CleanEnviro Summit Singapore 2024 Industry Night - Dr Amy Khor

Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, at CleanEnviro Summit Singapore 2024 Industry Night on 20 June 2024

Introduction

1 A very good evening to you. It is my pleasure to join you today at the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore (CESG) 2024 Industry Night to celebrate the achievements of the Environmental Services industry. If you visit the Expo and all the booths, you will agree with me that there is a lot that we can be proud of and we can celebrate, especially at how the industry and CESG has progressed and expanded. I would like to extend my appreciation to the CESG sponsors and our Strategic Partners for your invaluable contributions towards the success of CESG 2024.

Importance of the Environmental Services Industry

2 The Environmental Services (ES) industry plays a crucial role in maintaining Singapore’s cleanliness and sustainability. With this year being the Year of Public Hygiene, the role of the ES industry comes to the fore. However, jobseekers often overlook this industry because they perceive it as having limited career opportunities and being labour-intensive. With rising manpower costs and increasing demand in the ES sector, companies have been working hard to transform their businesses in tandem with their workforce to stay competitive.

3 The Environmental Services Industry Transformation Map (ES ITM) was launched in 2017, and refreshed in 2023, to accelerate efforts to strengthen innovation, improve productivity and create quality jobs. Over the years, the Government, in partnership with the industry has implemented many key initiatives to facilitate the industry’s enhancement of jobs and skills, adoption of technology and innovation, improvement in productivity, and expansion into international markets.

4 One such initiative is Workforce Singapore (WSG)’s Environmental Services Job Redesign Initiative, which supports Environmental Services companies to embark on job redesign to implement customised solutions based on companies’ needs, with the aim to make jobs more attractive while transforming its business. This is usually followed by re-skilling of the identified workers to take on the enhanced job roles and create a win-win scenario where companies are able to respond to new business needs and retain talent, while providing employees with new career development opportunities to stay relevant.

WSG Workforce Transformation Award

5 This evening, WSG will be presenting the inaugural WSG Workforce Transformation Award for the Environmental Services industry to two exemplary companies, KGS Pte Ltd and Re Sustainability Cleantech Pte Ltd. I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to these two companies which demonstrated proactive commitment towards workforce reskilling to drive business growth and transformation. I would like to urge more companies to invest in and capitalise on workforce transformation, which will uplift and advance the entire industry.

NEA-Industry Scholarship

6 Attracting young talents into the Environmental Services industry remains a key focus in our industry transformation efforts. The NEA-Industry Scholarship is a public-private partnership programme under which NEA and sponsoring organisations co-fund scholarships to tertiary students on an 80-20 model. Launched in 2020, this programme has completed three successful cycles and awarded 21 scholarships in total. Five of our scholars have graduated and have joined their sponsoring organisations, taking on roles as Admin Executives, IoT Technicians, Management Associates, and Team Leaders.

7 I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to the nine exceptional students who will be receiving the NEA-Industry Scholarship today. These new scholars come from diverse backgrounds, each having their own aspiration in pursuing a career in the Environmental Services industry. One of the scholars, Javier Chua, is passionate about environmental sustainability and recycling. He is currently studying Mechatronics at Temasek Polytechnic, where he had developed an automation system to sort objects and materials, which could potentially improve recycling efficiency and material resource recovery. Given his keen interest in sustainability, waste management, and e-waste topics, it is apt that he will be joining ALBA W&H Smart City Pte Ltd, a Public Waste Collector and the sole Producer Responsibility Scheme Operator for E-waste in Singapore, upon graduation.

8 Khaja Kamaludeen Md Shameem is another scholar currently studying Big Data and Analytics in Temasek Polytechnic. He will be joining IFSC Pte Ltd, a software developer house in the cleaning technology space, upon graduation. I understand that Shameem hopes to manage software systems, build, design, test services, provide technical solutions, and inject fresh ideas into the cleaning technology space in the Environmental Services industry. Both Javier and Shameem are at the start of their journeys with their respective Sponsoring Organisations and have just embarked on their internships.

9 I look forward to our NEA-Industry scholars entering the Environmental Servicesindustry upon graduation to become our next generation of Data Analysts, Management Trainees, and Sustainability Executives. I hope that you will continue to find meaning and fulfilment in the projects and issues that you are involved with, as these do play a significant part in improving and sustaining the essential environmental services for Singapore. I look forward to all your valuable contributions to the ES industry.

10 I would also like to mention that in this cycle of the NEA-Industry scholarships, it is the first time that technology solutions providers and a pest management company has joined as sponsoring organisations. I thank all sponsoring organisations for their continued support in nurturing the younger generation through this programme.

Conclusion

11 Let me conclude by extending my heartfelt congratulations to all award winners and scholarship recipients. Your achievements will serve to inspire many more. I am reminded of a saying by Robert Swan, a very renown British environmentalist, explorer, and adventurer. He said, “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”. I am indeed heartened that we have many young aspiring students who are looking into joining the Environmental Services industry. This gives us a lot of hope in upgrading and upskilling the industry as well as the workers.

12 The Environmental Services industry has made significant progress, and there is reason to be optimistic about its future potential. Let us continue our close partnership in driving transformation, building a vibrant, sustainable, and professional Environmental Services industry and workforce. Thank you very much for working together with us to develop, enhance and upskill the workforce and the Environmental Services industry and to make CESG 2024 a success. Thank you very much and have a wonderful evening.