Opening Remarks by SMS Lee Yi Shyan at Ground Breaking Ceremony of Aspri-Westlite Dormitory Papan at Jalan Papan

Mr Charles Quek, President of ASPRI,

Mr Kong Chee Min, Group CEO of Centurion Corporation,

Mr. Ong Pang Aik, Chairman and Managing Director, Lian Beng Group,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good morning.

Thank you ASPRI, Centurion Corporation Limited and Lian Beng Group Limited for inviting me to officiate the ground-breaking ceremony of the ASPRI-Westlite Dormitory Papan.

The Process Construction and Maintenance (PCM) Industry Plays a Crucial Role as Part of the Energy & Chemicals (E&C) Industry

Singapore’s Energy & Chemicals industry generated over S$94 billion in output in 2013, representing 34% or about one-third of Singapore’s total manufacturing output. This would not have been possible without the crucial role that the Process Construction and Maintenance (PCM) Industry plays by providing construction and maintenance services to the energy and chemical plants.

In 2013, working with major plant owners, PCM Engineering Services Providers (ESPs) and ASPRI, EDB formed and chaired the Process Construction and Maintenance Management Committee (PCMMC) with the objective of steering the industry towards skills upgrading and productivity improvements. Besides EDB, other Government agencies, such as MOM, WDA, SPRING and JTC, were also represented on the PCMMC. One of the key initiatives that was developed was the setting up of a dedicated Process Industry dormitory to reduce the traveling time and fatigue of the Process workers so as to improve the workers’ on-site productivity.

Housing Process Workers in Purpose-Built Dormitories That Can Provide for Their Social and Recreational Needs

It is the Government’s longer-term view that it would be better to house our resident foreign workers (FW) in Purpose-Built Dormitories with self-contained living, social and recreational facilities. It is hence timely for ASPRI to embark on this large-scale dormitory project to ensure that Process workers are provided a conducive living environment during their stay in Singapore.

I am pleased to know that workers living in this dormitory in the future can look forward to enjoying many facilities, such as en-suite kitchens, TV rooms, indoor game rooms and outdoor recreational areas. 

Importance of Industry-Led Efforts to Push for Productivity Growth

The Government will continue to work with the industry to support productivity efforts through various grants and schemes. The recent announcements on the enhancements to the R1 recognition framework for Process Work Permit Holders (WPHs), and the policy to allow employers to hire experienced Process WPHs at the end of their work permit term would also help to encourage the retention of skilled and productive workers in the sector.

Nonetheless, it is also important for the industry to lead efforts in pushing for sustainable growth through productivity improvements. As I shared recently at the Singapore Refining Company and Contractors’ Productivity Roadshow, the Process industry has taken the initiative to form a Productivity Council to drive the adoption of global best practices. This purpose-built dormitory will be a continuation of the industry’s effort to raise productivity and help its member companies manage their business costs better.

This purpose-built dormitory at Jalan Papan will house the Process workers near Jurong Island, which is home to more than 100 global Energy and Chemical companies. This will allow the Process Industry to better integrate their operations with the Energy and Chemical companies sited there. This proximity will also help to reduce transportation costs and bring productivity benefits to the Process Industry.

Raising productivity is also about people. I commend ASPRI’s proactive initiative in offering an Integrated Training Centre within the dormitory for the workers. The ASPRI Integrated Training Centre will house eight training classrooms, two computer rooms, and a multi-purpose hall that can host up to two hundred participants. The Integrated Training Centre will provide both Process industry-specific courses and employability skills courses such as the Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) on Integrated Assessment Plan for General Manufacturing (Process), computer literacy and conversational English, for instance. Residents can also look forward to enjoying up to 48 subsidized training hours per year for all the 7,900 residents. The availability of tailored courses will no doubt help the PCM workforce develop and upgrade their skills and in turn, raise workers’ productivity.

Conclusion

In closing, I wish ASPRI, Centurion Corporation and Lian Beng Group a successful partnership. I also look forward to seeing more grounds-up initiatives to drive further productivity improvements in the Process Industry.

Thank you.