Mayor Zai's Blog

6th Central Singapore Public Health Forum - Final

SPEECH BY MR ZAINUDIN NORDIN,
MAYOR OF CENTRAL SINGAPORE DISTRICT
AT THE 6th CENTRAL SINGAPORE PUBLIC HEALTH FORUM on SAT 26 JUNE 2010 AT MUIS AUDITORIUM

Minister of State Mr Heng Chee How

District Councillors

Grassroots Leaders of Central District

Community Partners

Ladies and Gentlemen

          A very warm welcome to The Central Singapore Public Health Forum 2010,  jointly organized by the National Environment Agency - Central Regional Office and the Central Singapore Community Development Council.

2       It is heartening to see that so many of you have taken time off from the weekend to lend us your support at this annual event, which is currently in its sixth year.

Background and Objectives

3       Each year, the public health forum serves as a platform to educate our grassroots leaders and community partners on current and emerging public health trends. The past forums have enabled us to equip participants with relevant knowledge on topics such as Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Food Hygiene and Personal Hygiene.

4       Today’s forum will focus on Anti – Littering: A topic that is challenging and yet necessary to address.

Current Situation of littering in Singapore

5       In year 2009 alone, over 40,000 tickets in Singapore were issued for littering offences. In Central Singapore district, 11,000 tickets were issued. This accounts for more than 25% of the total tickets issued. 

6       Over the past years, NEA has carried out its efforts to educate the public and curb the problem of anti-littering especially during festive occasions where littering is rampant.

(i) In year 2008 for example, provision of additional bins and cleaners were deployed during festive celebrations such as New Year Eve Countdown and Christmas Eve.

(ii) In year 2009, NEA also worked with the Hindu Endowment Board (HEB) and the participating temples during Thaipusam Celebrations to make frequent anti-littering announcements. Display of anti-littering banners, increased frequency of refuse collection, better enforcement and introduction of additional bins and cleaners are amongst the significant measures undertaken by NEA to reduce the littering problem in public places.

7       Despite the progress over the years, littering is still prevalent in many parts of Singapore, such as town centres, outside shopping malls and foreign worker congregation sites.

8       To address to the current littering situation, NEA commissioned a Sociological study on littering on a sample size of 4,462 respondents. The findings which I find interesting are:

(i) In summary, there are 3 groups of people. First are those who comply and will not litter. Second, people who sometimes litter depending on circumstances ie. any nearby bin, or be influenced to litter by those around them. Third, those who will litter regardless of situation; and

(ii) Out of 4,462 respondents of the survey, 4 in 10 are unlikely to bin their rubbish

Tackling the Littering Problem at a National Level

9       Launch of Anti-Littering Programme- “Do The Right Thing, Let’s Bin It”- Underpinning this new campaign which was launched by Minister Yaacob on 6 June 2010, is a three-pronged strategy that comprises better infrastructure, stricter enforcement and more targeted public outreach and education efforts to change behaviour and prevent littering. 

Better Infrastructure

10     NEA will increase the number and size of bins at popular congregation areas, review the placement of litter bins at areas with high human traffic, as well as improve bin design to make it easier for smokers to bin their cigarette butts.

Stricter Enforcement

11     There will be (1) increased enforcement by uniformed officers., (2) more onerous Corrective Work Order (CWO) conducted at public places where there are heavy human traffic (3) and better alignment of penalties from the different agencies such as NParks, PUB, National Water Agency which enforce against littering.

Targeted Education

12     The third and very significant approach towards littering is public education. Apart from not littering, we hope that members of the community can come forward and help promote the correct social behaviour in others as well.

13     NEA has introduced the Litter-Free Ambassador or LFA programme, which encourages pro-active students, youths and grassroots volunteers to come forward to engage the community. Through peer influence, the LFAs help to convey the message that it is everyone’s responsibility to bin their litter.

14     Besides our LFAs, parents also play a major role in cultivating the correct behaviours in their children. Family influence is an important aspect of reinforcing correct social values to the younger generation. Therefore, we encourage family members to consciously remind each other on the right social behaviour during their outings.

15     Let’s pause for a while to view an advertisement that clearly demonstrates this point.

Pause to view advertisement on screen (Importance of parents teaching children about social acts)

Central Singapore Anti – Littering Programme: Do Your Part. Don’t be a Litter – Bug!:

16     A new Anti – Littering programme “Do Your Part. Don’t be a Litter – Bug!” will also be launched later in the forum, to encourage the Central Singapore community to proactively do the right thing by throwing litter into the bins.

17     At Central Singapore district, constituencies such as Whampoa, Bishan – Toa Payoh North, Queenstown, Radin Mas, Tanglin Cairnhill, Tiong Bahru and Kreta Ayer – Kim Seng are amongst the first few constituencies to take up the LFA (Litter Free Ambassador) training in support of the district launch.

18     A total of 43 out of 90 identified volunteers have been trained under this programme. These ambassadors have started embarking on initiatives such as community patrols and house visits at their own precincts to encourage all residents to practice good social habits for a cleaner and greener environment.

19   One such example is from Queenstown division, who has recently launch this community patrol group on 21 June 2010, which encourages residents to bin their litter as well as assist to provide NEA with any feedback on littering issues.

Call For Active Participation From All Constituencies:

20     It is important that everybody plays their part in supporting a sustainable environment. I would like to encourage all the constituencies and corporate partners in Central Singapore District to come on board this iconic “Litter – Free” initiative.

21     I certainly hope that you would continue to render your support, just as you have done so for the past environmental initiatives that were introduced in Central Singapore District.

Acknowledgement of Agencies and Partners

22     Having said that, it would be impossible to ensure a clean and green environment without the support and hard work of the partnering agencies such as Town Councils, Nparks, SMRT as well as the Public Waste Collectors and the Street Cleansing Contractors.

23     It is key that the partnering agencies work together to improve the littering situation within Central Singapore as well as assist residents in sustaining a clean environment for all to enjoy.

24     Nevertheless, we need to ensure that our community comes forward to take greater ownership of the cleanliness of its estates. Many of us tend to take the cleaners for granted and have a misconception that the responsibility of cleaning up is solely theirs. Later on in the forum, there will be a debate where we will hear the views of the youths from Anderson Junior college on this topic. I would also like to call the audience to give their inputs and comments during this session.

25     I believe that everyone wants to live in a clean environment.  Whether we are out in the town centers, enjoying a picnic at the park and beach, or just spending the day shopping with friends and family, we should be mindful that our actions have a direct effect on the state of cleanliness around us.

Conclusion

26     To conclude, I certainly hope that these new initiatives would further strengthen our Central Singapore Environmental Sustainability Plan which ultimately aims to achieve A Clean City, A Enviro-Friendly Lifestyle and A Green Community.

27     A short video titled “Green Report Card” has been produced to showcase environmental projects and programmes undertaken by grassroots leaders and partners, in support of the Central Singapore Environmental Sustainability Plan. This video goes out to all those who have gone the extra mile in engaging the residents through your environmental initiatives.

28     I am confident that your continued efforts will help mould Central Singapore into a more environmentally and socially gracious community.

29     Thank you and enjoy the video.

NANYANG POLYTECHNIC GRADUATION CEREMONY 2010

SPEECH BY MAYOR ZAINUDIN NORDIN

CENTRAL SINGAPORE DISTRICT

AND

MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, BISHAN-TOA PAYOH GRC

AT SESSION NINE OF

NANYANG POLYTECHNIC GRADUATION CEREMONY 2010

10 am, Thursday, 20 May 2010

[Salutation]

Thank you, Mr. Law, for your warm introduction.

Mr. Chan Lee Mun, Principal and CEO, Nanyang Polytechnic;

Mr. Olivier Guyonvarch, Counsellor & Deputy Head of Mission from the Embassy of France;

Mr. Marc Piton, Counsellor for Culture, Science & Education from

Embassy of France;

Mr. Pierre-Emmanuel Jacob, Executive Director, Alliance Française de

Singapour;

Members of the Engineering Advisory Committee,

Distinguished guests;

Parents and Graduands;

Ladies and gentlemen;

Good morning.

 [Congratulations]

1       I am delighted to be here on this very special occasion of your graduation with a Diploma in Electronics Communication & Computer Engineering. Today we celebrate the achievement of the 557 graduands who have all worked very hard to arrive at this important milestone. You, together with your parents and loved ones, have every reason to be proud of this achievement. At this point, let me specially thank the parents for their hard work, sacrifice, love and patience. Congratulations everyone. Well done! [clap]

2       I have always found graduation to be a very special event. It reminds me again and again of the excitement, the exhilaration, enthusiasm and the pride I experienced at my own graduation. I saw it as completing an exciting phase of my life as a polytechnic student and starting a new exciting phase with fresh opportunities and challenges. It was the start of a new chapter in my life for me, leading me on to further studies that further developed my professional expertise and advancement in career. I am sure it will be the same for you.

3       Your diploma opens doors to many exciting new prospects and opportunities in your field of expertise. It is most appropriate at this time to commend the management and staff of the School of Engineering (Electronics) for their commitment and untiring efforts in ensuring you were given the best in training and education in your three years at Nanyang Polytechnic.

[The Singapore Economy]

4       It is encouraging to know that you are graduating at a time when Singapore has weathered the economic storm of 2009 and is confident that the prospects for 2010 are good. In the 2010 Singapore Budget Speech, Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, painted a positive outlook with a growth rate of 4.5% to 6.5% for Singapore’s economy. He pointed out that the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) has identified that there will be no lack of opportunities for Singapore, especially with the rise of Asia and the emerging markets. Just recently, the Ministry of Trade and Industry announced that the growth rate could instead be between 7% to 9% this year. This represents a massive jump from the original forecast. A promising future certainly awaits you.

[The Electronics Industry]

5       It is also gratifying/comforting to note that the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) indicated in mid-April that the exceptionally strong growth in the first quarter of 2010 was led by the goods producing industries. The sharp improvement in performance was attributed partly to the robust expansion of electronics production and a strong recovery in global semiconductor chip sales. The electronics sector continues to be an important pillar of Singapore’s GDP today. With the vast array of new knowledge and wide range of new expertise you have acquired in your course, you are ready to embark on the next lap of your journey, to be a key player in the continued growth of Singapore’s electronics industry. Of course, as an engineering professional, you have an advantage and can tap on a whole range of other industries like some of your seniors.

[Learning & Development at NYP]

6       Some of you will be entering the workforce now and others will do so in a few years, after you graduate from university.  Either way, each of you will find that you have received an education that has equipped you with the expertise and knowledge to succeed. I know for a fact that at NYP, you are immersed in an engaging learning environment that encourages creativity, innovation, spirit of enterprise and character building. NYP’s strong link with the industry creates unique and challenging project opportunities through which you have built advanced solutions leveraging on emerging technologies. You have reaped benefits from established innovation centres such as the IC Design Centre with DSO National Laboratories, the National Centre of Innovation for Electronics, the HP Green ICT Solutions Centre and the Microsoft Centre for Integrated Media & Telematics, to name just a few.

7       In the course of your study in NYP, many of you also have had opportunities for overseas immersion, overseas attachments or exchange programmes.  I believe that these experiences would have broadened your horizons and prepared you to be resilient and resourceful when faced with challenges. These qualities, together with the spirit of enterprise and innovation, are success factors that will see you through all endeavours to realise your goals. Therefore I am confident that NYP has prepared you well for the future.

[Innovation]

8       I believe that NYP has given you an edge because of its strong emphasis on innovation and enterprise. Innovation, the hallmark of NYP’s brand of education and capabilities pervades all aspects of student life here, be it in pedagogy, student projects or student developmental activities. The many innovations that you and the staff of NYP have developed for industry, the many competitions in innovation and enterprise that you have won and the many patents that you and the staff have created are attestation of your power of innovation. It is indeed true then to say, it is ‘Innovation Everywhere’ in NYP. The challenge now is to make innovation and enterprise an integral part of you.

[Be Passionate About Innovation]

 9                It was reported last year that NYP received the prestigious Innovation Excellence Award.  I was told that NYP is the first educational institute to achieve this success. This is not surprising, given that everyone, students and staff, are constantly encouraged to be creative and innovative in all the things that you do. I am aware from the media that you have won in many competitions where success is dependent on the power of innovation. Through these various competitions, you have demonstrated constantly your ability to innovate new and better solutions. This is the kind of spirit of innovation and enterprise that we need in you and the new Singapore economy. I congratulate NYP on winning the Innovation Excellence Award and congratulate all of you who made it happen!

10.    Singapore hopes to grow its productivity by 2% to 3% per year over the next ten years. . We can achieve it through a comprehensive national drive by our people to deepen their skills and expertise, and by our enterprises to innovate and create value in new ways.  Innovation in processes, in new product design and in new methods will not only cut down on time taken for a given task, it will increase productivity that will enable your company and yourself to grow faster. All this is possible if you take the initiative to observe and apply your skills and expertise to purposeful endeavours.

11       As you begin another chapter in your lives, powered by enthusiasm and determination, every change and challenge must become the driving force steering you towards your goals.  As NYP graduands, you possess the drive to make the best of opportunities that come your way. Just as Singapore needs to continually evolve and reposition its economy in order to remain competitive, you too will need to be innovative in all that you do for a higher level of productivity to enrich your life.

 [Be Passionate About Life-long Learning]

12               We must continue to build a society where every Singaporean shares in the country’s growth. The key strategy for achieving this is to raise knowledge, capabilities and productivity at every level.  The diploma you now possess should be seen only as a launching pad.  You must constantly seek to improve and upgrade your knowledge and expertise through education and training, so that you are well-prepared to seize every opportunity that comes your way. You have to invest time to improve yourself, build up expertise and master skills. At whatever age, you must continue to learn, upgrade and add value. You must take it upon yourself to increase the value of YOU! You have to make lifelong learning a passion. I have every confidence that as a graduate of NYP, you will be able to do it!

 [Closing Remarks]

13               In closing, graduands of the School of Engineering (Electronics), you determine Singapore’s continued success in the electronic industry. Whether Singapore retains her leading edge in this field depends on whether you, the future professionals, have made innovation and productivity second nature in your lives. You must continue to imagine, dream, explore, invent, create and pioneer. Continue to discover and stretch your potential, and start planting the seeds for success.

14               Once again, I congratulate you on your achievements, and look forward to your part in making the electronic industry in Singapore even more vibrant.

15               Thank you.

The Straits Times Interview Q & A (Qn 1 & 2)

I recently had an interview with The Straits Times with regards to Singapore’s football scene. I thoroughly enjoyed the interview so I decided to post it here for those who missed it.

ST Interview Q&A (FAS)

1. What is your assessment of Singapore football at this current stage?

1. Singapore football is generally heading in the right direction.

Our National Team has been doing well; we won two ASEAN titles in the past five years; reached the third round of the 2008 World Cup Qualifiers for the first time; and are currently on course to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup Finals for the first time. Our U-23s won two bronze medals at the SEA Games in the last two editions including our youngest-ever team at the recent Games in Laos.

The success of the National Teams is directly linked to the S.League as it provides the platform for our National players to hone their skills. The S.League, which critics said would not survive, is now well recognized by AFC and other FAs because it is well-managed and the teams are more stable and professional. The standards of local players have improved greatly too.

Today, the S.League is an industry which is worth more than $200 million per annum, with more than 1,000 jobs across various fields. The league is also ranked highly by AFC alongside the other top leagues in Asia.

Our budget for the National Teams and S.League, though considerably smaller than the budgets of our ASEAN and Asian comrades, has reaped good Returns of Investments.

However, there remains a lot of hard work to take Singapore football forward.

2. With all the constraints that we are facing, is the S.League viable?

1. Critics said that the S.League will never survive when we first started. They said that our population was too small and that we have a limited player base. They said that we had poor facilities, limited commercial opportunities and that we had no geographical rivalry between our clubs. Even some experts from leading football leagues in Europe said that we would not make it.

Despite all these and with the concerted effort of all stakeholders, we have not only survived, but today, after 14 years, it is a league that all Singaporeans can be proud of.

We have been commended for our innovative and professional approaches, such as Friday Night Football, foreign teams, salary caps, fitness tests and polygraph tests. That has stood us out compared to other leagues and in fact, some ASEAN, Asian and European leagues are beginning to learn our best practices.

Sponsorships have gone up in recent years for the league and clubs. Despite the economic crunch last year, the S.League remained relatively stable.

Indeed, the S.League has been the platform for our recent successes on the international stage and was even listed in the local media as one of the 50 success stories in 50 years of nation building in 2009 National Day.

We hope the S.League spirit of perseverance and determination can be an inspiration to our younger generation that they can reach their goals and dreams.

Employer's Networking Session

CHAT WITH PARTNERS
RIVER ROOM, ASIAN CIVILSATIONS MUSEUM

FRIDAY, 30 APRIL 2010, 2.00PM – 5.00PM

Introduction

• During the crisis in recent years, the CDC has been at the forefront doing their best to help those with urgent needs. Several efforts were put in place to help the jobless achieve self-reliance. National schemes such as, SPUR, Jobs Credit were introduced to help the unemployed. Here are Central Singapore we beefed up our resources at our Service @ Career counters to help us cope with the influx of job seekers coming through and designed programmes targeted at the different needs of our jobseekers.
• These are our attempts to build world-class employees.
• Our focus in helping our job-seekers was for them to be adequately trained, have good work ethics and remain employable.
• The Community Development Centres or CDCs in Singapore are here to help our communities seek gainful employment through certified training and upgrading programmes - creating more employable jobseekers.
• The Career Centers help our communities to stay relevant and resilient.

I firmly believe in a community of many helping hands. Everyone should play a role. In uplifting the society's underprivileged. As our corporate partners, you play a significant role by partnering with us for your employment needs. This allows you to help the unemployed gain their footing back in the workforce and at the same time do your bit to help society.

Success stories

• Mdm Nooraini Binte Mohd Salleh previously had to hold two jobs with a combined pay of less than $500 per month to support her family. Furthermore, her husband was injured in an accident and was on medical leave. After discussion with her Career Consultant and her husband, she decided to pursue a course in WSQ Diploma in Tour and Travel. Upon completion of her course, she found employment and commenced work as a Team Leader with Fuji Film under Universal Studio with a pay of $1600. 

• Mr Ho Teck Soon felt that Directional Talk Workshop was very helpful and get him to stay focus and persistence in his job search. He was offered a Technician Support Officer position with Changi Airport Groups and was getting similar pay package to his pervious position. He appreciated the assistance and help that Central Singapore CDC had given him.

• Mdm Song Nancy, a mature worker at 68 years old, decided to rejoin the workforce to keep herself active and financially independent. She attended our Directional Talk Workshop and signed up Employability Skill System (ESS) courses in Problem Solving and Decision Making (PSDM) and Communication and Relationship Management (CRM). Finally after 5 months, she was offered a position as full time service crew in Orange Lantern Restaurant and was very enthusiastic with her new challenge.

• Tele Centre Services Pte Ltd (Employer) 

4 jobseekers was placed with this company as they are  willing to be flexible in their requirement and choose to focus to hire based on merits (skills, experience or ability to perform the job) and company also provide on the job training in order to give them a chance in proving their abilities.

Programmes & Schemes which employers can seize to increase productivity of our workforce.

Re-employment of older workers

• Singapore’s population is ageing rapidly and by 2020 about one in six Singapore residents will be 65 years old. Re-employment allows able older workers to continue contribute to their organizations. This scheme taps on older workers’ experience to benefit to support our economic growth.

• To promote re-employment, employers are encouraged to move away from senior –based wage systems and move towards performance –based wage structures.  The tripartite partners have been working closely over the last 2 years to help companies and workers to implement re-employment as early as possible. Most of our companies have already allowed their employees to continue working past age 62. Central Singapore CDC is a good example of such an employer.

• Companies can also tap on for help in becoming re-employment ready is the ADVANTAGE! All companies will continue to be eligible for up to $400,000 grants from ADVANTAGE! if they recruit, retain and re-employ older workers.

Workfare Income Supplement

·        Workfare Income Supplement or WIS scheme was introduced to help older low –wageworkers who are more vulnerable to wage stagnation. The WIS scheme rewards work by supplementing the workers’ income and building up their CPF savings.

Workfare Training Scheme:

• Employers to send their older low-wage workers for training, government will provide an Employer Grant to further subsidies employer’s net absentee payroll and net course fee outlay.

• Training Commitment Award (TCA) is also introduced to encourage workers to achieve a certain level of training. For every 2 Employability Skills(ES) or Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) Statements of Attainments(SOAs) a worker obtains within a period of 12 months, he or she will receive $200. He can also receive an additional $200 TCA when he has completed enough modules for a full WSQ qualification.

• Workfare Skills Up, to further lower barriers to train low-wage workers who lack the literacy and workplace skills to take on better paying jobs or go further upgrading. This programme takes a holistic approach including customized classes, mentorship and structured training pathways. Skills Up will provide milestone awards of $200 to specially reward low-wage workers for each advancement in literacy level that they attain. In addition, to help offset the various costs associated with training, training allowances will be provided. After training e2i, CDC career centres and CET Centres will help to place the trainees into better jobs.

• Various types of workers such as self-sponsored, self employed, casual and contract workers can benefit from WTS. That can benefit from highly subsidized course fees. They can also sign up for Workfare Skill –Up and receive training allowances. In addition, they are eligible for TCA if they are WIS recipients.  Workers who are not sponsored by their employers can approach Self Help groups to qualify for higher course fees.

Jobs Credit & SPUR

• Both the Jobs Credit and SPUR (Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience) helped companies limit retrenchment and retrain their workers. There are almost 1000 SPUR courses available for workers to take up and train.

Workforce Skills Qualifications

• The Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) is a national credentialing system. It trains, develops, assesses and recognizes individuals for competencies companies are looking for.

• The WSQ system is designed to be practical, accessible and affordable, enabling every individual to take charge of your own career and advancement. It is also a powerful business tool for employers to access and maintain a skilled workforce, thus enhancing their competitive edge and advancing their businesses.

• As an employer, your organisation can reap the benefits of WSQ by sending your staff for training and assessment under the WSQ. These benefits include:

• Benchmark against best practices across the industry
• Guide job description development
• Improve performance management systems and training programmes
• Establish employee career paths
• Guide training needs analysis
• Facilitate recruitment of competent staff equipped with required occupational and industry capabilities

Train & Place Programs

• In the security industry jobseekers are to be trained before they are successfully placed as a Security Officer. WSQ Certificate in Security Operations is undertaken by a jobseeker who wants to pursue a career in Security industry.

• Jobseekers for the Health Industry attend the  Healthcare Support (HCS) Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) whereby it equips new entrants and mid-career switchers with the relevant skills and knowledge needed to join the industry as healthcare support workers 

Work Trial Programmes

Work trials are excellent win-win situations for both the employer and job-seeker. For the employer, it gives you an opportunity to assess that the candidate is suitable for your organisation. As for the job-seekers, it gives them the ability to put to good use their training and see that they are confident in the job scope assigned to them. 

• Work Trial Program can be seized by employers to train short listed candidates after their face-to-face interview with the jobseekers, to undergo on-job training at their premises for a week or two. However, under the program the allowances of the employees will be paid by CDCs. These work trail period allows employers to identify the potential jobseekers and provide the jobseeker with the opportunity to know more about the industry and the work required. Upon successful completion of this work trial program, jobseekers are offered permanent positions in the company under its payroll.  

Collaboration with CDCs – recruitment events/job fairs

Central Singapore CDC has a pool of potential clients (jobseekers) who are looking for jobs in various industries. We provide free and customer centric employment services to both our employers and clients. Employers, like you, can utilize our premises if you wish to conduct any walk-in-interviews or Job Preparation Exercise(JPE) for our clients. To use our premises for walk-in-interviews and JPEs, employers should have a minimum of 10 vacancies.

Invest – Personalised PMET Workshop

• In Oct 2009, Central Singapore CDC first organised the Professional, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMET) Workshop, with the objective of providing PMETs with the skills, knowledge, and practical experience in securing employment.

• Originally, a 1-day workshop (with Mercer), it was further developed to provide a more comprehensive and holistic approach with the help of a new training provider (Addestra Learing Centre) in Jan 10.

• The revamped 2-day workshop is now followed by PMETs attending job matching events where they have the opportunity to network with potential employers with the aim of gaining an interview with these employers after the networking event.

• Participants are also tracked in their job search progress on a monthly basis (up to 3 months) to determine what other type of intervention, if any, is required.

• Each of the participants is also given personalised Coaching and Guidance session to address issues and concerns that each may have with regards to their ability to secure jobs.

Outcomes

• By 17 March 2010, 9 PMETs have found jobs. Participants felt the benefits of the workshop in many ways and attributed the effectiveness to the following:

• Practical examples and role-play sessions maximised their learning experience
• Trainer was very dynamic, committed and kept their interest level high
• More realistic interview experience
• Close bonding and encouragement between participants following the workshop
• Eg. Collective designing and printing of name cards for job search and networking purposes, Facebook group etc
• Opportunities to mingle with direct employers

Directional Talk Workshop

• Directional Talk Workshop was piloted to cater to the high volume of unemployed when it was at the peak. The first Direction Talk was conducted on 7 Apr 09 and it ran till 29 Dec 09. We had 1,220 jobseekers who signed up for this motivational talk.

• It was initiated to create positive mindset change. Participants learnt how to see things in a different perspective so that they can manage their expectations when job searching.

• After the Directional Talk Workshop, participants will have a one-on-one session with either a Training Consultant or Employer Servicing Consultant depending on the individual needs, be it for job search or enhancing their employability through training programmes. Training Consultants would send the jobseekers for either Employability Skill System (ESS) courses or vocational courses. Employer Servicing Consultants would provide suitable job referrals and recommended the recruitment events to the attending participants.

Step Out Programme (SOP)

• With the recent economic situation, Central Singapore CDC also provided jobseekers to take part in one of their initiatives, which was the Step Out for Change programme. 

• This programme provides a platform for the retrenched and unemployed to be equipped with the necessary skills to increase their chance of securing a job in the current market. 

• The program is designed to help Participants to be a master over their own lives. Modules focused on strategies such as goal setting, re-aligning belief systems for empowerment, fostering stronger relationships in difficult times to cope with stress and to be prepared preceding job applications and interviews. 

Conclusion

I'm sure you are aware of the various National Schemes put in place by the government to help our job-seekers. We believe in providing quality candidates for your organisation. In order to do that, we are walking the talk. The people who ushered and registered you earlier are our trained pool of job-seekers who are here to volunteer for us and also take this opportunity to network with you. So, if you see them, spare them a few minutes of your time to get to know them.

We need to achieve a “world class economy” or first class system for Continuing Education and Training (CET). An individual needs to develop his or her skills and expertise. This will certainly help the workers to achieve more in their job and career. Our employers must also empower their people to find new ways to create value and help unlock every worker potential.

Panel Discussion at the launch of Dan's Dynamic Science Dictionary (2th Edition)

I was involved in a panel discussion during the launch of Dan’s Dynamic Science Dictionary (2nd Ed) book launch. For those who missed the discussion, I would like to share it with everyone here.)

Panel Questions & Answers

Q1. Does the Central Singapore CDC provides any form of support for passionate individuals who wants to run a social enterprise like Daniel?

A: Definitely. The Mayor Imagine Fund (MIF) seeds projects which are viable and financially sustainable business model and attain the social objective of benefiting the disadvantaged in the society. The committee will approve up to 80% of the total project cost, up to a cap of $30,000.

One good example of the social enterprises that CDC is funding is:

LevelField Consultants’ primary aim is to advocate and promote a built environment that is accessible, safe and inclusive for persons of all ages and differing abilities.

This business plan was conceptualized to provide consultancy services, design advice and audit checks to developers, architects, town planners, designers, facility managers, service providers and businesses so as to improve the accessibility of the built environment.

Their goal is to level the playing field and thus improve the quality of life for all – expectant mothers, infants in prams, young children, the elderly as well as people with disabilities – everyone, will be able to integrate, move safely and independently within their neighborhoods to taking public transportation, and be able to go to school, work and participate in community and recreational activities in an inclusive environment.

Questions & Answers for Prof Noel Chia

Here are the questions which might be of interest to parents and teachers:

1. In what way does visualization help you in understanding these scientific concepts, definitions, etc?

A: Having read the definition, the drawings serve as a reminder (revision). It is different, instead of reading definition which is very wordy, the illustration helps one to visualize the meaning easily. Visual learning engage & brings out a better understanding for those who are weak or not interested in reading the terms.

Take for example, the drawing on heat conduction on page 94. It shows how heat can be conducted from the handle of the pan to the head and as a result, the effects are shown on the hand. What is global warming, page 90? It is the warming of the globe, so there is a drawing of the earth with a thermometer and students know Earth is having a fever … high fever.

Students will find it fun and easier to remember these comical illustrations. For students who have no interest in science, the illustrations spark the interests.

2. Can you offer some useful tips how for those children who are more nonverbal-visual learners can go about using visual aids (e.g. drawings, mind-mapping, diagrams, charts, etc) to help them in understanding what they are?

A: Try sketching the pictures from my book or come up with your own drawings. In that way, you will have a clear picture of the definition and then read about it. (Own way of mind mapping) For me, I drew the digestive system such that it looks like a train station. It is easier to remember at which station the food stops at. You do not need to learn the robotic way. In addition, in doing so, will boost their creativity.

3. As a nonverbal-visual learner yourself, do you have any suggestions how to prepare your visual readiness processes?

A: Since I was small, I have been talking at own pace but people are just did not accept it. May be you would like to ask my mum how the family reacted when I started talking. All I can remember is my dad telling me in the car to stop talking for one minute

4. What difficulties do you have, if any, should you encounter a situation that relies more on auditory-sequential learning processes than visual-spatial learning processes?

A: When doing auditory-sequential learning processes, I have to do at a very slow pace. Late Talkers finds it hard to pronounce certain alphabets and words and words that have more than 1 syllabus or long sentences or story. Try breaking the compound word into root words. Summarize the text.

Eg. Photosynthesis into root words … photo & synthesis.

Underground …. Under & ground

Reactant …. React & ant

Microscope … micro & scope

My mum broke down all the long words and summarized the text for me.

5. Do the colors you have used in your doodling play any important role in helping you to grasp the concepts/definitions that you are trying to explain?

A: Yes. Take Cell division … I drew to show that there is a green mother cell and through cell division, into two green daughter cells. By doing so, I feel that it is easier to remember instead of learning the branching method that is used in most school. The colours are refreshing and bring liveliness to the picture and engaging readers, young or adult. For those who are not good at maths, may find the branching method a bit hard to do, so they could use color to help them in their learning journey. Colors help them to identify the similarity or differences. My book also color coded so if the student forgets where they stop, they can remember the color. The colors are carefully selected to match the illustration making it very cheerful, lively and pleasing for the eyes. When one flips open the book, the colors bring liveliness to the comical illustrations and make it entertaining. As you can see on page 113 - the drummer with the cool glasses. The same goes for page 46, the colors used for the land & water shows the difference of hot and cold. From a hot region to a cold region, the colored arrows show.

6. How do you cope with your emotions when you were struggling to make sense of the world around you, especially when many didn’t understand the challenges you were facing then?

A: Mum brought me into community work to see the less fortunate and I am not the only one in struggles. I went for counseling too. It’s very painful when many did not accept me as a Late Talker and read me as ADHD, autistic or retard. Even more traumatic when they go physical or humiliate me with words that cut to the core.

7. How do you go about meeting others of your age and reaching out to them or even make them understand you, your thoughts, your expectations, etc.?

A: I just talk like any normal kids. In fact, they don’t even know I am a late talker. They envy me because I don’t have to do Chinese.

8. What are your aspirations in life? What would you advise those who have the same learning challenges to do?

A: I have always wanted to help the less fortunate because I understand from my frustrating experience for the past decade and now I am a social entrepreneur. I hope to continue to help not just in Singapore but outside Singapore. To everyone, do not give up, stay strong and overcome adversities. Who knows, you can be the next success story too.