East Coast Plan unveiled

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

3 d ·

Congratulations to UOB on the successful launch of the Better U Festival! Glad that after two years of running this virtually, the physical festival has resumed this year.

(MCI Photo by Ngau Kai Yan)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

3 d ·

Ong Han Sheng and Lisabelle Ho are two of the many participants who have benefitted from UOB’s Technology Development Programme and Pivot Programme respectively. Han Sheng joined UOB as a fresh graduate and is currently training to be a technology specialist. Lisabelle was a service associate but pivoted to a customer analyst with on-the-job training.

(MCI Photo by Ngau Kai Yan)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

3 d ·

Met Irene Lee, a Gig + U programme participant. The programme provides alternate and flexible employment options for UOB’s employees. Irene told me that she benefited from this programme greatly. After retiring in 2020, she is now working on gig assignments, which gives her time to look after her grandchildren!

(MCI Photo by Ngau Kai Yan)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

3 d ·

Also launched a new Technology and Operations Academy, which will help more workers build new technological and operational skills.

(MCI Photo by Ngau Kai Yan)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

3 d ·

Always happy to witness more collaborations taking place. The Institute of Banking & Finance as well as the National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Technology and SIM Global Education, Singapore Institute of Management will be partnering with UOB to collaborate on further skills development, including not just technical skills, but also soft skills and leadership skills.

(MCI Photo by Ngau Kai Yan)

 

[jw5]

HSK was at a dinner about food.

Heng Swee Keat​

4 d ·
Was at a dinner about food last night.
Enjoyed this beautifully plated Lion City Salad by SaladStop! at the Singapore International Agri-Food Week dinner. It was created with local mushrooms, edible Garden City flowers, zero-waste croutons and more.
This is a creative expression of our Singapore Food Story as we seek to produce 30% of our nutritional needs locally by 2030.
During the dinner, I announced the Singapore Food Story R&D 2.0. We will be committing an additional $165million to food research, including expanding the variety of food grown locally.
Soon prawn mee with mostly Singapore produced ingredients could be a common sight in our hawker stalls.
The potential of Agritech and Foodtech is tremendous, not just to strengthen our food security but also tackle the global food challenges of hunger, waste and sustainability! So I encourage companies and our people to do more research and innovation in this sector!

 

[jw5]

HSK was delighted to join the National Youth Achievement Award Council’s 30th anniversary celebrations.

Heng Swee Keat​

3 d ·
Delighted to join the National Youth Achievement Award Council’s 30th anniversary celebrations last night!
Launched in 1992 by the late President Wee Kim Wee, the NYAA has since become a rite of passage for many young Singaporeans. It provides our youths with the opportunity to develop themselves, through community service, outdoor adventure, and many other activities outside of the classroom. Through the NYAA journey, our youths learn the values of care, respect, responsibility, and resilience, amongst others.
At 30 years old, the NYAA is young. The next 30 years will have many challenges — geopolitical tensions, ageing demographics, economic uncertainties and climate change. But I am confident that with the values that our youths have learned through the NYAA and in our schools, they will be ready to shape a better future for Singapore and the world.
My appreciation too, to President Halimah Yacob for her strong support for NYAA, and a big thank you to the dedicated NYAA staff and everyone who has contributed to the NYAA over the past three decades!

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

3 d ·

Launched The Butterfly Award, the NYAA Junior Programme, alongside President Halimah Yacob. It had a successful pilot phase involving 8 primary schools and 3 uniformed groups.

It is never too early to start this character-building journey and I’m glad that NYAA continues to innovate its programmes!

(MCI Photo by Chwee)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

4 d ·

Had a good catch up with Jeremy Lim, a prime example of one of our NYAA youths who exemplifies resilience. Jeremy was born with brittle bone disease but embarked on the NYAA journey nonetheless. He said that it had strengthened his self-belief and made him think beyond his condition, and now he wants to pay it forward.

(MCI Photo by Ngau Kai Yan)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

4 d ·

Mini reunion with my ex-Tampines colleague Baey Yam Keng 马炎庆 and former Tampines MPs Mah Bow Tan and Yatiman Yusof!

(MCI Photo by Ngau Kai Yan)

 

[jw5]

HSWK felt good to be back at Singapore Management University for the launch of their new building for the School of Social Sciences and College of Integrative Studies.

Heng Swee Keat​

4 d ·
Good to be back at Singapore Management University for the launch of their new building for the School of Social Sciences and College of Integrative Studies! I was Director of Higher Education in MOE when SMU was first conceived, and was involved in many of the early interesting discussions. I am glad to see how well SMU has grown over the years.
This new building is yet another milestone. It houses 2 schools, 4 centres and a research lab, all under one roof. It reflects SMU’s continued commitment to push new frontiers in interdisciplinary education. The building is also built with sustainability in mind, and has many green elements.
As we look ahead, I hope that our universities will continue to strengthen collaborations within Singapore and beyond our borders. This will better prepare our students for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Congratulations once again to Prof Lily and her team!

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

4 d ·

With students and staff from the School of Social Sciences and College of Integrated Studies! (Thanks for the wefie, Janice!)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

4 d ·

Toured the new building and spoke with some students attending a Literature class. Heard that Prof Emily Soon’s classes are really popular among students!

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

5 d ·

Enjoyed chatting with some students from the School of Social Sciences.

(MCI Photo by Liu Ying)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

5 d ·

Careful thought has gone into the design and construction of the new building. The self-shading design reduces reliance on air-conditioning and lowers overall energy consumption. There’s even a rooftop solar farm that will generate renewable energy.

(PMO Photo)

 

[zhihau]

Can someone give a summary of the East Coast Plan?

 

[jw5]

HSK enjoyed the opening of Avatar: The Experience at the Gardens by the Bay Cloud Forest.

Heng Swee Keat​

4 d ·
Welcome to Pandora!
Enjoyed the opening of Avatar: The Experience at the Gardens by the Bay Cloud Forest yesterday.
The immersive experience was put together by a Singapore-based company Cityneon Holdings, in collaboration with Disney Location-Based Experiences and Lightstorm Entertainment. This project was borne out of strong support from Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Tourism Board and Klook.
An idea coined 17 months ago is now a reality. Met the teams behind this project and heard many interesting anecdotes — including how they searched for the perfect flora not just locally, but overseas, to accurately portray the World of Avatar.
This is an option to check out during the upcoming school holidays.

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

4 d ·

The mist shrouded Cloud Forest at Gardens by the Bay is the perfect setting for the lush world of Avatar.

(MCI Photo by Fyrol)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

4 d ·

Came face-to-face with a roaring mountain banshee, predators that are native to Pandora.

(MCI Photo by Fyrol)

 

[jw5]

Heng Swee Keat​

5 d ·

Welby Altidor, Group Creative Officer of Cityneon showing me how this interactive display of lights and sounds works.

(MCI Photo by Fyrol)