Speech at 2011 National HR Scholarship and Book Prize Presentation Ceremony

BG (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister of State (Manpower and National Development), Resorts Worls Sentosa, Aquarius I & II Ballroom

1. Emeritus Senior Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong, earlier announced the inaugural National HR Scholarship and Book Prize in his opening address at the Singapore Human Capital Summit this morning.
2. I am very pleased to be here for the inaugural presentation of the National Human Resource Scholarship and Book Prize. Firstly, I would like to offer my heartiest congratulations to the five national HR scholars and seven book prize winners. Each of you will play a key role in the development of HR capabilities and talent for Singapore and the region. Developing and nurturing people is critical for all organisations and it is not just the responsibility of the HR department but that of every single leader. When people are committed and motivated, they will go the extra mile. This is something all leaders have to work at and learn.
   
   Businesses need strong HR Capabilities and Talent to tap on Asia’s growth
3. In a recent study¹ by business and HR association, The Conference Board, CEOs around the world name “talent” as the second most critical challenge facing their organisation, after “business growth”. Yet in another study² by HR services firm, Ranstad, nearly half of all employers surveyed across Asia Pacific rated their ability to attract top talent as only average or poor. This illustrates that while companies recognise that talent is key to business success, they often lack strong human capital capabilities to attract and retain the best talent.
4. Despite the importance of the HR function in all organisations, HR is not a popular career option among most local university undergraduates. Most students do not have a good understanding of HR as a professional business discipline, compared to banking or engineering for instance. The lack of knowledge and exposure may lead to misperceptions that a HR career is not as prestigious, challenging or rewarding.
   
   HR Scholarship as a strategic initiative to nurture next generation of HR leaders and elevate profile of HR profession in Singapore
5. With this in mind, the Ministry of Manpower established the National HR Scholarship in partnership with participating organisations to build a strong pipeline of HR leaders for the industry and to raise the profile of the HR profession among undergraduates.
6. By offering greater learning opportunities and incentives, we hope that young talented individuals will better appreciate the strategic business role that HR plays, and consider HR as an attractive and viable long term career.
7. The HR scholarship offers local undergraduates with a strong passion in and aptitude towards HR, a prestigious route towards a private sector leadership position in HR. The combined prestige of a government scholarship with attractive career opportunities in leading organisations will help attract more undergraduate talent into the HR discipline. MOM will confer up to six HR scholarships each year.
8. I would like to thank the five participating organisations - Aon Hewitt, CapitaLand, Keppel Corporation, Sakae Holdings and Singtel - for your support to this initiative and strong commitment to invest in and develop talent. I believe the scholars all look forward to exciting and rewarding careers as HR professionals in your organisations upon their graduation.
   
   Announcement of Scholarship Winners & Book Prizes
9. We received 66 applications for the inaugural HR scholarship – a very good beginning indeed. Five young talents stood out from the rest during the stringent selection process and interviews conducted by MOM and participating companies. They are, in no order of merit:
   - Mr Sam Neo Wei Quan;
   - Ms Joyce Lim Wen Qin;
   - Mr Jacob Tan Jian Zuo;
   - Ms Rachael Chiu Mei Chuen; and
   - Ms Tan Sok Kai
10. All five scholars are well-rounded individuals with excellent academic records and exhibit strong leadership qualities and potential in extra-curricular activities. Even as students, their strong passion and deep knowledge in HR have led many of them into impressive HR stints in organisations, which revealed their calibre and potential as future HR leaders. Let me share two examples with you.
11. Jacob Tan is a final-year student pursuing a bachelor degree in Business Administration majoring in Management and Finance. In January this year, Jacob’s professor recommended him to the CEO of Pu Tien Restaurant to work on a project to study Pu Tien's performance management system. Over the next six months, Jacob worked in close consultation with senior management and HR team at Pu Tien to identify gaps in the system. A key challenge that Jacob faced was that Pu Tien sees its employees as family and is hesitant to over-formalise a performance management system. Last month, Jacob presented his proposal to the CEO to implement a tailored performance management framework that is aligned to Pu Tien’s unique corporate culture and business strategy. The proposal was well-received by the management team.
12. Another scholar, Joyce Lim, is pursuing a bachelor degree in Business majoring in Human Resource Consulting and Marketing. Her three-month internship with UBS this year gave her significant exposure and opportunities to lead projects within the organisation. During her stint, she was given the task to plan and execute an employee engagement program which includes a vertical marathon and a Nintendo-Wii gaming competition. She formed a working group with other interns to conceptualize the event details and garnered participation from across the entire organisation. The two events were well participated and UBS is considering to include them as annual events in their corporate calendar.
13. In addition to the scholarship, MOM is also giving out seven book prizes of up to $3,000 this year to top graduates with a HR specialisation, and freshmen who top their core HR module. We hope the scholarships and book prizes will encourage the recipients to continue pursuing their interest in this field.
    
    Conclusion
14. The continual success of organisations and of Singapore ultimately depends on the quality of people we have. HR is therefore a critical and strategic function in any establishment. With strong growth anticipated in Asia, the talent needs of countries and companies in the region will rise significantly. It is imperative that we build strong human capital capabilities and attract the best talents into the HR industry.
15. I would like to thank all participating companies again for their support. Moving forward, I hope more organisations will partner us and leverage on this scholarship program to build stronger talent capabilities and leadership pipeline for the future.
16. Congratulations once again to all scholars and book prize winners. I wish you success in your future endeavours as HR professionals. Importantly, I hope you will help your organisations place people at the heart of everything they do. When people are engaged and well-led, I believe the rest will sort itself out. Thank you.