(TL;DR) 5 points for you to look smart in front of your friends.
1) Who is Heng Chee How?
• Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC since 1999
• Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office
• MP for Jalan Besar GRC
• Married to Ms Goh Soon Poh, Deputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Home Affairs
2) What makes him tick?
The Future of Older Workers in Singapore and availability of Evergreen Jobs.
3) So what does he think about place of older workers in Singapore?
It is true that the young shall inherit the future. But what is often assumed, perhaps unspoken, is that the older population has less of a part in that future because they are willy-nilly fading away, or that they are there to be cared for more than to contribute. We must strenuously disabuse ourselves in Singapore of this erroneous view, at least for the foreseeable future.
What should be reckoned as “Working Age population” is shifting. Failing to do so is to live in the past, and be guilty not only of mindless ageism and misjudgement, but indeed of wasting national resources to our own detriment.
Investment in mature workers training and development over a longer time span and runway is not about tokenism or even about fairness. It is straightforwardly about smart decision-making by those accountable for business continuity and competitiveness. You have a saw. If you neglect to sharpen the saw, you will create an inefficient sawing experience. Don’t belittle or blame the saw.
4) What did he wear for Parliament?
7.5/10 – Blue shirt, blue windbreaker. He really seems to like blue a lot!
5) What is his outlook for Singapore’s economy in 2016?
It is not going to be that good a year and the economy’s chances of successful renewal to achieve a sustainable Singaporean Core rests on the Government’s and society’s efforts to work towards lifelong learning, skills upgrading and adaptability.
It is not just about programmes and funding, but about clear-headedness, effort, judgment, perseverance and a strong commitment to creating a better future for each and for all.
(BONUS!) Bet you didn’t know this about him:
The Singapore Police Force scholar attended BOTH Cambridge and Harvard!
Join Heng Chee How on Facebook here!