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Good afternoon to our industry partners, industry leaders

Colleagues from EDB and Ministry of Education,

Partners from various agencies,

Family and friends of our scholars,

And our scholars,

1. Good afternoon to all of you. I am delighted to join you for this afternoon's Singapore-Industry Scholarship award ceremony, or SgIS for short.

2. I want to first congratulate all our 196 newly minted scholars. Congratulations! This is a proud moment for you, and we are all very proud of you, just as it is for the people who have supported you along your journey – your families, your friends, your teachers and your loved ones.

3. When the SgIS was established 14 years ago, our vision was to create a strong and enduring partnership between industries and the Government to develop and grow our Singapore local talent. We started with fewer than 30 Sponsoring Organisations. Today, we have over 150 Sponsoring Organisations representing 16 key sectors covering advanced manufacturing, logistics, infrastructure and services, and more. Together, they provide diverse and wide opportunities to our SgIS scholars.

4. Through the SgIS, over 1,800 Singaporean students have had their university education paid for, and benefitted from developmental opportunities and good jobs in industries that are of strategic importance to Singapore.

5. I would like to thank the Sponsoring Organisations and agency partners for providing these opportunities for our students.

Thriving in a Volatile Global Economy

6. While we celebrate this occasion today, we also reflect on the fast-changing world around us, the tremendous uncertainty, the things that are happening around us- and what it will take for Singapore to continue thriving. We have grown tremendously over the past decades in a global economic order that promoted free trade. But this global order is under immense pressure. Trade tariffs and other measures are being implemented to fragment global trade and supply chains. This is not to mention other headwinds, but also opportunities, such as climate change and rapid developments in technology.

7. For Singapore and for Singaporeans to succeed in this new global environment, we will need a strong local talent core leading our strategic industries. We can achieve these through three 'C's, and these are:

1. First, Cultivate.
2. Second, Connect.
3. Third, Continual learning.

Cultivate - Developing our Future Leadership Pipeline

8. Let me start with the first C, which is cultivating our future leadership pipeline of Singaporeans. Through the SgIS, we want to work with our industry partners to identify a diverse pool of talented local graduates like you, and nurture you through structured internships, mentorships, dialogue sessions with senior leaders and more.

9. One of our partners, Advanced Micro Devices or AMD in short, does just that.

1. Their first SgIS scholar from 9 years ago is Aloysius Koh and I met him earlier. He gained valuable technical industry skills through hands on design work during his undergraduate internship at the then-company known as Xilinx. In his first year of work, he was able to contribute to a project entitled Project Everest, one of their major initiatives.
2. Project Everest is a specialised computing product line launched in 2018. This is a remarkable achievement, for a fresh graduate, only possible because of his early exposure to the company and their investment in his professional development, and the trust they developed in him.
3. Today, several years later, Aloysius continues to contribute to AMD as a Place and Route Engineer, designing the optimal layout of multiple generations of computer chips. His latest accomplishment involved leading his team to develop the Instinct Mi Series, which is AMD's line of machine learning accelerator products.

10. Aloysius's journey shows how SgIS enables organisations to develop our Singapore talent, and at the same time, grow their own future leadership pipeline. Taken together, this can drive growth in strategic industries and keep Singapore competitive. So that's the first C.

Connect – Applying theoretical knowledge in industry realities

11. The second C is connect. The close partnership between the Government and industries through this SgIS ensures that our Singapore scholars are attuned to industry's evolving needs while they are still studying. This enables them to actively think about how they can apply what they learn in school to the industries they will eventually join.

12. Take the example of JatlysonAng. I met Jatlyson earlier as well.

1. As a firm believer of learning through experience and designing for impact, Jatlyson chose to study Design and Artificial Intelligence, here at SUTD.
2. In his most recent project, he worked with companies to explore hybrid vertical take-off and landing drone solutions, and innovative geospatial data collection methods.
3. He also extends his passion for innovation and AI, by volunteering as a student mentor for the STEAMunity programme here at SUTD, where he guides 15 to 21-year-old students in creating tech-based solutions for the community.
4. I am pleased to share that today, Jatlyson will be receiving his scholarship with Thales Solutions Asia. With a global technology leader as his Sponsoring Organisation, Jatlyson looks forward to using what he has learnt to develop practical solutions that will address Singapore's air-space needs.

13. From Jatlyson's story, we can see that true measure of higher education isn't the degree certificate awarded at graduation today. With a global technology leader as a sponsoring organisation, Jatlyson looks forward to developing practical solutions that will address Singapore's air space needs. From this example, we can see that the true measure of higher education isn't necessarily the degree certificate awarded at graduation, but the ability to translate what we learn in school into solutions for industries. Only then can we navigate the complexities of a volatile global environment to retain Singapore's competitive edge.

Continual Learning – Learning for Life

14. This brings me to the final C on continuous learning for life.

15. Learning doesn't stop at graduation, but is something that we have to do throughout our lives – the spirit of inquiry, the urge to learn more, to explore. In a world that is constantly shifting, and where change is accelerating at a tremendous pace, Singapore's ability to thrive and compete, and then earn a living for ourselves, depends on our ability to continuously adapt and push boundaries.

16. One of our alumni, Nicholas Tang, has made lifelong learning a personal priority.

1. As an SgIS scholar at SIA Engineering, he was rotated across diverse roles, gaining exposure to functions from supply chain management to digital transformation.
2. In his first role, he learned about Lean Six Sigma, a business management methodology to improve process efficiency, to support the rollout of transformation initiatives across departments. In his second stint, he recognised the importance of data-driven decision-making. This motivated him to pursue a FlexiMasters in Business and Financial Analytics with NTU.
3. Today, as the Change Management Lead in SIA Engineering, Nicholas is still learning, building knowledge in the SAP ecosystem to better support end-to-end process redesign across multiple departments.
4. Nicholas recognised that both formal as well as self-directed learning is key to driving meaningful impact in today's fast evolving workplace.

17. His attitude towards continual lifelong learning is what we hope to cultivate in our future local leaders who will drive our industries forward.

Conclusion

18. In closing,

19. To our scholars, this world of unprecedented change brings about new opportunities for you. Take on new challenges, even if it may be uncomfortable initially. And remember to give back to the society that has stood by you – your family, your friends, your teachers, your sponsors and many others who have helped you on your journey.

20. As we look forward to SG60 and beyond, and navigate a rapidly changing world, let us remember the 3 "Cs" shall we –cultivate our people and our industries, proactively connect our education with the real world, and lastly, embrace continual learning.

21. Once again, congratulations to all our scholars and your families, and thank you to our Sponsoring Organisations! May this partnership bring growth and success to all.

22. Thank you.