Speech by Minister Tan See Leng at Launch of Overseas Markets Immersion Programme (OMIP)

Minister Tan See Leng

Ms Yong Hsin Yue, Vice-Chairman, Singapore Business Federation
Ms Dilys Boey, Chief Executive, Workforce Singapore
Colleagues from various agencies and industry partners Distinguished Guests

1. Good morning! I am delighted to be here. Thank you to Workforce Singapore and the Singapore Business Federation for the invitation.

Launch of OMIP

2. As committed in the Forward Singapore report last year, the Government will work with employers and industry associations to encourage more Singaporeans to venture overseas for their career development. The Alliance for Action on Business Leadership Development highlighted that working across different markets, roles and cultures can help workers expand their perspectives, their cross-cultural learning and horizons, and enhance leadership skills.

3. Sending workers overseas also enables our companies to internationalise or expand their overseas operations. To seize growth opportunities beyond Singapore, our companies require workers with experience in overseas markets, knowledge of the local operating environment and the ability to work across multi-geographical teams. This is going to be crucial in how we maintain our competitive advantage moving forward.

4. Today, I am happy to announce the official launch of the Overseas Markets Immersion Programme, or OMIP. Through OMIP, companies will receive generous support to send their Singaporean employees with little or no overseas market experience abroad to gain such exposure and experience. Companies with established regional and global operations can do more to develop their Singaporean employees by sending them for overseas assignments using OMIP. Over time, you will gain a Singaporean workforce with a deep understanding of your various operating markets, build networks and able to work effectively across business units. We all understand the value of knowledge and appreciate significantly “know-how”. Through this OMIP programme, we want to enable companies and your employees to develop the “know-who”, which is very important in expanding and maintaining our competitive edge moving forward. For local companies looking to venture abroad, you will need employees with the knowledge, networks and “know-who” in the local operating environment. OMIP is the newest addition to the Government’s toolbox of schemes to support your internationalisation efforts. It will also help you to attract and retain Singaporean talent.

5. We have carefully designed OMIP to meet business needs. We will provide funding of up to 70% of workers’ salary and monthly allowance over 9 months. To be eligible for OMIP, companies must provide a fixed monthly salary of least $4,000 for individuals on overseas posting. They must also provide a detailed career development plan outlining progression over 24 months, along with quantifiable short-term KPIs to be achieved after training. As the OMIP programme partner, SBF will work with participating companies to develop these training plans. These are reasonable requirements, given the generous support of up to $72,000 for each eligible participant!

6. OMIP is a significant investment by MOM and WSG in our efforts to support growth in our businesses and workers. For a start, WSG has set aside $16 million so that up to 250 local employees can participate in the programme over two years.

7. Do make full use of the programme to groom your next generation of talent who will drive the growth of your companies. WSG will work closely with sectoral agencies and Trade Association and Chambers, who will refer companies looking to internationalise to consider tapping on OMIP.

8. For example, BreadTalk Group, a homegrown Singaporean company with over 660 outlets in 14 international markets, is one of the first companies to participate in OMIP as part of its soft launch. Ms Sharon Heng, a Manager in its Executive Office, just left last month for a six-month posting to BreadTalk Group’s subsidiary, Din Tai Fung, in the United Kingdom. While in the UK, Sharon will be working on a training programme to help staff deliver the same great service you will expect in Singapore. Whether it is Covent Garden or Toa Payoh, you can still enjoy the same consistent taste at a Din Tai Fung restaurant. She will also be implementing the same Digital Stock Control System that is used in Singapore to help the company optimise its supply chain, inventory and pricing strategies in the UK. All the best Sharon!

9. Now, we know that it can be challenging for some to venture overseas for work. On companies’ end, even though it can help their business grow and thrive in new markets, bosses may be reluctant because of the cost, or are worried that workers will leave them after their stint overseas. On employees’ end, they may hesitate because of family responsibilities. They could be uncertain about adapting to a new culture or living environment, or even how it would affect their career progression.

10. But if I may share from personal experience, such overseas exposure can be hugely rewarding. When I first ventured into the hospital management I had the opportunity to do an internship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. I arrived in January, when it was the harsh winter in the Midwest. It was cold and gloomy, but I learnt a lot about their operations and how they continually drove innovation. I subsequently also had the opportunity to work in our neighbouring ASEAN countries, and the experiences come in useful when I led the company’s expansion.

Building a globally competitive workforce

11. Singapore has made our living as a global city and an international hub. As a small island state, we have no other option. Our survival depends on us doing business with the world.

12. We know that staying open and connected means more opportunities, but also more competition. That is why the Government will walk with every Singaporean worker. The OMIP is part of the Government’s commitment to broaden career development opportunities for Singaporean PMEs. It complements a broader suite of Government programmes to groom Singaporean talent, many of whom have the potential to become the next generation of corporate leaders, or Singapore’s Global Leaders. This includes leadership development programmes like EDB’s Global Business Leaders Programme, and leadership communities like the Singapore Leaders’ Network.

13. It is thus our hope that after going through OMIP and other such programmes, workers will be in a stronger position to rise through the ranks, take on a broader range of responsibilities in their organisations and become a Singapore Global Leader later in their career.

Conclusion

14. To end off, I would like to express my appreciation for the support of many forward-looking companies, Trade Associations and Chambers and sector agencies present today.

15. I look forward to our continued collaboration to build global-ready companies and develop a globally competitive workforce that will power Singapore’s next bound of economic growth. Thank you.