Mr Umesh Ursekar, President, PMI Singapore Chapter,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning.
Introduction
I am happy to be here at the opening of the 10th SPMI Regional Project Management Symposium this morning. This is an important event as project management is a core skill that more workers should possess as Singapore restructures towards a higher productivity and knowledge-intensive economy.
Today, there are close to 10,000 certified Project Management Professionals (PMP) residing in Singapore, almost nine times more than the number recorded in 2010.[1] In fact, Singapore ranked 10th globally in terms of the number of certified managers.
The importance of project management in Singapore’s development
As we mark Singapore’s 50th year of independence, it is an opportune time for us to reflect on our journey thus far and look forward to the future. This is also appropriately the theme for this year’s symposium – “Today to Tomorrow: Leading Vision to Reality”.
Our founding Prime Minister, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, described our achievements in the last 50 years as a transformation from Third World to First. Our transformation has indeed been remarkable. Today, for example, Changi airport is consistently ranked among the best airports in the world, and our seaports are some of the world’s busiest. The Marina Bay area, where we are standing today, was once part of the sea but is now an iconic world-renowned development.
Today, we serve as a role model for many countries hoping to learn the secrets to our success. Yet, our success had never been assured and it was through hard work and persistence that we achieved what we have today.
To build the world-class infrastructure that I highlighted earlier, and for every road, school or hospital that we have built, we needed skilled and professional project managers. From conception to completion, project management at all levels is vital to ensure the success of every project. The building of the Marina Bay Sands was once described as “one of the world’s most challenging construction projects” and its successful opening in 2011 is testament to the expertise and dedication of the many project managers working behind the scenes.
Project management in Singapore’s next phase
As Singapore enters the next phase of development, project management will become even more important. We are now undertaking a major reinvestment in Singapore’s infrastructure, to meet our economic and social needs. In fact, the last time we made such a significant investment in infrastructure was in the 1990s.
As DPM announced in his Budget speech last month, we are embarking on the development of Changi Airport’s new Terminal 5. This is an important investment that will yield long-term benefits to Singapore and Singaporeans. We are also transforming Singapore into a highly liveable city, with vast investments being planned in public transport, our homes and communities. For example, in public transport, 99 new trains will be introduced in the next 5 years, increasing train fleet by 50 per cent, while an additional 450 buses are expected by 2017 under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme.
Our healthcare system is also undergoing major improvements. By the end of the decade, we plan to increase the number of beds in acute hospitals by 25 per cent, double our community hospital beds, and increase nursing home capacity by about 70 per cent. For these and many other projects, we will need to have good project managers as well as the best project management practices to ensure the successful completion of the projects.
In this regard, I am happy to learn that SPMI actively helps to build up project management skills among the wider community. It does so by providing support to academic institutions and welfare organisations, such as through the award of scholarships to the students of Republic Polytechnic and the sharing of project management best practices with the National Council of Social Services (NCSS). Given your expertise in project management, I urge all of you to continue with initiatives to share best practices with welfare organisations and other institutions that would benefit from your guidance.
Conclusion
As we mark our Golden Jubilee this year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank skilled project managers like yourselves for your tireless effort and professionalism in ensuring the success of every major project that we have embarked on. In so doing, you have helped us to build this thriving metropolis that we are proud to call home.
I wish you all an enriching time during this Symposium. Thank you.
[1] Actual number of PMPs in Singapore as of 31st Jan 2015 is 9,764, Total Certificants of PMI credentials is 10,535.