Remarks by President Halimah Yacob at Visit to Industry 4.0 Training Course

Bapak Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Minister of Industry

Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth

Mr Sam Tan, Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning. Let me first begin by thanking Bapak Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Minister of Industry, for his kind remarks. I thank the officials from the Ministry of Industry (MOI), Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Foundation, and Enterprise Singapore for helping to organise my visit here today. I am also grateful for the warm and gracious welcome of the participants of the Industry 4.0 training course.

Human resource development and Industry 4.0 development are key priorities for both Singapore and Indonesia. Our two countries share a common objective of ensuring that our citizens are not just well prepared for technological disruptions brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but also well positioned to reap the benefits that they bring to our peoples, industries and economies. Both Singapore and Indonesia recognise that our workers need to be equipped with the relevant skills so that they can adapt and seize the opportunities brought about by these technological advancements.

The training course today is a result of our common vision to do so.

Transforming industries to be Industry 4.0-ready is a long-drawn challenge. It is more like a marathon than a sprint. Singapore recognises that Indonesia is boldly moving forward in this journey. In April 2018, Indonesia launched your Industry 4.0 Roadmap to enhance the competitiveness of its industries and create more jobs in the key sectors of automotive, chemicals, electronics, food and beverage, textiles, and garments. President Jokowi has made human resource development a key priority for Indonesia.

Singapore and Indonesia already have longstanding and excellent cooperation in human resource development. Singapore has trained thousands of Indonesians under more than 20 MOUs. Today’s training course is mounted under one such MOU between the MOI and Singapore Polytechnic, and co-funded by MOI and Temasek Foundation.

I am pleased to be able to see first-hand an example of our collaboration in action today. Such partnerships allow both our countries to exchange experiences and useful pedagogies to benefit our respective workers and industries. Singapore is committed to strengthening cooperation with Indonesia in such mutually beneficial areas. I hope that you will find the course enriching and relevant and be able to pass on your knowledge to other educators. Thank you.