Minister of Ribbon and Wayang Amy Khor wants to groom hawkers

[Cottonmouth]

Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor announced yesterday (11 Jan) that the government will launch a new work-study programme in March to train polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates to become hawkers (‘Poly, ITE grads can train to be hawkers under new programme‘).

The new Work-Study Post-Diploma (Certificate in Hawkerpreneurship) is a 12-month programme open to to all recent poly and ITE graduates.

Dr Khor said, “With the increasing recognition and appreciation of hawker fare, setting up a hawker stall can be considered as a gateway into the F&B sector, and there could be budding food and beverage entrepreneurs who may aspire to join the hawker trade.”

She said the National Environment Agency (NEA) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will work together with Temasek Polytechnic (TP) to launch the programme.

Students will undergo a two-month classroom-based training, followed by a four-month apprenticeship and a six-month mentorship with experienced hawkers. Both mentors and apprentices will receive a monthly training allowance of $500 and $1,000 respectively.

Dr Khor also said support has been given to hawkers to help them digitalise. She said, “To keep our hawker culture thriving, we cannot just do the same things (in) the same way. We need to adapt to change and do the same things in different ways, which is borne out by our experience with the Covid-19 pandemic.”

MOM adjusts processing of applications for S Pass to “alleviate manpower shortage” in S’pore

While the government is setting up programmes to encourage Singapore’s poly and ITE graduates to become hawkers, it announced last month (15 Dec) that it will “adjust its processing of new work permits and S Pass applications” of workers across all industry sectors to better support businesses in Singapore (‘MOM to adjust processing of applications for new work permit, S passes to alleviate manpower shortage in S’pore‘).

It was reported that the Manpower Ministry (MOM) was in consultation with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of National Development (MND) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) regarding the loosening of entry restriction for new foreign workers.

MOM said that it now has more room to accommodate the entry of work pass holders to alleviate the manpower shortage, given the country’s “stable COVID-19 situation, strong public health measures and testing capacity”.

“Applicants and employers must adhere to current border measures, which include seeking entry approval from the authorities, undergoing pre-departure tests, and completing their stay-home notice in Singapore,” it added.

S Pass allows mid-level skilled foreigners to work in Singapore. Candidates need to earn at least $2,500 a month and have the relevant qualifications and work experience to get approval. S Pass holders typically take on jobs done by Singapore’s poly and ITE graduates originally trained for.

Foreign spouses and family members can work in S’pore too

Not only foreign work pass holders can work in Singapore, their spouses and family members can work here too.

For example, under the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) signed between Singapore and India, professionals and intra-corporate transferees from India can apply for dependant’s or long-term visit passes for their family members to come to Singapore, subject to prevailing criteria.

Not only they can live in Singapore, they can work here too. Under the section on “MOVEMENT OF NATURAL PERSONS” of CECA, the agreement states:

Meanwhile, Singapore’s poly and ITE graduates upon getting their Work-Study Post-Diploma (Certificate in Hawkerpreneurship), can start working as a hawker to make a living.

 

[Cottonmouth]

Why does she look like a witch now?

 

[sweetiepie]

Dr Khor also said support has been given to hawkers to help them digitalise. She said, “To keep our hawker culture thriving, we cannot just do the same things (in) the same way.

KNN my uncle say lansai loh KNN is Dr khor going to compensate or provide a post for each of the stalls to login and check bank account or sms for each order made KNN if account not bear learn end of day is Dr khor going to reimburse KNN

 

[blackmondy]

She can teach hawkers how to fry eggs without fire.

 

[Cottonmouth]

KNN my uncle say lansai loh KNN is Dr khor going to compensate or provide a post for each of the stalls to login and check bank account or sms for each order made KNN if account not bear learn end of day is Dr khor going to reimburse KNN

My uncle say want to cut off her cheebye and braise it.

 

[Cottonmouth]

She can teach hawkers how to fry eggs without fire.

This is Lao Wayang Cheebye Khor's speciality.
She sleeps with her mouth open and she gets fucked.

 

[laksaboy]

Since she likes to hoard eggs, she'll make an egg-cellent hawker selling fried carrot cake. Can use up hundreds of eggs on a good day.

 

[Leepotism]

Hawker jobs for Singaporeans, ? jobs for foreigners.

 

[batman1]

Just another Cho-Bo-Lan minister. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[knnccb]

Why does she look like a witch now?

oyster + egg = or luak

 

[Devil Within]

What's next? Groom to become taxi driver, roadside sweeper, rubbish collector? PAP sure know how to grow Singapore's economy.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Founding fathers of Singapore Hainanese chicken rice stall did not attend poly or ITE
by Correspondent
14/01/2021
in Arts & Culture, Commentaries, Community, Current Affairs, Opinion, Uncategorized
Reading Time: 5min read
68



Senior Minister of State Amy Khor announced on Monday (11 Jan) that the government will launch a new work-study programme in March to train polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates to become hawkers (‘Amy Khor announces new programme to train poly and ITE grads to become hawkers‘).
The new Work-Study Post-Diploma (Certificate in Hawkerpreneurship) is a 12-month programme open to to all recent poly and ITE graduates. Dr Khor said, “With the increasing recognition and appreciation of hawker fare, setting up a hawker stall can be considered as a gateway into the F&B sector, and there could be budding food and beverage entrepreneurs who may aspire to join the hawker trade.”
She said the National Environment Agency (NEA) and SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) will work together with Temasek Polytechnic (TP) to launch the programme. Students will undergo a two-month classroom-based training, followed by a four-month apprenticeship and a six-month mentorship. Both mentors and apprentices will receive a monthly training allowance of $500 and $1,000 respectively.
However, it is noted that majority of hawkers in Singapore did not attend any structured poly courses to become one. In fact, many of the older hawkers have very little education and some don’t even attend schools at all.
Birth of Singapore chicken rice
One of the most iconic hawker dishes in Singapore is none other the Singapore Hainanese chicken rice. According to Infopedia from the National Library Board, the Singapore Hainanese chicken rice was adapted from the Hainan’s version by Wong Yi Guan (王义元). It was then made famous by his apprentice, Mok Fu Swee (莫履瑞) through his restaurant Swee Kee Chicken Rice in the 50s and 60s.
In 1936, Wong arrived in Singapore from Hainan. Before he came to Singapore, Wong had heard about the famous Wenchang (文昌) chicken rice in Hainan. From his village near Qionghai city (琼海市), he travelled to Yukui (毓葵) Chicken Rice Restaurant at Wencheng Town (文城镇) in Wenchang County (文昌县) to savor it. He even asked the owner Wu Yukui (伍毓葵) for tips on cooking chicken rice.
After arriving in Singapore and trying to make a living, he saw that there were already many Hainanese as well as Chinese from different places in Singapore. He thought that they might want to try the Hainanese chicken rice, especially the Hainanese here, who majority came from Wenchang. So, he decided to sell chicken rice. Every morning, he would cook and prepare the chicken in sliced pieces, together with chicken rice balls. This was to facilitate the ease of eating chicken rice on a street. He would then put the prepared food in 2 bamboo baskets and carried them, plying the streets to sell his chicken rice. Wong’s business gradually picked up.
As business grew and with more earnings, Wong proceeded to rent a stall at a coffee shop in Purvis Street (also known as Hainan Second Street) off Beach Road. Later, the coffee shop changed ownership which forced Wong to move to another coffeeshop in Middle Road (Hainan First Street) so as to continue operating. After operating awhile, he retired due to old age. He died in Tan Tock Seng Hospital in the 50s.
Popularization of chicken rice by Swee Kee

(Source: National Archives)
Mok Fu Swee came to Singapore from Hainan in his youth. Through introduction by relatives, Mok became Wong’s apprentice, working at Wong’s chicken rice stall in Purvis Street. He was a diligent worker, learning from Wong how to cook chicken rice in the day and attending an evening school also at Purvis Street in the night so as to get some education. Every month, after paying the evening school tuition fee, he would remit the rest of his salary back to his mother in Hainan.
Not long after, Mok decided to venture out on his own. He rented a stall in a coffee shop at Middle Road and later moved to another coffee shop at Purvis Street to sell chicken rice. He named his stall “Swee Kee”. In 1949, with his earnings, Mok decided to buy over a grocery store at Middle Road and turned it into Swee Kee chicken rice restaurant. He had lofty ambitions, wanting to turn the Hainanese chicken rice into a high-quality product by improving on its aroma and taste.
One of the key skill Mok had acquired from Wong was to be able to select the chicken. It determined if the meat of the chicken would turn out well after cooking. Every morning, he would be at the back of the restaurant, waiting for the lorry to transport live chickens to his restaurant. By feeling the back and belly of a chicken, and weighing it with his hands, Mok would be able to tell if the chicken was good. That was how he selected his chickens to serve at his restaurant.

Mok Fu Swee personally selects his chickens at the back of Swee Kee Chicken Rice restaurant.
Not long after Mok’s restaurant was opened, a reporter from Sin Chew Daily visited it and wrote a review. The news attracted widespread attention and Swee Kee soon became famous. Business began to boom and diners were often seen waiting in line outside the restaurant.
In 1951, famous Hong Kong movie stars Li Lihua, Yan Jun and their entourage flew to Singapore to make a film. After getting off the plane, they went straight to Swee Kee to try Mok’s chicken rice as they had also heard of it. News spread that the movie stars were eating at Swee Kee. Soon, a large crowd was gathering in front of Mok’s restaurant trying to get a glimpse of them. The movie stars and their group were forced to sneak out from the back door to avoid the crowd. The news further fueled the popularity of Swee Kee chicken rice.
With business booming and more funds on hand, Mok then expanded into other businesses like providing banquet services, investing in rubber and palm oil plantations as well as real estate. In the hey days, Mok was listed as one of the richest in Singapore. He was even elected as vice chairman of the Hainanese association in Singapore. In 1966, he was awarded the Public Service Medal by President Yusof Ishak.
Wong and Mok are credited to have started the Singapore Hainanese chicken rice dish, which gradually spread to the rest of the world. They did not need to go to poly or ITE to become hawkers. They simply wanted to make a living to survive.
Indeed, in a letter to ST Forum today (14 Jan), public member Ng Chee Kheon questioned the rationale of training poly and ITE graduates to become hawkers. He said that it would effectively make the time, effort and resources spent in training these graduates at those institutions redundant.
“I would think that the technical knowledge and skills of these graduates, acquired in the polytechnics and ITE, could be put to much better use in our industries,” he added.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Celebrity food critic KF Seetoh slams Gov’t for new scheme which pays retiring hawkers for their stalls, recipes and skills
by The Online Citizen
13/01/2021
in Current Affairs
Reading Time: 4min read
32



Celebrity food critic and founder of Makansutra KF Seetoh took to Facebook on Tuesday (12 January) to slam the Government for offering stipends to retiring hawkers in return for their stalls, recipes and skills under a new scheme.
The scheme, called Hawkers Succession Scheme (HSS), was introduced by the National Environment Agency (NEA) last November, and it aims to offer retiring hawkers with financial support while they train new hawkers with the skills and recipes required to take over their stalls.
“Under the HSS, we will facilitate the transfer of hawker stalls and recipes from retiring veteran hawkers to aspiring successors through a carefully paired apprenticeship and mentorship programme,” said Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment in December last year.
Responding to this, Mr Seetoh questioned if a stipend is all that these seasoned hawkers deserve for their lifework.
He noted that they spent many years perfecting their dishes and selling them at low prices with no help from the Government, however the Government has now come up with a new scheme that gets them to give up everything for a stipend.
“They spent decades and even a lifetime fending for themselves creating, perfecting and delivering their dishes at affordable and even cheap prices to eke out a living, with no government support. It’s a form of unheralded public service they gave to this nation.
“Now, you came up with a scheme to reward retiring hawkers with a stipend, in return for their lifework, recipe, skills, brand and reputation plus their original stall location. Strangers will be paid to learn and take over their decades of hard work and dedication, via an internship,” he said.
Mr Seetoh went on to reiterate that these veteran hawkers deserve more and that the Government shouldn’t “throw some stipend into their retirement pots and hijack their lifework”.
He also pointed out that NEA is now seen as the arbiter in deciding which stipend-paid aspiring hawkers will take over the business, adding that these newbies might easily give up the trade given that they came into the business using someone else’s money and support.
“One of the world’s best Environment agency, is now tasking itself to facilitate and judge if the stipend-paid newbie “hawkerprenuers” can make the mark, and take over properly, in that few months (I suppose) of internship,” he said.
He continued, “The Environment folks are now the arbiter of our Unesco class hawker food culture. Here’s the thing, hawker work is very tough, we all know that. And we also know how easy it is to give up when you are “entreprenuering” with someone else’s money and support.”
Learn the trade for a fee
Mr Seetoh said that if the Government really wants to give these veteran hawkers the respect they deserve, then it should create a school that allows anyone to study the trade.

“If you truly want to accord them with the respect they deserve, than this is a sign to seed the Hawker Culinary Academy, for anyone to study. Get these hawkers to teach for a fair fee. Get strangers who truly are “passionate” to pay to learn and even improve on it if they have the chops.
“A class can be small-ish, and intimate, and the hawkers should be paid the lion’s share of the fees in this ongoing classes. These are classes many will want to attend, even foreigners will be keen to learn this Unesco food craft and export it back home,” the food critic said.
“Knowledge and education is powerful, even in hawker food craft. It will help ensure sustainability and inspire entreprenuership.”
In his post, Mr Seetoh also applauded the Government for introducing hawker food courses in Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and Polytechnic, but noted that it’s only meant for young students.
As such, he urged the Government to do more to “recognise all hawkers, not just those in public built hawker centres but also in kopitiam, canteens and private food centres.
Manpower and high rent are big concerns
Moving on, the Makansutra founder also pointed out that the aspiring hawkers who are going to be part of the HSS should know that this business is a one-man-show work, and passion alone will not cut it.
This is because Singapore’s laws and policy do not allow hawkers to hire foreigners for assistance, while locals are not willing to do the job.
“Our Manpower laws and policy does not allow them to hire non-Singaporean assistants in public hawker centres (the only ones who will sweat it out at hawkers stalls these days for the monies offered nowadays), even if they have the requisite worker quotas to obtain one.
“I can name you hawkers who are offering $100 day and no serious takers. “Don’t bother looking for locals”- so many hawkers and chefs, will tell you today,” he said.
If that’s not all, he also expressed that the bidding system for hawkers should be lower as they are selling their dishes at an affordable rate.
“Manpower and rents- these are the two biggest nails that will seal the coffin of sustainability in our hawker food culture. We need a big rethink on that and hope Unesco won’t find fault with it and remove the recognition in 6 years, where they come back to check regularly for relevance.
“We have to do better, in recognition of this organically unique Unesco class culture by, for and of the people,” he concluded.

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[TerrexLee]

https://tinyurI.com/8cucq9v7

 

[Cottonmouth]

https://tinyurI.com/8cucq9v7

She can take that thing and fuck herself in the cheebye.

 

[laksaboy]

Groom us how to cut ribbons leh, Amy.

 

[Cottonmouth]

Groom us how to cut ribbons leh, Amy.

I will cut off her cheebye.

 

[dredd]

That is why people in public service should never be paid like the private sector. To justify their obscene salaries and to desperately stay in office, they will resort to spouting nonsense, trying to appear relevant. In truth, these people should have been put out to pasture as they have run way past their expired date.

 

[hairylee]

Diploma in Hawkering majoring in Bak Chor Mee

 

[Loofydralb]

She is a prime example of how you can be a doctor but at the same time is an idiot.