Speech at World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence Luncheon
Mr Gan Kim Yong, Acting Minister for Manpower, The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Afternoon.
It is my pleasure to join you this afternoon to recognise the best talents in the food and beverage industry in Singapore and the region. Into its eighth year, the Awards of Excellence acknowledges all in the F&B industry who have contributed to developing Singapore into a gastronomic centre of excellence.
Vibrant F&B Landscape in Singapore
2. Today, the F&B industry is growing at an exponential rate. Supported by a local population with a passion for good food and a thriving tourism sector, the industry expects positive growth of between 8% to 20% over the next three years. In 2007, the F&B sector contributed about 1.3% to Singapore's GDP and employment grew strongly by 13% to reach 135,100 people as of December last year.
3. Singapore's cosmopolitan environment and rich culinary heritage have allowed many new and exciting dining concepts and experiences to emerge. There is increasing emphasis on the total dining experience in addition to high quality food to cater to the discerning taste of the well-traveled consumer. New dining concepts include restaurants and bars within museums and parks, such as Chef Chan's Restaurant and Novus Restaurant and Bar at the National Museum of Singapore. Novus was set up by two chefs who have trained in a two Michelin-starred restaurant in Britain.
Training a New Generation of F&B Professionals
4. As Singaporeans become more sophisticated, there is also an increasing demand for different cuisines to cater to the different tastes of cosmopolitan consumers. To sustain the growth of the F&B industry and keep up with innovation, there is a need to grow our F&B talents, not just in culinary skills, but also in all service areas to provide a world-class seamless dining experience.
5. The Singapore Workforce Development Agency, or WDA, has put in place a Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework for the F&B industry to support its growth. WSQ is a skills-based training and qualifications framework that provides an avenue for adult workers to gain nationally recognised qualifications. Under the F&B WSQ, those looking to upgrade their skills or develop a new career in this sector, can take up courses and move into jobs such as supervisors and managers of F&B operations, bartenders or chefs.
6. While the Government has dedicated resources to build the CET infrastructure and CET Centres, industry support is also vital to ensure that we have a good pipeline of F&B professionals. Over the years, we have seen many notable culinary personalities like Chefs Chan Kwok, Ronnie Chia, Emmanuel Stroobant and Sam Leong, who have honed their culinary skills and established their names in Singapore and in the region. Many of them such as Julien Bompard, Emmanuel Stroobant, Patrick Heuberger, Kenny Yeo and John Sloane, are serving as Mentor Chefs to our WSQ apprentices with our accredited CET Centre, At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy. They play an important role not just in imparting skills but also in inspiring trainees with the art of cooking. We need more of such talent to come forward to nurture and inspire the next generation of F&B culinary talents.
Changing Perceptions of F&B Careers
7. In recent years, we have attracted a substantial number of fresh talents into the F&B scene. We are also seeing more adult workers pursuing their passion in the culinary field. Over the next year, the industry can expect a pipeline of more than 400 apprentices to join the culinary ranks from the F&B WSQ apprenticeship programme. This augurs well for the industry in positively shaping the perception that it offers good career opportunities and prospects. Job-seekers and school leavers alike would do well to consider taking up jobs in F&B.
Inaugural WSQ Awards
8. To further our efforts to promote and recognize excellence in continual training in the F&B industry, the World Gourmet Summit Awards of Excellence in collaboration with WDA, will be presenting 3 new awards. The first award is to recognise an outstanding apprentice, who has shown tremendous passion, commitment and potential in acquiring skills in the culinary arts. The second is to recognise a mentor chef, who has devoted much time and effort to groom the next generation of masters. The third award is to acknowledge an outstanding organisation, which has provided the environment and support to promote training and upgrading of our workers in the F&B industry. I hope we will see more of such examples in future.
Conclusion
9. In conclusion, let me thank Peter Knipp Holdings for organising this annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony to recognise and honour the F&B talents, both in Singapore and the region. I congratulate all finalists for today's awards and scholarships. Let us all work together to bring the industry to higher peaks and promote Singapore as a premier culinary destination.
10. Thank you, and Bon Appetit!