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Western Australian
Singapore Business Council
Western Australian
Singapore Business Council
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Speech by Mrs. Cecilia Wee for "Planning Your Career" Programme
Good evening Mr. Robin Osborn, fellow speakers of "planning your career Programme", Ladies and Gentlemen. Let me introduce to myself and give you a little bit of my background. I'm Mrs. Wee Chong Jin, wife of retired CJ of Singapore. I have one daughter Veronica and three sons, Lawrence, John and Patrick. Veronica went to Loreto Convent and finished off at Murdoch University and was the first batch of Veterinary student to graduate from this University. Lawrence matriculated from Aquinas College, went back for A Level at Raffles Institution to qualify for the English Universities to study Law and completed his national service. John matriculated from Aquinas College and went back for national and went to US to do a Bachelor of Arts and majored in marketing. Patrick stayed in Singapore (as i wanted to have at least one son to complete his education in Singapore). He completed his national service and is a Law graduate from the National University of Singapore. Therefore, i know what it is like to have children in the universities especially in different countries. Now, let me mention some extracts from my speech made at the Singapore National Day Dinner and Dance, which may be of interest to you. Singapore celebrated 34 years of Independence on Monday 9th of August. Just over three decades ago Singapore separated from Malaysia and became independent. The pundits of that time said that Singapore was doomed to failure, as it had no natural resources; not even the essentials of food and water to survive. But that is now history and the world can see what Singapore has made of itself. We have no assets, but we have people, and they are our best assets. Like Australia and in particular Western Australia, most of out people were migrants. They made Singapore what is is today. They worked together, saved together and in times of economic downturn they sacrificed together. They did not break rank, and today as reported by the Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong in his National message, among other things said: "The Singapore economy is recovering from the regional financial crisis. Growth in the second quarter was a very strong 6.7%. The growth for the second half of 1999 should continue to recover and is expected to be between 4-5% for the next year. The reason I mentioned all this is to show that even a small country like Singapore, which is only a small dot on the world map, with no natural resources managed to survive and make a name for itself as one of the strongest economies in Asia. As you all know, we are now entering into a new age of Information Technology, the Internet and the world of E-Commerce. Our world today is very much smaller and is becoming borderless and is going to effect our lives in the next decade. In Singapore, the leaders have made it quite clear that it will be entering the new millennium with the emphasis on high technology development, and in April 1999, the Singapore Government announced the launching of a U.S $ 1 billion technology investment fund to boost high tech development in Singapore. This fund will encourage Singapore's own investors to progress further and it is also expected to attract foreign venture capital into the technology hub that will improve the economy of the 21st century and for those of you who are technology minded, this is a good opportunity for you to look into this and perhaps be able to tap into this fund. If you want to know more about this, Contact Singapore of which Joy Ang is the Director will be able to give you more information about it. We, in Western Australia are very fortunate to have beautiful weather all the year round except for the odd hot days in summer. We are also very lucky in Australia and in Singapore that the ugly face of racism is suppressed and the people who have migrated with faith in Australia are able to bring with them their culture, theur skills, and their children to be educated in the schools and universities. It is also very fortunate that as of today, the students who may be our future leaders and politicians are concentrating in their studies and not venting their energy on rioting in the street and getting hurt and creating havoc and disrupting the economy of their own country or adopted country, but instead using their energy to promote peace and harmony which would bring investors into the country. Do not allow yourself to be pawns os mischief makers. From the statistics available, the population of Australia comprises of people from more than 200 countries and with the culture and skills that is brought forth with them. Australia is one of the world's most culturally diverse nations and can be the envy of the world. Let me give you some background to the beginning of the Western Australian Singapore Business Council Incorporated. It derived from Temasek Club, which was formed about 11 years ago by the Singaporeans who had migrated to Perth, to help improve their social life in the new environment and be assimilated into the Australian society. With the passage of time, their needs changed and different requirements had to be addressed. This led to the formation of 'The Western Australian Singapore Business Council' almost two years ago but officially it only started off in December last year, and with it, it's role and scope have expanded to cater to the revised needs and meet the challenges of the new millennium. It is hoped that we will be able to start a young professional group to meet the needs of the younger generation, who will be able to form 'Think - Tanks' to further improve the quality of life in their chosen career and those of their families, socially and intellectually. This can only possible if we are able to encourage your generation to join us and donate some of your time to help us formulate an active and dedicated committee to start it off and most importantly continue to serve to make it a formidable organisation for the betterment of the society for all West Australians, ex-Singaporeans, and Singaporeans. Now let me touch on the subject of a career. Being a graduate does not mean all doors will be opened. You have to prove yourself to be worthy of the job. Yes, you have spent years mucking through thick books, writing endless essays, sitting through nerve-wrecking exams, sleepless nights, etc. Finally, your big moment of victory arrives when you are able to march up to the Chancellor to receive your much deserved Degree. Oh! What a relief, Celebrate. But, your troubles have just begun. Now, everyone including your family expect you to walk into highly paid cushiony job. Will that happen? A BIG question mark. Unless you are blessed and is the lucky one, you will be writing endless letters of job applications,, praying for a reply and an opportunity of a job interview. My advice is, don't sit there and wait, plan ahead. In the meantime, do some voluntary work and get some work experience, be exposed to the business world. If possible gain work experience in your chosen field, if not available, then any related field. I can tell you about the hospitality industry. The world is getting smaller. People are getting more affluent, people are getting paid more and therefore can afford to travel to distant lands and most of them, especially those from the Eastern countries travel with their families, more often than not three generations together. They need to live somewhere. Hotels, motels are the norm. These are human resources delegated sectors. Irrespective of whether your Degree is in Law, Business Administration, Accounting, Communication Studies, Bachelor of Arts, Architecture, Political Science or Electrical Engineering, they will be beneficial to the Hotel Industry toward top management positions. The job market anywhere in the world is extremely competitive and you cannot expect to fall into your dream job as you graduate. You will have to work your way up, which may involve accepting work which may not appear to have any relevance to your degree but nevertheless will still provide you with invaluable interpersonal skills. You should accept work experience to build up your confidence and your resume and make you a more employable individual. This is especially true in the case of Hospitality Industry, where you are required to deal with people regularly on a face to face basis. Traineeships are available to provide the practical experience needed especially in areas such as hands on administration, food and beverage and sales and marketing. But the importance of practical experience can also be applied to many other disciplines. For those of you, who wish to continue to live and work in Australia after your graduation, there are formalities which you will have to fulfil such as getting a work permit. There are agents who are trained and licensed to assist you with the formalities for a fee. Mr. Charles Wu, the director of Chathill Consultants is one of them. Sometimes, the company that has agreed to employ you will be able to sponsor you. But, bear in mind that Australians will have top priority over non-Australians in jobs. It is not an impossibility except that the job has to be advertised for a few months and it has to show cause why it is necessary to employ a foreign person to the job and if it can be proven that it is a speciality job or requires this non-Australian citizen then the working visa will be accessible. Or you can apply for permanent residency or a business visa. A list of a few jobs that are in high demand in Australia and scare favourably when applying for a work permit, permanent residency or a business visa include; Accountants, Dentists, Dieticians, Engineers (All types), Technologists, Legal Practitioners, Nurses, Pharmacists, Psychologists, Teachers and Vets. I hope what i have been able to impart to you this evening will give you food for through and be beneficial to your future requirements.
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