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Mr. David
Chua, Chairman of Landscape Industry Association (Singapore),
Recipients of the 2nd LIAS Awards of
Excellence,
Ladies and gentlemen
Good evening,
It is my pleasure to join you tonight
at the 2nd LIAS Awards of Excellence Ceremony.
Introduction
2 In the past 40 years, we have put in consistent effort
to ensure that Singapore develops lush streetscapes,
parks and gardens. The world-class Garden City reputation
that we are proud of today could not have been realised
without the contributions of the landscape and horticulture
industry.
3
Moving forward, Singapore needs to continue to sharpen
its competitive edge to stand out against other emerging
cities in the world. Indeed, for Singapore to stand
out as a global city, we must have a living environment
that is the best in Asia — a city that exudes
vibrancy and diversity.
4
One of the key strategies to achieving this compelling
vision is our quest to transform Singapore into a “City
in a Garden”. As members of the landscape industry,
you have an integral role to play in advancing our greenery
infrastructure to create this unique value proposition
for Singapore.
The
Landscape Industry
5
The landscape industry is expanding, and growing fast.
With new and exciting projects such as the Gardens by
the Bay, Integrated Resorts, the Active, Beautiful and
Clean Waters Programme, and various public and private
developments, the industry is expected to grow at an
average annual rate of 9% over the next 5 years.
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This is indeed cause for good cheer for the industry.
The challenge for you would be to quickly position yourselves
and your companies to be ready to meet the increased
demands.
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The Government is committed to partner the industry
to boost its development. NParks is spearheading various
multi-dimensional programmes under the thrusts of manpower
development, business development, and R&D to help
develop the landscape industry.
The
Landscape Industry Association (Singapore)
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I am happy to note that the private sector has actively
participated in our programmes in the past year. These
include the Green Thumbs 2006, the Workforce Skills
Qualification (WSQ) framework, the establishment of
industry standards, job re-creation and job placement
programmes.
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I would also like to commend Members of LIAS on the
professionalism and expertise that you had displayed
at the recent Singapore Garden Festival. Your garden
displays had impressed the panel of international judges.
The international designers with whom you had partnered
also had many praises for you. I thank you for contributing
to the success of the event and look forward to your
continued participation at the next Singapore Garden
Festival in 2008.
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Going forward, I would like to urge LIAS to take on
a stronger leadership role in shaping the development
of the industry. For a start, LIAS can focus on the
following areas in the next few years:
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Encourage technical and professional
training by supporting the implementation of WSQ
training for workers, supervisors, and managers.
Our target is to achieve at least 200 full WSQ certification
each year for the next 3 years. This can be achieved
if the industry recognise the importance of training. |
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Support the employment
of local workers and increase the local worker content
for the industry from the current 20%. We have received
feedback that it is difficult to get locals to take
up jobs in the industry but this is not an insurmountable
task. I understand that some LIAS Members have already
achieved 36% of local worker content, and are actively
supporting NParks’ regular job placement programmes. |
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Facilitate the implementation
of the Workplace Health and Safety Act by promoting
safe work practices. I am glad to hear that members
such as Mao Sheng and Toh Eng Hock have already
committed to 0% accident rates through the implementation
of workplace safety systems.
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Develop an industry standard in
the areas of horticulture and landscaping.
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LIAS
Awards of Excellence
11
Tonight’s Awards is an excellent initiative to
raise the industry’s standards by recognising
and rewarding outstanding landscape projects. I would
like to applaud all the 26 award winners of LIAS Awards
of Excellence 2006 for their impressive efforts. In
particular, I congratulate Nature Landscapes, Island
Landscape & Nursery, Turf & Irrigation Services,
and Goodwood Florist for achieving special mention as
category winners.
Conclusion
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In conclusion, faced with bright prospects, LIAS can
play a pivotal role in leading the landscape industry
into an exciting period. There is no better time to
transform and elevate the standard of the industry to
a next level than now, when the market is in your favour.
With your contributions, together, we will realise our
vision of a “City in a Garden”.
Thank you.
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