Opening Address by Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education at the Singapore-Industry Scholarship (Sgis) Award Ceremony, at Ho Bee Auditorium, University Cultural Centre

Friends from our Sponsoring Organisations and Government agencies,

Colleagues, Parents, and Scholarship recipients,

1.Good afternoon to all of you.

2.First, let me congratulate all our 204 young Singaporeans who have been awarded the prestigious Singapore-Industry Scholarship (SgIS) this afternoon.

3.This scholarship has a bit of a history. It reflects the longstanding relationship between the Government and industries, aimed at attracting and nurturing our own talent for tomorrow. This is otherwise called, "growing our own timber". We want a strong group of professionals that are deep in their respective fields, to contribute not just to the success of their respective companies and industries, but also to Singapore.

4.I am delighted to note that the SgIS has grown. We have grown from the initial 28 Sponsoring Organisations (SOs) at its inception in 2012, to 149 in 2024, spanning across 16 different sectors.

5.Of course, we hope to have more. Let me congratulate those who have joined the programme. I encourage all in the industry, including those not here today, to join this programme so that we can develop and nurture and talents of tomorrow together.

6.We have awarded more than 1,600 scholarships since 2012. Over the years, many scholars have grown to take on leadership roles in their respective companies and industries, and would like to continue this effort to do even more.

7.I would also like to thank the unwavering efforts of the Economic Agencies (EAs) and SOs and leaders in the respective industries for making this happen. This scholarship would not have taken off without your continued effort in nurturing the next generation of industry leaders, and we wouldn't be here today.

Vision for SgIS Award Recipients

8.To the awardees who are getting a scholarship today, I hope that you remember that this is unlike any other scholarship. Upon your shoulders rests the heavy responsibility to not just contribute to your companies, but the success of Singapore on a wider scale.

9.I've always spoken about the 3 'Cs' that our students must remember - to Create, Connect and Contribute. For our industry scholarship holders, this is no different.

Creator - Create Our Competitive Edge

10.I would like to put this into context. Today, for Singapore, your respective industries, and companies to be successful, it is not sufficient for us to be able to answer yesterday's questions with yesterday's answer.

11.We must constantly find new ways to create new value propositions that will allow us to create relevance for others to want to deal, trade and partner with us. This is where it is important for us and our scholars to understand tomorrow's challenges ahead of time, find its solutions and create new value propositions. Only then will your industry, company and Singapore continue to be successful. I hope that you will continue to rise to this challenge.

12.Let me share several examples today. Take Mlion [Mer-lion], a homegrown solutions company which has produced two key innovations, the GoTagID [Go-Tag-ID] and GoListid [Go-List-ID].

13.GoTagID is a proprietary tagging solution that combines Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to provide a unique identity to steel. This means that users can track and trace its origins and manufacturing data.

14.Meanwhile, GoListid, a B2B digital platform with an integrated suite of services, such as financing, logistics and quality assurance, connects market participants for buying and selling used steel.

15.With the combination of these two innovations, Mlion is able to increase the lifetime value of steel and reduce the industry's carbon footprint.

16.This is an example of someone who focused on the future challenges, looked for opportunities and created new value propositions. Because of that, we are able to earn our keep. Our industries will also progress at the frontier of competition.

17.As for Singapore to maintain our competitiveness, we have to continuously differentiate ourselves as an attractive investment location.

18.An example of this is GlaxoSmithKline [Glak-Soh-Smith-Kline] (GSK).

19.They have embraced cutting-edge technological solutions to revolutionise the production of its Hepatitis B vaccine in their Tuas site.

20.By implementing closed-system processing and utilising process analytical technology (PAT) to oversee the fermentation process, GSK has significantly enhanced the quality and reliability of the vaccine supply.

21.This has established Singapore as a focal point for innovation in the biopharmaceutical industry, thereby strengthening our competitive advantage as an ecosystem.

22.Lastly, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), is set to further transform and disrupt the way we live, work, and play.

23.Many of our industry are trying to leverage on AI, not just to things better, but to do better things.

24.Let me share the inspiring journey of Clarence Lee, an alumnus currently with Murata Electronics who has leveraged AI in his work.

25.Since 2022, Murata has pioneered the use of AI in their inspection process, resulting in time and cost savings.

26.Clarence has made significant improvements by shortening the implementation sequences and is now in the process of introducing this in-house system to their sister plants in Japan.

27.He continues to keep his eye on the horizon, leading his team to explore more advanced AI technologies in the market. These are but a few examples of how we wish our scholarship recipients will contribute to their companies and industries.

28.Common to all these is the same philosophy. Always focus on tomorrow's big challenges. Find those answers and create new value propositions ahead of time, so that we can remain relevant.

Connector - Connect, Learn, and Grow

29.The next thing is to connect. While you will do well in your respective companies, we do not expect you to do this alone.

30.As you go forth in your studies, you will have many opportunities to get to know another country, culture and various groups of people.

31.Build bonds with them. Because our vision of how Singapore remains relevant to the world depends not just on our own strengths or capabilities.

32.It also depends on our ability to work with others so that we build a 'network effect'.

33.We only have 4 million Singaporeans. How do we compete with other countries who have many more people compared to us?

34.Another way to look at this, is that we may have 4 million Singaporeans as family, but we will have 40 million others, non-Singaporeans, as friends and fans of Singapore.

35.This will allow us to have a hinterland of network and talents that we can draw upon to strengthen our relevance and presence.

36.So be it the ability to harness technology and use machines to amplify our capabilities, or our ability to connect with people across the world from different countries, domains, and backgrounds, this must remain our strength as fellow Singaporeans.

37.Our industries do not aspire to overcome tomorrow's challenges alone. Our industries require people who can connect ourselves with the rest of the world, both in Singapore and outside Singapore, to create new value propositions.

38.We hope that you will help us with this.

Contributor - Contribute Positively to Society and the Collective Good

39.Finally, contribute. I'm sure you will contribute in your own ways to the success of your respective companies and industries.

40.Today, I want to challenge you that your contributions should and must not only be limited to just your company or industry alone.

41.As you continue to grow, I hope that you will also continue to grow in your contributions.

42.One day your contributions will go beyond your company and industry, to the wider world.

43.This must be the aspirations that you have. All of you have something special in you.

44.Through your education journey we hope to help you appreciate your own strengths and weaknesses, in order to make a contribution.

45.If all of us in Singapore can remember this, then we will be a much more heartwarming nation, whereby we are all confident of our abilities to contribute.

Conclusion

46.So upon your shoulders, I charge you with this responsibility, and I hope that you will be inspired to constantly create, connect and contribute.

47.A scholarship is more than just a token sum of money to help you get through university. A scholarship comes with the responsibility to contribute to the greater good.

48.Just like many that have come before you, you should continue to aspire to that and more.

49.Congratulations and I wish you all the best. In time to come, I hope that you will continue your good work, take on the leadership roles to lead your company, your industry and our country for our better future.

50.Thank you very much.

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