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Speech at Supply Chain Asia Awards Dinner

Mr Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State for Manpower, Stamford Ballroom, Raffles City Convention Centre

Employment practices Skills, training and development

Dr Robert Yap, Chairman, Supply Chain Asia, Executive Chairman of YCH and President of the Singapore National Employers Federation

Mr Paul Lim, Founder/President, Supply Chain Asia

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentleman,

Good evening.

  1. Congratulations to Supply Chain Asia (SCA) on your 10th anniversary. From its founding on 1st September 2005 till today where it has grown to a 40,000-strong community of logistics professionals, SCA has come a long way.
  2. Your presence is testament to the good work done by SCA, which aims to connect professionals within the logistics and supply chain industry together to share knowledge, learn from one another and create collaboration opportunities. This would not have been possible without the people who have been working hard, stringing it and making it all happen. In any organisation or industry, people are a strategic resource and among the critical success factors for growth.

    Augmenting logistics industry’s SkillsFuture efforts
  3. SkillsFuture is a national movement to provide our people with the opportunities to develop to their fullest potential. Through this movement, the skills and contributions of every individual will help to drive Singapore's next phase of development towards an advanced economy and inclusive society.
  4. One of the key initiatives is the SkillsFuture Fellowships. These Fellowships help Singaporeans to acquire deep skills and be recognised for achieving mastery in their respective fields. SCA will play a major role in the SkillsFuture Fellowships for Logistics with the launch of the Supply Chain Fellowship Programme. The programme will validate the skills and knowledge of supply chain professionals, as well as engage others within the industry for further skills upgrading and development. This programme is supported by the Economic Development Board and the Workforce Development Agency. Further details will be announced by SCA in early 2016.
  5. Apart from the Supply Chain Fellowship Programme, SCA will also conduct several Master Classes related to the adoption of innovation and technology. Two such Master Classes will be carried out within the first quarter of 2016.
  6. The role of SCA beyond its initial decade of founding will continue to evolve. I am glad to know that the association will augment the SkillsFuture efforts for the logistics industry.

    Industry-led initiative to upskill workforce
  7. On the industry front, I am happy to learn about an industry-led initiative to upskill the workforce in the sector. It is important to bring knowledge and skills to the table. Besides helping to uplift the skills and capability of smaller players in the industry which would otherwise not be able to benefit from structured workplace learning, this will help to fulfil the industry’s needs for skilled manpower.
  8. Through the upcoming training centre of the Singapore Supply Chain and Logistics Academy, customised training programmes will cater to both fresh graduates and mid-career professionals who are keen to join the industry. To better prepare fresh graduates of Institutes of Higher Learning for employment, the programme will infuse On-the-Job learning experiences and hands-on opportunities. For PMEs thinking of making career switch, the programme will help them to accelerate their learning and upgrading of job skills.
  9. Together with other efforts to leverage emerging technologies to become manpower-lean, this will help to transform the industry. Through creating strong synergies and harnessing strengths in IT & innovation, the industry can pioneer new customer-centric solutions and achieve new benchmarks in supply chain productivity.

    Recognising contributions of individuals and companies
  10. Beyond validating and upskilling the talent within the logistics industry, it is also important to celebrate and recognise the companies and outstanding individuals that are part of the supply chain ecosystem. The SCA Awards ceremony serves to affirm the contributions by individuals and companies alike, into making Singapore the global logistics hub that it is today. The individual awards are designed to recognise individuals at various stages of their career pathways, from Young Professional right up to Supply Chain CEO. This embodies the vision for SkillsFuture, in that every individual will have the opportunity to realise their full potential, no matter where they are on their career ladder.

    Closing
  11. SCA was founded on a simple premise – to connect people and share knowledge. Over the last decade, it has achieved this through the organisation of various activities, on both formal and informal platforms. As SCA progresses into its next decade, i hope it will create more structured platforms, initiatives and programmes with access to knowledge and training to help every logistics professional out there to level up.
  12. In closing, my heartiest congratulations to all the winners at tonight’s Award ceremony, as well as to SCA on its 10th anniversary.
  13. Thank you.