as possible, or a mid-career professional looking to make a career change, that probably made you sit up.”
“This is of course SkillsFuture. It is still early days, but I think it is an experiment so bold in its intent and approach, that I think we owe it to ourselves to continue. Nonetheless, with the fallout from COVID-19, more and more Singaporeans will hope, will want, will demand the courses they attend to lead to a job. In the late 19th century, the German psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus, was among the first to perform experiments to understand how memory works. The result of his experiments was the Forgetting Curve, which shows that learners will forget 75% of what they learnt within six days, 90% within the first month, if they do not apply what they have learnt. So, while we talk about steep learning curves, let us not forget about steep forgetting curves. Mr Speaker, I believe it is time to go full throttle to help our people quickly acquire job-oriented skills, and, crucially, to provide them with immediate opportunities to use those skills in meaningful work. For this to happen, employers must be a bigger part of the solution. First, they must take greater accountability for their employees’ learning. Second, they must be willing to give more Singaporeans a chance, and look beyond paper and past experience, instead making their hiring and career progression and retention decisions based on skills. One of my residents in Woodlands in Sembawang GRC, I will call him Mr Lee, he is in his 50s. He wrote to me a few weeks back. He had just been retrenched, and wanted my help to support his application for a role in a Government agency. Reading his resume, I was impressed – he had good technical competencies and he had been promoted several times in his company. So, I thought why settle for the role that he was thinking of.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to declare my interests as Managing Director and Partner of a consulting firm that does work in the area of skills development. As we work together to emerge from this crisis of a generation, it is with a glad heart that I support the President’s call to strengthen our social safety nets and social mobility. Today, I would like to talk about a necessary pre-requisite – Singapore must continue to remain competitive. This year, Singapore was again ranked the world’s most competitive economy in the annual IMD World Competitiveness ranking. But we cannot take this for granted. As an executive from a big automative MNC told me: “Many years ago, Singapore was the only place in the region our expats wanted to live. But now other cities are pretty nice and when we think about where we want to set up, Singapore doesn’t have what we call the 'halo effect' because the domestic market is so small”. Sir, in the race to attract and retain our investments, our neighbours are not standing still. Technological, social, economic and political forces are reshaping the world, along with Singapore’s place in it. I think Prime Minister Trudeau put it so well at Davos in 2018: "the pace of change has never been this fast, yet it will never be this slow again." In such a world, the winners will be those who learn faster than others and adapt to change. I believe Singapore can build a lasting competitive advantage by being the nation that learns the fastest. Today, I will focus on two things we must prioritise to do that: one, investing in our people; and two, giving them opportunities. Investing in our people and giving them opportunities. Since 2015, Singapore has embarked on a bold experiment to get our people to embrace lifelong learning.”