{"id":753,"date":"2021-11-08T13:24:50","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T05:24:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/?p=753"},"modified":"2021-12-09T19:49:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T11:49:09","slug":"753-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/753-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Daniel Fong, Operations Executive, SembWaste: \u201cUpskilling really is about enhancing your career opportunities.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Singapore, the easy accessibility to a rubbish bin makes it highly convenient for us to dispose of our waste. Every unwanted item, from used bottles to leftover food, goes into the bin, which is then bagged up and stuffed into the disposal chute at the end of the day. Most Singaporeans do not know exactly where the waste goes. What we do know is that the chute is a hole in the wall where things disappear into almost like magic \u2014 out of sight, out of mind. In fact, waste disposal is so easy that it is not uncommon for people to dispose of their valuable items unwittingly, only to panic afterwards when they discover that it was thrown away by mistake.<\/p>\n

This was exactly what happened when Cheryl (not her real name) unknowingly threw away a photo album filled with memories of her family. Along with other disposable items around the house, the album was swallowed by the hole in the wall, presumably never to be seen again. Upon realising her mistake, Cheryl reached out to her Town Council, which relayed her concerns to SembWaste, the waste and recycling management arm of Sembcorp. Daniel Fong, an Operations Executive at SembWaste, was notified of the issue and wanted to help Cheryl out.<\/p>\n

However, with Singapore generating 16,110 tonnes<\/a> of solid waste each day, where do Daniel and his team even begin?<\/p>\n

Going the extra mile<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"\"
Daniel Fong, Operations Executive, SembWaste<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Daniel is a man who wears many hats. Before joining SembWaste in 2014 as a Junior Operations Executive, Daniel performed Sales and Customer Relations in the Oil & Gas industry. At one point, he was also a Business Development Executive who managed a team of telemarketers, making sure that calls were made to prospective customers about the latest products and services. His move to the waste management industry, however, came out of a sense of curiosity. \u201cPartly it\u2019s because my friends and colleagues recommended me [to the industry], but I am also someone who wants to explore something new,\u201d Daniel shares.<\/p>\n

As a Junior Operations Executive, Daniel\u2019s job was to manage the waste collection process, making sure that workers and trucks turned up at their respective collection locations every day \u2014 at least that was the case at the very beginning. Over time, Daniel\u2019s job also brought him in close contact with various Town Councils, officers from the National Environment Agency and even members of the public because, by fate or by choice, he became the fixer of municipal issues within the community.<\/p>\n

For example, residents might complain that the recycling bins are too far away, or the locations are not wheelchair accessible. If there was a blockage within the disposal chute, and this happens more often than one would think, Daniel and his team would have to clear it by hook or by crook.<\/p>\n

Cheryl\u2019s phone call was but one of the many issues that needed Daniel\u2019s attention. While this was not within his job scope, Daniel made an exception out of goodwill. The trouble was that Cheryl\u2019s call came too late. \u201cAt the time, we had already collected waste from various places, and we had sent our collection to the depots to be processed,\u201d Daniel recalls. \u201cSo I had to get my guys to go back to the depot and dig through the rubbish bit by bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team did manage to find the missing photo album in the end, to which Cheryl was indelibly grateful. \u201cI felt very proud, seeing my colleagues and workers work as a team to find this album,\u201d Daniel says. \u201cI felt happy and accomplished because, honestly, not many people would want to go and dig through the rubbish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doing good is a journey<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Daniel\u2019s dedication to his work was but one of the many reasons why, over the years, he has received a number of commendations. Daniel has also received an Environmental Services Star Award<\/a>, which recognises \u2018top employees in the ES industry across the three sectors\u2019 in 2019. The person who presented the award to Daniel? President Halimah Yacob herself.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Daniel receiving the Environmental Services Star Award 2019 from President Halimah Yacob<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, for Daniel, self-improvement is a journey and not a destination. Between his hectic work schedule, Daniel finds time to perform Residents\u2019 Committee work, visit schools to educate students about recycling, as well as to upskill himself. He currently holds certificates in business professionalism and business communications, both awarded by the International Business Training Association (USA). He is also the in-house Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications trainer and assessor \u2014 with a course developer certificate to show for also. As we said, he\u2019s a man with many hats.<\/p>\n

\"\"
As a volunteer, Daniel often finds time to perform Residents\u2019 Committee work, visit schools to educate students about recycling, as well as to upskill himself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Daniel has also been a member of the NTUC Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees’ Union committee since 2019. \u201cWhat we do as a union is care for our workers\u2019 welfare,\u201d Daniel explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf my workers are facing issues at work, or if they are concerned about their families or finances, they can look for me and I can raise the issue with the union. My duty is to focus on the wellbeing of my colleagues.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Like father, like son<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Despite the certifications already under his belt, Daniel is now looking to take up a part-time Master of Business Administration degree. \u201cThe reason why I want to pick up a degree is to enhance my skills and abilities, and with the certifications, it will help me along my career,\u201d he says. SembWaste, too, has been highly supportive of Daniel\u2019s upskilling efforts. \u201cI was exposed to many different aspects of waste management and I went through different training sessions. I feel very grateful for my company. They give me the opportunity to grow and upskill myself.\u201d Indeed, with Daniel\u2019s strong interest to upskill and learn more, he is fortunate to have joined a progressive company like Sembcorp that has groomed him through valuable opportunities.<\/p>\n

Daniel\u2019s enthusiasm for upskilling doesn\u2019t come from nowhere, either. His father is a self-made businessman who has an even more varied resume than Daniel\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sells and delivers pork from Hog Auction Markets to hawkers, he helps his friend sell bicycle parts and accessories, he imports and sells construction sand. It\u2019s like rojak<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, even his passion for upskilling isn\u2019t just for himself. \u201cMy other intention is to motivate my workers. I want to tell them that everything will change in this world. It\u2019s very competitive. Tomorrow, you might have to adopt something completely new. Learning and upskilling really is about enhancing your career opportunities. At least that is what I tell them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those looking to upskill themselves like Daniel also have the option to do so. NTUC LearningHub<\/a> provides a comprehensive range of training courses for workers to upgrade their skillsets and improve their employability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Singapore, the easy accessibility to a rubbish bin makes it highly convenient for us to dispose of our waste. Every unwanted item, from used bottles to leftover food, goes into the bin, which is then bagged up and stuffed into the disposal chute at the end of the day. Most Singaporeans do not know…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":823,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[67,68],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lovely.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}