Speech at Pre-School Good Employment Practice Conference

Mr Hawazi Daipi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower and Health, NTUC Auditorium

NTUC Central Committee members

Employers from the pre-school sector

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my pleasure to join you today at “Bright Beginnings: a Conference on Good Employment Practices for the Pre-school Sector”.

2.   I want to first thank the Education Services Union (ESU) and the working committee for organizing this Conference which showcases good employment practices that employers should emulate. I am also delighted to see so many employers here today. This reflects the concerted effort and commitment by all parties, from Government agencies, unions, associations, employers and employees, towards good employment practices in the pre-school sector.

Pre-school Sector:  An important part of Singapore’s social fabric

3.   The pre-school sector plays a vital role for the future of Singapore. This is where our children get their first experience of school and education. They learn to interact with others, build their social skills and gain confidence by engaging with others. Pre-school prepares them to be academically and socially equipped for a smooth transition to primary education. 

4.   The sector also provides social support for working parents. As we encourage more women to participate in the workforce, we must correspondingly raise the quality and professionalism of the pre-school sector to provide parents with an attractive choice.

Recognising  the Challenges

5.   The task of educating our young is not an easy one. Being a pre-school teacher requires someone to have a good character and deep passion to mould and care for the young.  It is a job with exacting expectations and demands a strong sense of work ethic and professionalism.  To meet these requirements and be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge, teachers need to continuously train and upgrade.

6.   To this end, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) introduced changes in 2008 to the entry requirements of teachers in the pre-school industry and the minimum qualifications for existing teachers. These changes aim to develop a higher skilled workforce for the sector, so as to professionalize the image of the industry as a whole. In addition, to facilitate continuous development and skills upgrading, the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) has worked closely with MOE and MCYS to put in place a Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework to provide quality and structured training for the pre-school sector.  Training is based on WSQ standards endorsed by the pre-school sector to ensure that the skills acquired by the trainees will meet the needs of employers. 

7.   These WSQ training courses are heavily subsidized by the Government. For instance, employers only pay 10% of the course fees at SEED Institute, a Continuing Education and Training (CET) centre. Employers can also claim absentee payroll to defray their salary costs when their teachers are undergoing training.  ESU has also been working with partners such as the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) to encourage existing teachers to upgrade and bridge academic and professional qualifications gaps as well as outreach to new entrants to enter the industry by taking up the courses to help them meet the professional qualification requirements.

8.   I am happy to note that the classes at SEED Institute are mostly full, with intakes comprising teachers upgrading themselves as well as new entrants into the industry.  I would like to encourage more employers to come forward to upgrade and upskill your staff by leveraging on the available programs and subsidies. Such training will also help employers gain staff who are more productive and trained, which will enhance their job performance. 

9.   The pre-school sector is an attractive and growing industry. In his 2008 National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the target to set up 200 new child care centres over five years. An estimated 2,000 teaching positions will be created as a result. Given these job opportunities, WDA has rolled out 3 Professional Conversion Programmes to help employers recruit new and skilled entrants who are qualified teachers to work in the pre-school sector. These programs help the sector to attract a wider range of new entrants into the industry, ranging from fresh graduates to professionals, managers and executives. This allows us to cast our nets wider to attract more talents into the pre-school sector.   

Celebrating Good Employers

10.   Despite the growing employment opportunities within the sector, there are some who are hesitant to enter the industry due to reasons ranging from the perceived low salary and assumptions about the lack of good employers in the sector.  Today’s conference, organized by ESU with the support of e2i, MCYS, WDA and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP), in consultation with MOE, is important in highlighting the broad range of good practices which exist in the industry, and hopefully encourage more job seekers to consider joining the growing industry. I am heartened to see active participation by employers in the conference.  This represents a concerted tripartite effort towards uplifting pre-school sector into an industry of choice.

11.   I understand we have 31 employers who will step forward today to commit towards fair and good employment practices at their organizations by signing the Employers’ Pledge of Fair Employment Practices.  These are employers of over 7,000 employees and represent over 40% of the industry. Out of these childcare and kindergarten employers, we have a mix of bigger set-ups such as NTUC First Campus, Cherie Hearts, PAP Community Foundation and smaller set-ups such as PPIS, Iman Kindergarten and Maris Stella Kindergarten. The varied mix of employers ready to jointly pledge fair employment practices clearly demonstrates that this is a shared commitment by the pre-school sector.

12.   Employees in these companies are reaping the benefits of their employers’ good employment practices. For example, Ms Nazreen Mohd Yunos was given full support by her company, Cherie Hearts, when she decided to upgrade herself by pursuing a part-time degree programme.  During the four years of her course, her organisation made adjustments to the teaching roster to give Nazreen the flexibility to concentrate on her studies while continuing to work in the centre. As a result of their flexibility and understanding, Ms Nazreen feels a stronger sense of attachment to the organisation and her centre. Despite receiving other job offers, she remains a dedicated teacher in Cherie Hearts.

13.   Madam Huang Jia Yu is another employee who benefited from the good employment practices of her organisation.  Madam Huang was initially hired by Presbyterian Community Services Childcare Centre at Jurong West as a cleaner. Her supervisor was impressed with her positive attitude and willingness to learn and fully supported Madam Huang’s request to train as a teacher. In addition, the company sponsored her course in Certificate in Pre-school Teaching (CPT course), which she completed. Madam Huang is now a valued member of the teaching staff, and has seen her salary double after completing the course. I understand the centre aims to further upgrade her by sending her for the Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education. 

14.   These examples show that being a fair employer is not about the size of the company, but the commitment by the employer to ensure that each employee is given a fair chance to develop and be developed. This will then result in individuals who are committed and motivated to give their best at work, which is a win-win outcome. Companies which are seen as fair employers are likely to face fewer attrition problems, especially for a manpower-intensive and talent-driven sector such as pre-school.  At this point I would also like to highlight that applications for the Work Life Excellence Awards 2010 are now open, and companies with such practices should apply and be further recognised for their efforts. 

Launch of the Good Employment Practices Handbook

15.   To help more employers embrace fair and good employment practices, ESU together with participating companies and Government agencies have put together a Good Employment Practices Handbook specifically for the employers in the pre-school sector titled “Bright Beginnings”. The handbook, which I will be launching later, gathers examples of good employment practices of employers in the pre-school sector in the areas of training and development, recognition of work performance, effective communication, age-friendly employment practices and work-life harmony. The stories show the possibilities in the little things we can do to make a difference and the various areas and opportunities for us to do so. The handbook also contains information on employment laws and training funding programs that employers can leverage on for their staff.  It is a useful guide for employers who want to improve their practices and I encourage everyone here to read it. 

Conclusion

16.   To be an employer of choice is not only about meeting the aspiration of your staff to improve their professional capability. It is also about supporting them in managing their family responsibilities and other pursuits like recreation and community service.  I hope you will find this conference informative and useful. For me, this conference and the launch of the handbook demonstrate the pre-school sector’s solidarity in moving towards improved employment practices. Let us continue to work to make this an Industry of Choice where the best people enter and provide excellent care and education for our children.

Thank you.