SPEECH BY MRS YU-FOO YEE SHOON,MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS, AT THE PARTNER CONNECTION TRADE SEMINAR, 17 NOVEMBER 2006, 9.30 AM AT ORCHARD HOTEL
Distinguished Guests
Friends from Abroad
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning.
1 It is my pleasure to be here, in the company of professionals in the dating industry. Both local and overseas players, as well as businesses, are gathered together to network, share good practices and explore potential partnerships.
Social Trends
2 Let me start by sharing some social trends in Singapore.
3 Dating and marriage are natural phases in life. Since olden days, matchmaking serves a critical social function. Matchmakers were fondly known in Mandarin as “Mei Ren” (媒人) and “Hong Niang” (红娘). Parents, relatives, friends and the community took on this role naturally. Then, matchmaking was largely through family members and informal networks.
4 Today, this social norm of matchmaking by parents and concerned relatives is no longer common. I hear of parents saying that they would prefer not to interfere in their children’s decision. Even those who are eager to see their children settle down, tend to keep this wish private.
5 But we are heartened to know that despite the increasingly sophisticated profile of our singles and the exposure to global values and cultures, the one thing that has not changed is the desire to get married.
6 In the SDU/SDS Perception Survey 2005, more than 90 percent of the single respondents stated that they would certainly or most probably get married one day. The majority of respondents who were not dating hoped to be in a serious relationship with someone whom they could expect to marry eventually.
7 However, they have little opportunity to meet members of the opposite gender. This is supported by the Survey on Singles’ Attitude towards Courtship and Marriage 2006, in which 72% of all singles would like to have more opportunities to meet new friends of the opposite gender.
8 In the SDU/SDS Perception Survey 2005, the most popular method of finding a suitable life partner cited by respondents who were not dating was participating in more social interaction activities and dating programs.
The Local Dating Scene
9 Till now, the Social Development Unit (SDU) and the Social Development Service (SDS) have been providing a diverse range of activities and services for graduate and non-graduate singles respectively.
10 While the two units have done well, their outreach to singles is limited. No matter how well these two units do, there will always be singles who prefer a private set-up.
11 Hence, we want to partner and engage the private sector more to deliver creative and refreshing dating ideas which reach out to more singles.
12 We have been sharing popular dating concepts, for example speed dating, with commercial organisations to facilitate the creation of more social interaction opportunities for singles at large. Some more interesting concepts include dating on board a hot-air balloon and trolley shopping in the supermarket which attracted 300 singles!
13 Such creative ideas show that the industry has much potential for growth. In the near future, one can imagine this scenario. You are a single working late in an office in Jurong. After work, you can drop by a nearby café which offers not only a hot meal, but the opportunity to enjoy the company of like-minded singles. In the United States, there are speed-dating clubs in almost every key city. No matter where you are, the opportunity to meet someone is just around the corner. This is how we want the scene in Singapore to be. We want it to be abuzz with activities. We want singles to know that dating is hip!
Government’s Initiatives to Develop and Professionalise the Industry
14 I am therefore happy to announce today – and this should come as good news to the industry and singles – that in tandem with the growth of the commercial dating industry, the Government will phase out its provision of direct dating services, and let the private sector flourish. The pace will be gradual and dependent on whether the industry can step up to provide credible alternative services for singles. We will also ensure that SDU and SDS members continue to enjoy the same level of services.
15 For the industry to grow and thrive, it must be able to capture the confidence of singles. In the Dating Industry Market Survey 2006, one major barrier that keeps singles away from attending social interaction activities organized by businesses is the concern over privacy and security.
16 However, when singles were asked if they would use commercial matchmaking agencies, the percentage who said they would, increased by 30 percent if the agencies were accredited by the Government.
17 Thus, the Government will be introducing an accreditation framework for the dating industry.
Framework
18 We hope that accreditation, which is an endorsement of an organisation’s competence, credibility and integrity, would benefit both the industry players and singles. Accredited agencies will carry the SDU Trust Mark.
19 Businesses will be accredited by an independent accreditation council, which will be the approving authority for accreditation standards and processes. This council will comprise experts with relevant and extensive experience in this area..
20 Along with the accreditation, SDU will set up two national registries – a Registry of Dating Practitioners, and a Registry of Dating Agencies. The Registry of Dating Practitioners will provide the agencies with a ready pool of accredited and trained professionals, and allow singles to check on the status of the dating practitioners who are attending to them. The Registry of Dating Agencies will carry the list of accredited agencies.
Incentives
21 To help develop and professionalise the industry, a million-dollar fund – The Partner Connection Fund – has been set up. The Fund will be used to create platforms to share industry best practices, promote the demand for dating services, establish an accreditation framework, as well as to provide seed funding to industry players to upgrade and professionalise themselves.
22 In terms of seed funding, the Fund is open to any firm, regardless of size, that wants to embark on new services or activities – be it existing dating agencies venturing into new areas or upgrading their services, promising start-ups, or businesses established in other areas wanting to enter the industry. The Partner Connection Fund will fund up to 80% of the costs incurred for approved projects, subject to a cap of $50,000. Successful applicants can use the funds in areas such as marketing and promotion of dating services, training and accreditation fees.
23 To qualify for funding, businesses must apply for and be successfully accredited. This requires commitment to some key guidelines, among them the screening of all clients against the records of the Registry of Marriages and Registry of Muslim Marriages. A preferential rate will be extended only to accredited companies.
24 SDU is also partnering the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to develop competency standards for dating practitioners under the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework, which can eventually be used to certify the skills of these practitioners
Panel
25 To ensure fair, consistent and expert evaluation of the proposals, an evaluation panel co-chaired by Ms Claire Chiang, a well-respected businesswoman and advisor to Romancing Singapore and Mrs Tan Hwee Seh, Coordinating Director, Family Development Group in MCYS, with members from SPRING, relevant business persons as well as young community leaders has been set up. I serve as advisor to this panel. This Fund will be administered by SDU.
27 To summarise, the intention is for the private sector to play a bigger role in organizing social interaction activities and offering dating services for singles. The accreditation framework will boost the confidence of singles to use these services and the Partner Connection Fund will help businesses to grow.
Roles of SDU and SDS
28 Looking ahead, SDU and SDS will gradually ease out from direct services in tandem with the growth of the industry. This is to ensure that existing members have credible alternatives to turn to.
29 SDU will continue to support the development of the dating industry in six key ways:
30 SDS will continue to work with Family Life Champions to promote family life in the community.
32 I would like to urge businesses to take a broader perspective and to think about the long-term growth of the industry beyond your daily operational issues. If nurtured carefully, this industry can blossom and contribute significantly to Singapore’s vision of a vibrant city.
33 In the later part of today, you will hear our invited overseas speakers share on interesting business models, how different forms of regulatory framework have benefited the industry and their respective dating industries. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for taking time off their busy schedules to share their experiences.
34 With all these exciting developments in place, I hope that you will maximise every opportunity to exchange views, network and forge strategic alliances. Together, we can achieve our vision of a vibrant dating industry in Singapore.
35 On this note, I wish you a pleasant and fruitful seminar.
Thank you.