Date Published: 12 Jul 2006
- SME-dominated Food & Beverage (F&B) industry gets a boost from national qualifications system to raise culinary and F&B service standards
- Preparation of traditional cuisines such as dim-sum, prata and teh-tarik to be professionalised
- Gears the industry up to realise strong growth, with 50% increase in employment opportunities expected by 2015
The Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) System has been extended to cover the F&B industry comprising 4,400 establishments and 60,000 workers. In showing how companies can skill up their workers and offer the latter career progression pathways, WSQ puts the local F&B industry on par with F&B companies and workers in countries like Australia and those in Europe.
2. Called the F&B WSQ System, the system was developed by the F&B industry led by CEO of Apex-Pal International Douglas Foo and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA). It was launched today by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Finance.
3. The F&B industry is poised for strong growth, and the industry is estimated to require 25,000 more workers by 2015 to bring the total strength of the industry to 85,000. However, the industry has been lagging in training and talent development, and providing readily accessible avenues for workers to join the sector. Currently, seven in 10 employers do not send their workers for training. With F&B WSQ setting the national standards for each F&B occupation, employers can use it to design their training programmes, raise the skills of their workers and enhance the latter’s productivity. Those who are assessed to have met the national standards will receive national recognition at certificate, higher certificate, advanced certificate and diploma level. It will benefit the employability of F&B workers, as currently 90% of them have education level that is secondary level or less. At the same time, the clear career progression pathway set in the WSQ system will make F&B careers more attractive to Singaporeans.
4. F&B WSQ also covers the traditional cuisines of various ethnic groups, including Chinese, Malay, and Indian. More than 180 competencies have been developed for each F&B occupation in both the culinary and service tracks. Over 250 F&B practitioners have given input to the competencies set in this system.
5. Says Mr Foo, “Whether we are aware of it or not, the F&B industry needs such a system to up skill and motivate our workforce in aiming for the pinnacle of culinary and service excellence. It will help Singapore achieve its vision of being a world-class gourmet destination. Because the system has been developed for the industry by the industry, companies can have full confidence that it will serve their business needs."
6. Says WDA Chief Executive, Mr Ong Ye Kung, “WSQ helps to ensure that our workforce is the No. 1 competitive advantage of our economy. F&B WSQ is part of a larger plan, to progressively build up a training infrastructure which our workers can use to upgrade themselves, and find new careers in the new economy."
About WDA
7. The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) seeks to enhance the competitiveness and employability of employees and jobseekers, thereby building a workforce that meets the changing needs of Singapore’s economy. Working with industry, unions, employers, economic agencies, professional associations and training organisations, the agency’s efforts are targeted at supporting industry growth by building a pipeline of workers through training and skills upgrading, and raising industry standards through enhancing manpower capabilities.
