Dr Koh Poh Koon at SHATEC Graduation

​SPEECH BY DR KOH POH KOON, MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRADE & INDUSTRY AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AT SHATEC GRADUATION ON 20 NOVEMBER 2015 (FRIDAY), 2.45PM,  AT UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE

Mr Albert Teo, President of the Singapore Hotel Association

Mr Loh Lik Peng, Chairman of SHATEC

Ms Margaret Heng, Chief Executive of SHATEC

Distinguished members of the tourism and hospitality industry

Graduands

Parents and friends of graduands
  
Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

1          Good afternoon. It is my great pleasure to be here today at SHATEC’s 30th Graduation Ceremony. I would like to commend all graduands on your achievements, and the hard work you have put in. This is a proud and momentous occasion for you and your families.

2          I would also like to commend SHATEC on its work. As Singapore’s pioneer school of hospitality, SHATEC has over the years contributed to the training of skilled manpower, ensuring a continuous pipeline of talents for the industry.

Opportunities amidst a challenging period

3          With an uncertain global economic environment, intensifying regional competition and a strong Singapore dollar, the past few years have been challenging for the tourism industry.

4          However, there are reasons to be optimistic about the mid-term prospects for the tourism industry. Outbound travel to Asia Pacific is expected to continue to grow, and intra-Asia travel is also rising as Asian economies and disposable incomes rise.  To capture these opportunities, we must uplift our value proposition, innovate and transform ourselves to rise above the competition. We are also reviewing our existing attractions and thinking of new ways to appeal to the increasingly discerning traveller in search of more sophisticated and unique experiences. To complement these efforts, the Singapore Tourism Board is boosting its marketing efforts to drive greater demand for travel to Singapore.

5          As a tourism destination, Singapore continues to appeal to international travellers. Recently, we received the title of the top destination to visit in 2015 by Lonely Planet. This has strengthened our reputation as an attractive tourist destination. Amidst all this, we continue to have a healthy hotel supply in the pipeline. We need enthusiastic talents like you to fill up roles in the hotel industry.

Transformations in the Industry

6          Singapore’s tight labour market has affected the strategy of many sectors of our economy, including tourism. Companies are looking to increase their productivity through automation and the redesigning of jobs in order to reduce their reliance on manpower. For instance, Park Hotel Alexandra has implemented a guest service and quality management system that automates the workflow of guest requests, complaints and maintenance jobs, allowing for shortened response times and instant job status updates. I also understand that the apex body for hotels, the Singapore Hotel Association, will be setting up the Hotel Innovation Committee, a thought platform for the creation of new ideas to help the industry be more productive.

The importance of skills

7          As Singapore’s economy moves towards being more innovative and technology-driven, we need to equip our workforce with the skills that are relevant to the transforming industry. The SkillsFuture movement emphasises lifelong learning and will help keep our workforce relevant amidst the evolving and changing needs of the industry.

8        In October, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency unveiled the first SkillsFuture Sectoral Manpower Plan (SMP) for the Hotel sector to identify skills, career progression pathways and initiatives that will prepare our workforce for the future[1]. The Hotel SMP, which is supported by the Singapore Hotel Association and key unions, aims to build a sustainable workforce through attracting and retaining talents for the industry, grooming individuals for leadership positions and identifying emerging skills that will be relevant and useful. Exciting career pathways have been mapped out for those eager to enter the industry and the support infrastructure is in place to help individuals acquire skill sets that will keep them relevant and future-ready. One SkillsFuture Initiative is the Industry Mentorship Programme @ SHATEC, which pairs students with experienced and seasoned hospitality professionals. This is a laudable effort to prepare students for the future.

Learning as a lifelong process

9          I hope that today’s graduands will continue to learn and grow both professionally and personally throughout your lives. Your learning journey does not end here. In fact, it has only just begun. I encourage each of you to aim for excellence, hone your skills and develop a lifelong mastery of these skills in your respective fields of work. Congratulations once again and all the best in your future endeavours!

10        Thank you.

[1]  Workforce Development Agency. “SkillsFuture's First Sectoral Manpower Plan (SMP) Unveiled”, 9 Oct 2015. Print.