Mr Lee Yi Shyan at the At-Sunrice Globalchef Academy Graduation Ceremony

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SPEECH BY MR LEE YI SHYAN

SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF TRADE & INDUSTRY AND

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AT AT-SUNRICE GLOBALCHEF ACADEMY GRADUATION CEREMONY

ON 26 JUNE 2013, 10.08 AM, AT RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA

CONVENTION CENTRE, COMPASS BALLROOM EAST 2&3

Dr Kwan Lui, Founder and Director of At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy;

Chef Christophe Megel, CEO of At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy;

Dean Karl Guggenmos, University Dean of Johnson & Wales University;

Graduates of At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy;

Parents and Family Members;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

1.               Good morning. I am very happy to join you at the graduation ceremony of 223 trainees. This ceremony perhaps also marks a new milestone in your learning journey and skills development, for some others it may be your beginning in new roles and careers in the F&B industry. All these are reasons for celebration.

Growth of the F&B Industry

2.               Singapore’s F&B industry has flourished over the years. It now offers even greater variety catering to different palates (and some say passions), cultures and budgets. It is no wonder that our food services industry is growing, specializing and differentiating. With 6,500 establishments employing some 100,000 workers, it is a sizeable industry from employment point of view.

Quality Jobs

3.               While the prospect for growth is sanguine, the food services industry is not free from manpower constraints. With insufficient Singaporeans wanting to take up certain positions in the industry, and the tightening of foreign manpower supply, the industry has to be resourceful and innovate to stay competitive. One key strategy for industry transformation is human resource development.

Continuing Education & Training (CET)

4.               This is why the Government working with the industry partners has put in place a Continuing Education and Training (CET) infrastructure to help the industry develop its human resources.

5.               Simply put, the CET infrastructure has at least two key features worthy of highlight here. The first one is the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework, in which skills of workers are clearly mapped out at every level, and different levels from basic to advance to provide the upgrading pathway for the workers. The second feature is the concentration and development of industry expertise at the appointed CET Centres.

6.               Applying the WSQ framework, At-Sunrice offers the Diploma Programme in Food & Beverage Management. Under this programme, students would do classroom learning and apprentice in top F&B outlets across Singapore. Graduate of the diplomas could later pursue a degree programme such as the Bachelor of Science Degree in Restaurant and F&B Management by the Johnson & Wales University.

7.              For experienced F&B professionals, learning while working is the sure way to keep their skills current and updated. For instance, F&B professionals can now receive credits for their job experience under the “Assessment Only Pathway” (AOP). Through this, their skills and knowledge are recognised and will count towards achieving a certificate under the WSQ system. For this purpose, At-Sunrice has been appointed as a National Assessment Centre for the F&B industry.

8.               Besides upgrading the skills of our workers, CET also plays an important role in helping companies to improve the utilisation of labour. Select Group, which won the WSQ Most Supportive Employer 2013 Award in the F&B Category, has recently collaborated with At-Sunrice to achieve a 30 percent decrease in the preparation time for a full dish. This productivity improvement has since allowed Select Group to better deploy its employees to other parts of its business and cope with the manpower shortage. I hope more employers will continue to support their staff in embarking on CET programmes.

9.               At-Sunrice has indeed come a long way since being appointed as a CET Centre in 2005. I am pleased to note that At-Sunrice has to-date nurtured close to 6,000 culinary and pastry graduates under the WSQ framework.

Conclusion

10.           In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to commend the efforts of At-Sunrice,

training providers, industry associations and employers in boosting the F&B sector’s productivity through CET and innovation. Once again, my heartiest congratulations to all graduates. Thank you.