Many countries, including Singapore, are coming to grips with disruptive technology and preparing themselves to leverage technology to grow their economy.

As a result, there is a growing educational trend to focus on studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

To strengthen our economy and nation-building process, we should be mindful not to be unnecessarily influenced by this trend.

We should continue to provide a holistic and balanced education to our students.

In this regard, we have to ensure that our students cultivate the discipline for studying literature, including and especially local poetry (Shaping identity with local poetry; March 16).

The study of literature in the local context can teach students to better appreciate and develop their character, morals and other values that are relevant and important to them.

Studying literature can help students develop multiple intelligences, including meta-cognitive as well as creative and aesthetic, emotional and cultural, and interpersonal and intrapersonal.

These intelligences or a combination of these intelligences can help students lead, manage and work with others, become more creative and innovative, better appreciate beauty and aesthetic values, and learn how to communicate complex and complicated issues in an effective way.

In addition, they will be able to complement advanced technology and collaborate better with it to perform different tasks and achieve better results.

These are learning outcomes from studying literature that may better prepare students to survive the tidal waves of disruptive technology and succeed in the new economy.

Patrick Liew Siow Gian (Dr)

This article was first published on Mar 27, 2017.
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Have you ever imagined yourself creating a complex machine part or even a human windpipe on a screen, then seeing it take on physical form right before your eyes?

Or leading a team of tireless workers who need to be reprogrammed once in a while?

These are jobs already being done by 3D designers and robot coordinators. Not many people have the skills to do these jobs yet, because they have not been around for long.

At least not in a big way.

But in the economy of the future, you can expect more jobs like these to be created.

Jobs will change too.

While it is hard to identify the specific skills students and workers need to acquire to keep up with these changes, one skill that will come in handy is the ability to continually learn new things.

As Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said earlier this month, as businesses transform, more old jobs will be destroyed. But new jobs will be created and existing jobs will be transformed too.

What this means for workers is that instead of staying with a single employer for life, it will be common to move through multiple employers – and take on multiple careers – throughout one’s working life.

“Each time we move from one career to another career, we will have to learn new skills and adapt to a new environment to regain our employability, time and time again,” Mr Lim said.

Understandably, many workers are worried about adapting to these changes, and concerned about how their livelihoods will be affected.

With robots and advanced computer programs helping do jobs ranging from delivering room service to providing financial advice, workers in some industries are already feeling the heat.

But technology also creates new products, such as 3D printing for companies to make prototypes quickly rather than outsourcing this process, and jobs, such as for rapid prototyping technicians.

Jobs will disappear. But better- quality ones will be created.

For example, in advanced manufacturing, some 23,000 jobs are forecast to be displaced over the next seven years, but more than 22,000 new jobs are expected to be created.

These new jobs will pay on average 50 per cent more than those lost, a recent study by Boston Consulting Group found.

SKILLING UP FOR NEW JOBS

However, these changes wrought by technology and other forces also mean the job market will go through some labour pains.

Layoffs last year rose to the highest level since the global financial crisis in 2009. Unemploy- ment involving Singapore residents also crept up slightly.

Professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) are hit harder by the churn as it takes longer to train for a different job at these levels.

People who took a break from work, or who struggled to find a new job after being laid off, often have a hard time proving that they have the relevant knowledge and skills for a job.

This is why the Government is putting more resources into helping this group find new jobs, such as by subsidising their wages via the Career Support Programme.

PMETs can also work and get training at the same time through over 50 Professional Conversion Programmes in sectors that are expected to grow in the near future.

Unlike in the past, a degree is no longer a guarantee of lifelong employment in a well-paying job.

But opportunities are there for those who excel in technical skills to do well, even if they may not have academic qualifications.

Being quick to pick up new skills will help students and workers adapt to changing opportunities. This entails going deeper to master a chosen field and excel in it.

One tip experts have for workers is to keep abreast of the latest trends and technology, which can help bring in new ideas for employers to try out and add value.

At the same time, they recommend picking up transferrable skills that can be applied in other jobs or industries, such as being able to understand and use data, or to market an idea.

The Committee on the Future Economy has called for more opportunities for workers to acquire deep skills and use them on the job.

A medley of initatives is available to help students and workers upgrade their skills and knowledge, including study awards, work-study programmes, internships and career guidance from as early as primary school.

The $500 SkillsFuture Credit given to all Singaporeans aged 25 and above can be used to defray the cost of over 18,000 training courses.

Other measures have been put in place to help those who have years of work experience, but may not have the skills needed in sunrise industries, find new jobs.

One is the new Attach And Train programme announced in this year’s Budget for up-and-coming industries like logistics. Workers can be trained while on attachments at companies that are not ready to hire staff yet.

As more focus is placed on pushing Singapore companies to break out of the local market and start creating products and services for the region and beyond, students and workers will also be encouraged to innovate and learn to work with overseas partners.

SCALING UP EFFORTS TO IDENTIFY FUTURE JOBS

Policymakers, too, are constantly trying to learn more about what the future holds for Singapore’s workforce.

Data is one aid they hope to use to help answer questions like these: How much investment is Singapore getting? How many jobs will these create? Which industries and companies will grow? What skills will workers need for these jobs?

Answers to these questions will help better prepare workers for jobs and later match them to jobs.

The National Trades Union Congress started a Future Jobs, Skills and Training unit this year to gather data on specific companies and industries where new investments and jobs will be over a three-year time frame.

The research will be shared with training providers and institutes of higher learning that can use the information to develop more relevant skills and training courses.

There have also been calls to use the data from the job posts on the national Jobs Bank more fully. For example, if a vacancy for a particular type of job is hard to fill and keeps getting re-posted, that could mean more Singaporeans need more skills in that area.

The Manpower Ministry has also made it compulsory, since Jan 1, for companies to report retrenchments within five working days, if five or more staff are retrenched within six months. This is so that the Government and unions can act on the data and offer the affected workers help more quickly.

If we wait for skills gaps to appear before workers start training for them, there will always be a lag time and the risk of structural unemployment – where the available skills of workers and the skills needed to fill jobs do not match.

That is why Singapore is trying to stay ahead of the curve.

It has rolled out Industry Transformation Maps to chart strategies for 23 industries, covering over four-fifths of the nation’s gross domestic product.

Six have been launched, for the logistics, hotels, precision engineering, food manufacturing, food services and retail industries.

These should provide some guidance for companies.

The education system also needs to be tightly integrated with industry needs, all the way from schools to adult education and training centres, to provide guidance for students and workers.

For all the efforts by the Government, individuals, too, must take responsibility for their careers, and not have a sense of entitlement.

When changes come, those who can pick up new skills quickly will fare better.

So if there is any skill to get better at, it is the ability to keep learning.

About The Big Quiz

Each Monday, the paper’s journalists will address burning questions in the Opinion section, offering unique Singaporean perspectives on complex issues.

These primers form part of the outreach of The Straits Times- Ministry of Education National Current Affairs Quiz, nicknamed The Big Quiz, which aims to promote an understanding of local and global issues among pre-university students.

Underpinning this year’s Big Quiz is a focus on disruption, a timely issue as various sectors and industries adapt to this global change. The theme will come through in six campus talks helmed by editors and correspondents.

Six quiz rounds will also be held for students to demonstrate their current affairs knowledge.

The nationwide event is jointly organised by The Straits Times and the Ministry of Education, with the Singapore Press Holdings Foundation as its presenting sponsor.

Pre-university schools and institutions can note these dates for participation in this year’s quiz rounds and talks:

March 29 at Jurong Junior College

April 3 at National Junior College

April 12 at Dunman High School

April 19 at Nanyang Junior College

April 26 at Temasek Junior College

May 12 at Eunoia Junior College

• For more information or to view additional resources: http://www.straitstimes.com/tags/the-big-quiz
• For more information on this week’s primer topic, go to http://str.sg/47V4 

joseow@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 27, 2017.
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Even after red flags show up in a health screening, it can take a lot to get people to see a doctor for a proper check-up.

Medical groups which run health screenings say a significant proportion of people who need to follow up on their screening do not do so.

SingHealth, which runs six to eight screenings a year, says one in four people who were screened between July 2015 and the same month last year had not returned for a doctor’s follow-up after a year.

Healthcare professionals say many people do not see their results as being serious enough to warrant a doctor’s visit, or do not want any medication. Some say they are too busy.

Dr Emily Ho, director (clinical) of the SingHealth Regional Health System, said: “Some prefer to control their conditions on their own, via diet and exercise.”

The Health Ministry this month said Singaporeans aged 40 and above will be able to get screened for five diseases – high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes as well as cervical and colorectal cancer – at just $5 from September.

The fee includes screening and the first follow-up consultation with a doctor, and is even cheaper for those on the Community Health Assist Scheme or who are part of the pioneer generation.

Diabetes affects an estimated 400,000 people in Singapore, while cervical and colorectal cancer are among the top cancers here. Meanwhile, high blood pressure and cholesterol can increase a person’s risk of heart attack and stroke.

Making screening affordable is part of the Government’s move to pick up such ailments early.

By including a first consultation in the $5 fee, it hopes to reduce the drop-off rates of those who test positive but do not follow up on the results.

Currently, the key to getting people to come back for a follow-up seems to be persistence.

Groups such as SingHealth, the Diabetic Society of Singapore (DSS) and the Singapore Cancer Society have nurses who call people to remind them to make follow-up appointments.

They call them at regular intervals – usually every three to six months – and explain to them the potential risks if they delay making such appointments.

The National Healthcare Group (NHG), on its part, has post-screening talks to help people interpret their results the day they get them.

“We also provide vouchers for subsidised consultations at participating general practitioner clinics nearby,” an NHG spokesman said.

DSS vice-president Kalpana Bhaskaran stressed the importance of screenings and follow-ups, saying: “Most of the lifestyle diseases are silent diseases and do not have any symptoms during the initial stages, so people are not aware.”

She also said problems can snowball without regular screenings and follow-ups – for example, diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure and amputation of the limbs.

“Some are scared to go in case the doctor detects something abnormal, and they have to spend money to treat it,” Dr Kalpana said.

Not dealing with such ailments early leads to more money being spent when the conditions worsen.

One person who prefers to be vigilant is Mr Bernard Loh, 79, who goes for polyclinic check-ups every few months to ensure his high blood pressure and high cholesterol are under control.

The retired marine engineer said: “I would rather know about this kind of thing early.”

linettel@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 27, 2017.
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Demand for subsidised dental treatment is so much higher than dentists in the public sector can comfortably cope with, that patients could face waits of a year or more for treatment.

This includes treatment for serious dental problems such as periodontitis or severe gum infection.

Dr Poon Choy Yoke, director of the National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS), said: “With a rapidly ageing population, the demand for age-related dental treatment such as dentures, root canals and fillings has increased.”

The centre, which has eight periodontists, gets 150 referrals a month for gum treatments. Dr Poon said the average waiting time for a first visit is two to 5½ months.

An assessment is made and those who come in a diseased state are first stabilised, then therapy is carried out on subsequent visits, she explained.

Retiree Wilson Tan, 69, visited a dentist at Toa Payoh Polyclinic in February last year, when he was told he had periodontitis and needed specialist treatment.

Periodontitis is a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissues and destroys the bone that supports teeth. If left untreated, it can cause tooth loss or, worse, an increased risk of heart attack or stroke and other serious health problems.

Mr Tan was referred to the NDCS and, after a six-month wait, went for his first appointment in August last year, where X-rays were taken but no treatment was carried out. He was to return in three months for treatment to start.

But when he tried to make a follow-up appointment, he was told there was a long waiting list and he could not be given a date just yet.

He has called and e-mailed the NDCS several times for an appointment, but has yet to get a date.

It has been seven months since the X-ray and 13 months since his first visit to the polyclinic.

An e-mail from the service quality section in November last year told him: “Most patients on this waiting list wait for about six to 10 months before treatment commences.”

It added that, should his condition worsen, he should seek “a review appointment” and, in the meantime, arrange for routine six-monthly cleaning at a dental polyclinic or private general practitioner dental clinic before commencing his gum treatment at the NDCS.

He had thought of going to a private dental specialist, but it is very expensive, he said.

Dr Raymond Ang, chief operating officer of dental chain Q&M, said a week’s wait is about the norm for periodontal treatment. The chain has more than 70 clinics and several periodontists.

Non-surgical periodontal charges range from $300 to $600 per quadrant of the mouth, with treatment taking more than an hour per quadrant, he added.

Dr Poon said the NDCS charges private patients $213 to $472, while heavily subsidised pioneers like Mr Tan pay $40 to $143.

Although the Ministry of Health provides subsidies for pioneers like Mr Tan to get treated at private dental clinics, these do not cover specialist periodontic treatment.

Dr Ang said the claim amount for gum treatment is equivalent to scaling, which is $40 up to twice a year.

Said Mr Tan: “I am angry. What is the point of giving pioneers cheap and good medical and dental care with such long waiting times?”

When asked what was being done to address the long waiting times, Dr Poon told The Straits Times: “Recognising that this is an area of growing demand, NDCS is actively recruiting more to the speciality.”

salma@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Mar 27, 2017.
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The son of famed auto designer Ferruccio Lamborghini has joined a group of people accusing a Singapore nightclub and its linked businesses of owing them money.

In a letter to The Sunday Times, Mr Tonino Lamborghini said the former club at Clarke Quay, which bore his name, owes his company licensing fees amounting to “hundreds of thousands (of) USD”.

“Our lawyers are taking action not only to get due fees, but mainly to protect our brand and recover all damages we are suffering.”

The Sunday Times reported last week that the Tonino Lamborghini Club owed former workers, including employees from linked businesses Pixie Group and TL Landmark Asia, up to three months of salary. A contractor also said he was owed about $400,000.

The club opened on Oct 20 and closed the next day.

Read also: Penang family spends $5,332 on paper Lamborghini for Qing Ming

Mr Lamborghini, founder of the Italy-based Tonino Lamborghini business, said its “image, goodwill and reputation” have been “seriously damaged by a disgraceful situation that is beyond our control”.

He said his business was not involved in the operational issues, renovation and manpower contracts of the Singapore club, which had licensing rights to the brand name.

A Manpower Ministry spokesman had earlier said it was investigating Pixie Group and TL Landmark for Employment Act infringements. It issued orders of payment which were defaulted. Some former employees had also taken up law suits against the companies.

Mr Lamborghini said: “We are not – to the best of our knowledge – a party to any legal action brought against the aforementioned companies whose unlawful behaviour towards employees, contractors and business partners we… blame.”

He said he was approached, in 2015, by Mr Victor Hoo, director of Pixie Group, who expressed interest in developing a “project of Tonino Lamborghini branded nightclubs” in the Asia-Pacific region.

Read also: High-end luxury car market hit hard

Last October, Tonino Lamborghini entered a trademark licence agreement with Mr Hoo’s Singapore-headquartered KV International Group. The Singapore club was to be the first of nine.

When Mr Lamborghini went to its pre-opening party, he became aware of the “troubled situation”.

His company stopped the club from opening and terminated the licence deal on Feb 8, due to contract breaches which included non-compliance of design guidelines and not meeting quality standards.

Mr Lamborghini said: “We were quite astonished and disappointed. Mr Hoo had never mentioned any problem or delay before the day of the pre-opening party.”

When contacted, Mr Hoo told The Sunday Times that KV International signed the licensing rights and made payment for seven cities. The final payment was to be made when the Singapore club opened but because it was unable to, payment was not made.

Mr Hoo also said Pixie Group intended to acquire the Tonino Lamborghini Club project but could not raise enough capital. He added that while some Pixie Group employees assisted in club operations, the company did not own or run the club.

This article was first published on Mar 26, 2017.
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