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Upgrading and Professionalising the Landscape Industry
National Parks Board - Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology
Singapore

The Problem

The Landscape Industry is a promising Industry with a market size of over S$1B and employs over 22,000 workforce. With increase in green spaces in Singapore and the emphasis of green cities in the region, there are good prospects for the Industry.The Landscape Industry was a fragmented Industry, with weak leadership and did not have strong programmes and initiatives to seize the business opportunities in Singapore and in the region.

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
The National Parks Board (NParks) takes the lead to champion the development of the Landscape Industry. NParks formulated a Landscape Industry Masterplan to identify key focus areas to build capabilities in the Industry and workforce.CUGE is a strategic initiative of the Landscape Industry Masterplan to upgrade and professionalise the Landscape Industry. CUGE is a one-stop centre providing total solutions to the Industry and the workforce, including career placement and advisory, employer coaching, professional skills training and certification, professional development, market intelligence, facilitation of overseas explorations, and branding of the Singapore Garden City and the Industry.Over the last two years, the Industry has developed and grown in strength and has built lasting and competitive capabilities. More Singaporeans have taken up Landscaping as a Career at all job levels, the Industry and employers have adopted continuous training as a key strategy to retain talents and workforce, there is more skilled local and foreign workforce in the Industry, there is more certified professionals assuming roles of mentors and role models in the Industry, more Singaporeans are aware of the importance of the Landscape Industry through Industry events such as Green Thumbs, and the positive impact to the brand name of the Singapore Garden City and the Landscape Industry with the marketing of flagship programmes such as Singapore Garden Festival 2008 Expo and Professional Seminars/Workshops in the region.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The NParks senior leadership takes a focused and keen commitment to grow and develop the Landscape Industry as NParks is a service buyer of landscaping contracting services. NParks experiments with various innovative ideas to upgrade and professionalise the Industry and to stretch the Industry’s capabilities and capacity.CEO NParks is the Champion of this initiative. Director CUGE is the Lead Implementator.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The main focus of the initiative is to upgrade and professionalise the Landscape Industry, so that it provides value-added services to the service buyers. The Landscape Industry is an important partner of NParks in its strategies and programmes to continuously position Singapore as a premier Garden City and the efforts to remake Singapore into a City in the Garden.The core strategy is to formulate comprehensive programmes to target at the Industry and the workforce to build capabilities and strengths and to address weaknesses. Regular consultation with the Industry to maximize buy-in and to put in place communications systems to facilitate queries and clarifications. Facilitated wide-ranging incentive systems to ensure that the Industry and workforce benefit from the programmes.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
The first key step was the formulation of the Landscape Industry Masterplan and the consultation process of the programmes to ensure buy-in. This was done with the Ministry of National Development, the parent Ministry of NParks, and the Industry Associations, and key Industry opinion leaders.The implementation of the programmes was done in phases, with close monitoring of results and providing regular clarifications to queries. Barriers to participation in these programmes were quickly resolved to maintain confidence in the programmes.The consultation and communication process of the programmes was made to the last worker/partner in the Industry, through frequent dialogue sessions and meetings. The focus is to ensure that the entire Industry and the workforce at all levels benefit from the programmes.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
The main obstacle encountered was a defiant and static mindset of the Industry that the situation cannot be changed and improved from the status quo. The Industry did not believe that a transformation of the Industry could happen. This was overcome with constant consultations and discussions, and persuasions to enable opportunities for programmes to be implemented to make things happen.The second obstacle is the lack of urgency and commitment of the Industry to transform the Industry, for a lack of resources and incentives. This was overcome by a comprehensive set of incentive schemes put in place to benefit the Industry and the workforce.

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
The deployment of resources was kept to a minimal, with little built-up infrastructure costs. The team designing and implementing the programmes was lean. The team has to be innovative to leverage on external resources from agencies and Industry Associations to make things happen.

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
This initiative is a first transformational effort of the Landscape Industry and has achieved tangible results. CUGE has gained recognition in Singapore and in the region as an effective platform to share and exchange knowledge and expertise in urban greenery and ecology amongst practitioners and professionals of the Industry. CUGE has also shared its experience and expertise with other institutions and agencies in Singapore and in the region, to illustrate best practices and to bring forth and contextualize other practices and systems.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The key element is the commitment, focus, support and sponsorship of the senior management of the Ministry of National Development and NParks. This is important to drive and sustain programmes of the initiative.There is also a need for collaborations with the Industry Associations and Industry Partners in establishing deep trust and faith that the initiative will bring forth immediate and long-term benefits to the Industry and the workforce.There is also a need to work collaboratively with the agencies and institutions to focus on outcomes by designing and implementing effective programmes for the initiative.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   National Parks Board - Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   P Teva Raj -
Title:   Director CUGE  
Telephone/ Fax:   +65 6462 7000
Institution's / Project's Website:   +65 6472 3033
E-mail:   teva_raj@cuge.com.sg  
Address:   National Parks Board Headquarters (Raffles Building) Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road
Postal Code:   Singapore 259569
City:  
State/Province:  
Country:   Singapore

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