SG Talk

(05-01-2023, 06:07 PM)mrclubbie Wrote: [ -> ]https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/j...ging-world

If this summary of the Institute of Policy Studies’ (IPS) Singapore Perspectives 2023 conference provided in this report is accurate, then I have to conclude that this is a classic waste of time garbage foaming forum whose main purpose is to allow various senior executives to advertise their personal branding by spouting useless soundbites one after another. I hope the refreshments were worth it for those in attendance. 

The whole session as it is reported appears to be filled with senseless politically correct and often tautological rhetoric that does not provide any insight, let alone come up with useful practical suggestions to address the challenges.

Quote: As jobs transform, it is important to find a way to make sure they still give employees dignity and a sense of identity, said Ms Winnie Tan, senior vice-president of sustainability at insurance firm Great Eastern.

After throwing out this generic assertion, there is neither mention of how Winnie defines what exactly "dignity" and "identity" is nor did the rest of the report mention any other speaker who knows much or care about this subject. 

Quote:She said: “You could be standing in a production line or be a sales or finance executive in the automobile industry... You need to start factoring things like carbon taxes into your financial reporting... how might you acquire these skills?”

This is just a standard need for all employees to keep themselves abreast on developments that affect their craft. This bears no insight and I can't for the life see what this has to do with "dignity" and "identity" of workers.

Quote:Workers must also be supported by policies that enable learning and give enough resources to members of the public to allow them to learn new skills.

 
Gee... We didn't know that, thanks Captain Obvious.

Quote:Dr Ong from BizTech, which encompasses several organisations including Trust Tech Engineering and the Smart Systems Research Programme Office, said that while various training programmes and schemes are available, it is still up to the individual to take charge and plan his own way forward.

What a novel idea nobody has thought of, thanks for the insight Major Obvious!

Quote: Dr Gog Soon Joo, chief skills officer at SkillsFuture Singapore, acknowledged that changes and “never-ending learning” required can be overwhelming for workers. She suggested individuals could take small steps by exploring short modular courses before moving on to fuller programmes.

Although this isn't particularly groundbreaking, credit must be given to Dr Gog - there is at least some basic logic to this suggestion compared to the rest of the empty suits who are just conjugating random English words at the podium.

Quote: Agreeing, Mr Indranil Roy, executive director of consulting firm Deloitte Consulting South-east Asia, said the ability to solve problems is critical in helping workers be open to learning and adapting.

Again, this one Colonel Obvious.

Quote: During the session, Ms Low Khah Gek, chief executive of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), made a pitch for employers to go beyond degree requirements and assess the skills of candidates when recruiting.

Nothing wrong with this statement per se, but this observation is vintage old. Everyone has been saying that for decades and to this date nothing much has changed. If Ms Low is not able to come up with anything helpful to change this prevalent mentality, it's really just restating the problem again and again.

All in from what is purportedly being said in this forum, all I see are various empty suits sporting fancy job titles spouting stuff that everyone knows but have no idea how to solve under a veneer of respectability garnered from attending a "high class" conference.