Press R Elease
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PRESS RELEASE EMBARGOED TILL 8PM, 9 JUNE 2011 DPM THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM TO TAKE OVER AS CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY & CONTINUING EDUCATION COUNCIL (NPCEC) Some changes to Government representatives in NPCEC as well Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean announced today that he will be handing over the position of Chairman for the National Productivity & Continuing Education Council (NPCEC) to Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. In line with the new Cabinet line-up, there will also be changes in the Government representatives in the Council. The changes will take effect from 9 June 2011. 2 Since the formation of the NPCEC in April 2010, DPM Teo has led the Council to develop strategies to improve national productivity with the aim to achieve a productivity growth of 2 to 3 per cent per annum over the next 10 years. Of the 12 priority sectors first identified based on their potential for productivity gains, contribution to GDP, as well as employment size, eight1 productivity blueprints have been endorsed. 3 DPM Teo said, “It has been a fruitful start for the Council in its first year. Plans for key sectors have been drawn up which are meaningful to the industry players and workforce in these sectors. The strong economic recovery last year brought with it a cyclical upturn in labour productivity of 10.7%. While we have seen some encouraging stories of productivity successes, what is more important is to stay focused on long-term, sustainable productivity growth through product, system and process innovation, and skills upgrading. We also need to integrate our framework for pre-employment and continuing education. I thank all the NPCEC members for their support and many good ideas. I am confident that under the leadership of DPM Tharman and with the continued commitment and support from industry and workers, the NPCEC will continue to lead in nurturing the mindset of continuous improvement to support sustained productivity growth.” 4 With the new Cabinet, there will also be a change in the Government representatives in the NPCEC. 1 These are Electronics, Precision Engineering, General Manufacturing, Construction, Retail, Food Services, Hotels, and Logistics & Storage. In addition, the NPCEC has also endorsed the productivity roadmap for the Landscape industry, which is part of the Admin & Support Services sector. PRESS RELEASE 5 Besides Minister for Trade & Industry Lim Hng Kiang and Minister of State for Trade & Industry and National Development Lee Yi Shyan who remain in the Council, Minister for Education Heng Swee Keat, Minister of State for Manpower and National Development Tan Chuan-Jin; and Minister of State for Finance and Transport Mrs Josephine Teo will join as new Government representatives on the Council. Please refer to Annex A for the new list of the NPCEC members. 6 On his appointment as the new chairman of NPCEC, DPM Tharman said, “We will keep up the momentum created by the NPCEC in its first year. Where necessary, we will simplify processes to improve the accessibility and outreach of our schemes. We will also look into effective ways of engaging the public to foster a culture of continuous improvements as a way to benefit both workers and companies. The NPCEC will work closely with businesses and workers to raise productivity on a sustainable basis, so that all Singaporeans can share in the nation’s progress.” 7 The next NPCEC meeting with the new members will be scheduled in July. PRESS RELEASE Media Contacts For media queries, please contact: Mr Ho Ka Wei Senior Assistant Director, Corporate Communications Ministry of Trade and Industry Tel: 6332 8446 Hp: 9748 0168 Email: [email protected] Ms Mayna Teo Assistant Director, Corporate Communications Ministry of Manpower Tel: 63171510 Hp: 9798 7939 Email: [email protected] PRESS RELEASE ANNEX A MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY AND CONTINUING EDUCATION COUNCIL (NPCEC) Government Representatives 1. Tharman Shanmugaratnam Deputy Prime Minister (Chairman) & Minister for Finance and Manpower 2. Lim Hng Kiang Minister for Trade & Industry 3. Heng Swee Keat Minister for Education 4. Lee Yi Shyan Minister of State, Trade & Industry and National Development 5. BG (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin Minister of State, Manpower and National Development 6. Mrs Josephine Teo Minister of State, Finance and Transport Union Representatives 7. John de Payva President, NTUC 8. Lim Swee Say Secretary-General, NTUC 9. Lim Kuang Beng General Secretary, Singapore Industrial and Services Employees’ Union (SISEU); and NTUC Central Committee Member 10. Abdul Subhan bin Shamsul President, Hussein Food, Drinks and Allied Workers’ Union (FDAWU) Industry Representatives 11. Stephen Lee President, Singapore National Employers’ Federation 12. Dr Ahmad Magad President, Singapore Productivity Association 13. Aaron Boey President, Global Denizen Brand, and EVP, Levi & Co, Asia Pacific 14. Choo Chiau Beng CEO, Keppel Corp. Ltd 15. Liew Mun Leong President and CEO, CapitaLand Group 16. Douglas Foo Chairman and CEO, Sakae Holdings Ltd 17. Simon Lam Venture Director, Shell Eastern Petroleum Complex 18. Pek Lian Guan MD, Tiong Seng Contractors Pte Ltd .