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Speech at Launch of Transition to Work Programme

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Acting Minister for Manpower , Senior Minister of State for National Development, Bizlink Centre

Employment practices Skills, training and development

Mr. Richard Magnus,
Chairman, Temasek Cares

Mr. Alvin Lim,
Chief Executive Officer, Bizlink Centre

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

  1. A very good afternoon and thank you for making time to come here today. This is a very meaningful event and I hope that we can think about how the spirit of this event can be extended further.

    An Inclusive Community for All
  2. We often talk about an inclusive workplace or an inclusive Singapore. These are all good concepts. Many of us echo it, but the challenge really is – how do you translate this into something that works and something that is also sustainable? I’m an MP here at Kembangan-Chai Chee area. Working on the ground, you find that there’s no shortage of help from volunteers in Singapore. To be honest, there are a lot of people out there who want to contribute and help out. But often times, you come in as an individual, or as groups, you reach out, you do something, you feel good and then you move on. This has to move forward so that we can have a much more comprehensive support with a very individual focus. This is where the local community can see how best we can help to integrate some of these efforts so that there is a comprehensive effort to really uplift the lives of individuals.
  3. Going forward, we all know that the tightening manpower situation is beginning to bite and we’re beginning to see companies adjusting so this opens up an opportunity. A lot of companies aren’t adjusting fast enough but they are realizing there is not much of a choice. They know that they need to re-look at the way they do business. If you look hard enough, you look at restructuring work processes or working with establishments like Bizlink and other organizations, you can find a lot of potential space where our other Singaporeans who have disadvantages can find their own niche to contribute. And the most important part of welfare really is to provide an opportunity for them to work – so that they are able to stand on their own two feet. The dignity that comes with work is something that we should not underestimate. I make it a point to talk to a lot of our low-wage workers, old folks working, whether in shopping malls, hawker centres and what-not, and I’ve been impressed by their resilience, impressed by their independence and their preparedness to earn their own keep.
  4. In fact, speaking to one of the members here who is doing some quality control for a company - this is a way of keeping yourself active and mentally agile. I understand that one of my residents was on the onset of dementia but as a result of being involved here, his condition improved. This is what active ageing is about. It’s about us keeping ourselves occupied and finding something meaningful to do. We may feel that it is menial, but we should not look at it as if it’s not respectable. It’s one way of contributing back to society, it’s one way of earning a small allowance and income and it’s also one way of socially interacting with others.
  5. As a society ages, as more of us enter into that category of older workers, it’s important to find spaces for not only just older Singaporeans but Singaporeans with different abilities. Programmes like this and ultimately employers involved in such programmes provide the opportunities. One way of looking at it is as corporate social responsibility. It’s not just finding 1-2 jobs but helping the other Singaporeans understand what our fellow Singaporeans go through. It’s an education process, it’s a learning process. Imagine – if you have many more companies doing this, if many more Singaporeans in the workplace begin to understand, begin to empathise with other Singaporeans with disadvantages. It starts with the employers creating the environment for people to be involved and to raise the level of awareness that there are many Singaporeans who are not as privileged as many of us. How do we find ways to create opportunities in practical sustainable ways? That’s important. We should not underestimate the difference that we make.
  6. Within my community here in Kembangan-Chai Chee, we have a lot of low-income families. We have a lot of individuals with different disadvantages and we are looking at providing local employment opportunities. At this industry estate, we’re trying to reach out to different companies, to see whether there are small openings. For some of the low-income families, single parents, working in a place near your home makes a lot of difference. You save on transport and sometimes there are urgent needs that they need to handle back home.
  7. These can be replicated across the island. Some businesses have already begun to do that, they recruit in and around their shops and retail space so that the people living in that area can actually work closer to where they live. This goes a very long way. These are practical things that we can do and we should move beyond just talking to examine what we are able to do.
  8. Some say this is a bottomless pit, where do we stop? My sense is that whatever we are able to do, be it two persons, three persons, you are touching people’s lives. And that is how we begin to change society and build a nation.

    Transition-to-Work Programme
  9. So the Transition-to-Work Programme is a practical way to help many Singaporeans to come back to work. This programme is funded by Temasek Cares and it’s a significant initiative. It has been running ever since October 2012. We are helping graduating students from NorthLight School and Assumption Pathway School to secure and sustain employment, and it provides support services to these students to ease their transition back into the workplace.
  10. It’s not just about the skills, it’s also about mentally preparing them for the workplace and future colleagues. In the process, you learn to give to others, even in our own workplace, and that’s what is meant by Values-In-Action. This is what is happening today in schools. Students have to contribute to community, so they clock up certain number of hours but through that process, they develop a culture of giving back and understanding what it means to be less privileged. And if we also promote CSR at the workplace and reach out in our local community, you literally will have a culture where people begin to be more used to giving and helping others. Those are the things that change society.
  11. In the past four months, the programme has worked with 101 graduating students looking at suitable jobs for them and placing about 43 in open employment. Again, in overall scale of things, the numbers might not seem very large but we should not underestimate the effort. The impact is in helping people find jobs they previously may not have been able to.
  12. One of the examples is Muhammad Aziz - I understand he is not here today. He is seventeen year old and lives in a 3-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio, the youngest of three children. His father is a shipyard cleaner, his mother is a housewife. He attended NorthLight School for four years, and has not worked before.
  13. Since birth, he has had a condition – he has a hole in his heart. He has to receive follow-up treatment at KK hospital every six months and due to his condition, he can’t carry heavy loads. Despite this, he is motivated to work because he wants to support his family financially. Through the Transition-to-Work Programme, Bizlink placed him in NTUC FairPrice as a retail assistant and has been following up with him closely since November 2012. I understand that he is making good progress; his employers are pleased with his performance.
  14. This is just one example. Where we can and where the families need help, we step in to help. Sometimes, helping individuals help themselves is probably a more important step. Sometimes by just giving handouts, we inadvertently create a dependence mentality.
  15. It’s a very promising start and I hope that after the initial 2 years of funding by Temasek Cares, this programme will receive more support to keep it sustainable. Let’s see how we can scale this and how more of this effort can be replicated elsewhere. I would like to commend Bizlink and the Temasek Cares team for addressing the needs of this group of working adults and supporting them. I hope that what we take away from today is that these are practical ways that we can help the community and that more of these things can be done.
  16. I encourage employers to come on board to support and to re-look at the way we can do business. For those of you who are on board, the rewards do not just come from having an additional person in the workforce but the sense of fulfilment and satisfaction comes when we feel that we are making a difference to someone’s life.
  17. I would like to thank all of you for making that difference. Do not ever underestimate that. I hope that we are able to spread this spirit amongst more Singaporeans. With that, thank you very much.