Mr Leong Charn Huen, Deputy Chairman, Board of Governors,
Members of the Board of Governors,
Mr Low Wong Fook, Principal, Singapore Polytechnic,
Distinguished guests,
Parents and graduands,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning

It gives me great pleasure to join you this morning to witness a very proud moment for the graduands and their loved ones, and to be involved in the celebration of their achievements. My heartiest congratulations to you on successfully completing your course of studies in the Singapore Polytechnic. Today’s graduation ceremony is a significant one as it marks your transition from a student to a professional.

We celebrate this happy occasion amidst an economic downturn that has already made thousands jobless. As we restructure our economy, many will lose jobs that will never return, even after the economy picks up again. These are realities that you will have to face in your search for a job and career.

In the past, when one completed his or her tertiary education, that person could start a career and continue to succeed in it without the need to upgrade and acquire additional skills. It used to also be a familiar situation where a single career will last you throughout your working life. That era is about to come to an end. Things are changing. They will keep changing at a faster pace. You must therefore be able to embrace, come to terms with and adapt to change.

Last year, I was here at the Singapore Polytechnic, attending the National Youth forum on ‘Overcoming Challenges and Succeeding". I remembered the disabled trio who shared with us how they managed to travel round the world using 80 different types of transportation to raise funds for charity. They said that during the journey, one of the members, Mike Mackenzie, the one who was paralyzed from the chest level down, needed to remove a wheel from his wheelchair to get into the train carriage. Instead of throwing up his arms in despair, he adapted to the situation and removed the wheel on the spot. This example illustrates the importance of adapting to a changing environment that is fraught with uncertainties. As Mike Mackenzie aptly puts, "Paralysis does not stop life but merely alters the way you do things."

The disabled trio has succeeded in overcoming challenges to achieve their dream of living life to the fullest despite their disabilities. They did not see their limitations as something to be accepted in meekness and despair; instead they chose to see them as challenges to do things differently. Their persevering spirit is most commendable and I would like to encourage you to also develop this spirit of perseverance and determination to overcome obstacles and difficult situations. More and more, you will need to draw strength from it as you face the challenges of the New Economy.

As we all know, a new economy is being created. This new economy is about an exciting future where risk-taking and entrepreneurship are the criteria for our nation’s prosperity. Globalisation, technological advances and a highly interconnected world have opened up tremendous opportunities for the creation of radically new values, services and business models. Previously, the key to growth was our ability to absorb and adapt technological advances from elsewhere, and to make and deliver products and services more efficiently than others, we now must face the fact that future economic prosperity will be driven by our ability to innovate and to create.

In such an environment, an entrepreneurial culture will be a key national asset in our next phase of development. Our nation cannot survive and prosper unless our people continue to be able to respond to the economic changes that occur globally and maximise the opportunities that are available.

I am therefore pleased to know that there are already successful entrepreneurs in this 43^rd batch of graduands who have tapped business opportunities that are available. One of them is Mr Lawrence Kim who had already started a printing company before entering the Singapore Polytechnic. He is currently doing a roaring trade. And then, there is Mr Mu Liguo, who although is graduating today with a diploma in maritime transportation management, is not seeking a career related to his field of study. He is now managing a company that provides consultancy services and events management. Both of these young entrepreneurs had to juggle both work and studies before achieving what they have today.

These entrepreneurs did not give up despite challenging circumstances. I hope that you will be inspired by the passion that has made these entrepreneurs what they are so that we will continue to see in our young a new generation of entrepreneurial heroes.

In conclusion, I would like to congratulate all graduands on the successful completion of your diploma course. Even as this graduation ceremony marks the end of one cycle of your educational career, it also signals the beginning of your journey in lifelong learning. The journey will no doubt be marked by uncertainties and challenges. But there will also be new opportunities. To take advantage of these opportunities, you will need to keep learning and re-learning. Your success will very much depend on your ability to stay relevant by applying your new knowledge and skills innovatively and creatively.

I wish you every success and a bright future.

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