Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

I am very happy to be here today on the occasion of BCA Academy’s Graduation Ceremony. This event is significant in highlighting the role played by the Academy in developing capabilities to support our mission of shaping a safe, high quality, sustainable and friendly built environment. My heartiest congratulations to all of you who are receiving your graduation certificates today.

Transformation of the CITI to BCA Academy

2. The past year saw the transformation of the former Construction Industry Training Institute (CITI) to the present BCA Academy. With this transformation, the Academy is well positioned to take on the following two important functions: First, as the leader for industry education, ranging from skills training for workers to professional and executive training; and second, as the national centre for construction industry research and development. Let me touch on some of the Academy’s new initiatives in these two areas, starting with industry education.

Industry Education

National Building Qualifications Framework

3. In line with our thrust to enhance the skills and professionalism of the construction industry, the Academy will introduce, with effect from next year, a new certificate-level framework called the National Building Qualifications or NBQ for short.

4. The NBQ framework is intended to provide a training progression for working adults and school leavers to higher training opportunities at supervisory diploma level. The framework allows more flexibility as students may enter at any of the 3 different levels, NBQ, Higher NBQ or Advanced NBQ, depending on their existing qualifications. Students may progress through the levels at their own pace. With the level 3 Advanced NBQ, graduates of the certificate may then qualify to enroll for the full-time Diploma programmes offered at the BCA Academy.

5. The industry has indicated support for the NBQ framework, noting that this raises the skills and professionalism of the industry. BCA will continue to consult the industry to refine the framework further before the formal launch next year.

Green Building Professionals

6. In line with increasing awareness and emphasis on sustainable development, the Government is fully committed to promoting sustainable construction practices and methods.

7. Increasingly, many private sector developers are also adopting Green Mark certification for their projects. By early next year, we will be taking sustainable development a step further by adopting the BCA Green Mark certification for all new buildings and existing ones undergoing major refurbishment. This will drive the demand for Green Buildings in Singapore, and a corresponding need for more competent specialists to design, construct, manage and maintain specialised green building facilities and services.

8. To nurture the industry’s capabilities in managing the development of green building projects, the Academy will launch two new programmes. The first programme is a training and certification scheme for Green Mark Specialists, starting this month. Through this scheme, Certified Green Mark Specialists will be able to oversee and manage the certification of projects for BCA Green Mark.

9. The other programme is a 3-year full-time Diploma in Mechanical Engineering with emphasis on Green Building Technologies. Graduates of this programme may look forward to rewarding careers as technical supervisors or specialists with engineering consultancy firms, energy service companies, main contractors or specialist subcontractors.

Industry Research & Development

10. Apart from investing in industry education and training, the Academy will also focus on industry research and development. The Centre for Building Research has been set up within the Academy, and aims to build up research capabilities to lead the industry to address the challenges of developing a sustainable built environment.

Zero Energy Building at BCA Academy

11. One of the first R&D projects that the Academy has embarked on is the Zero-Energy Building, or ZEB for short. To be completed in 2009, the ZEB at BCA Academy is a flagship project under BCA’s Green Building Masterplan. The ZEB will serve as a showcase of green building technologies for educational and training purposes. More importantly, it will also be a test-bedding centre for experimenting new ideas and applications for Green Building Technologies before full-scale industry adoption.

12. Converted from an existing building, the ZEB at BCA Academy will be a demonstration of how an existing building may be retrofitted with Green Building Technologies to achieve high energy efficiency and sustainability in the long term.

13. For example, instead of relying on traditional sources of electricity, the ZEB will be powered by solar energy through photovoltaics or high performance solar panels installed on the building façade. Excess energy produced by the solar panels may be tapped for use in other parts of the Academy campus, reducing net energy consumption of the building to zero over time.

14. With the Zero Energy Building project, the Academy is set to play a leadership role in spearheading the research and development efforts of the industry. Together with the BCA Gallery of the Built Environment to be completed next year, the Academy is poised to be the leading centre in training, national education and R&D for the building and construction industry.

Conclusion

15. The current outlook for the construction sector is buoyant, and this is a very exciting time indeed for the industry. Do make full use of the abundant job opportunities available in the market. We hope to see all of you playing your part to apply what you have learnt to contribute to the sustainable development of Singapore’s future built environment.

16. Once again, congratulations to all the graduands. I wish you a very pleasant day.

Thank you.

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