Pasir Ris is primarily a residential area in Singapore comprising many high-rise residential dwelling blocks, mostly public housing built by the Housing and Development Board in Pasir Ris New Town. The town is located in the eastern part of Singapore.

Like other new towns, public transport facilities were factored into the development of Pasir Ris. Pasir Ris is easily accessible via bus services at Pasir Ris Bus Interchange and the Mass Rapid Transit at Pasir Ris MRT Station.

The first reference to a village of Pasir Ris, Passier Reis, appeared in 1852. There has been conjecture that perhaps this is a contraction of Pasir Hiris (pasir is “sand” and hiris means “to shred” in Malay).

Etymology and history

The area was known as White Sand because it had a good beach. A major shopping complex, White Sands Shopping Centre, is located in the area that embodies the local place name.

Geography

Pasir Ris is geographically divided into 3 regions: Loyang (East), Central and Elias (West).

Political boundaries

Pasir Ris comes politically under the Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency since 2001 and Pasir Ris Group Representation Constituency from 1997 to 2001. After the general election in 2001, a large part of the former Pasir Ris Central Division and the Pasir Ris-Loyang Division came together as Pasir Ris East with Ahmad Mohamed Magad as the Member of Parliament.

Pasir Ris West consists of Elias housing estate and the western area of Pasir Ris and its Member of Parliament being Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean. In conjunction with the expansion of Pasir Ris-Punggol Group Representation Constituency (GRC), a “Mega Community Club” scaling six storeys high, was built in Pasir Ris East. Around 2004, Pasir Ris West (also known as Pasir Ris Elias) also saw the completion of its own mega community club.

Amenities

Pasir Ris Beach

In proximity to the sea, Pasir Ris has several recreation areas like the NTUC Downtown East, which have facilities like chalets, theme parks, a bowling alley, a park for pets and pet owners and Pasir Ris Park. There is also another park by the name of Pasir Ris Town Park, close to where the Shopping Centre White Sands is located. The park sports a park connector, a playground, an eatery, fitness station and fishing pond. The bowling alley building in Downtown East will be demolished to make way for a new four storey shopping and entertainment complex with a cinema which will be completed in 2007 called e!hub. e!hub was completed in 2008 which includes a new bowling alley, which replaces the old one. The area also includes two theme parks. They are Escape Theme Park which opened in 2000 and Wild Wild Wet which is a water-based theme park that opened in 2004.

Industry

Pasir Ris is also part of the Jurong Town Corporation’s plan to develop wafer fabrication facilities in Singapore. The other two locations are Tampines and Woodlands. Presently, there are two major wafer fabrication parks in Pasir Ris. Companies situated there include United Microelectronics Corporation and Systems on Silicon Manufacturing.

Exploring mid career switch and Upgrading your skills through professional conversion programmes

In the present economic crisis there are many people who have lost their jobs and many more in search of a better career. There have been several adverse effects of the economic crisis in the job sector. This phenomenon has been felt highly by the people of Singapore too. According to the Ministry of Manpower in Singapore, the economy of Singapore has suffered some heavy losses. For this reason there might be instances of more job cuts and unemployment in the year 2009. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has also reiterated the fact that the GDP growth for the fiscal year 2009 is lagging behind by 2% to 1%. The crisis has hit every sector including the tourism sector which is one of the most profitable sectors in Singapore. Professional, Managers and Technicians (PMETs) are now planning for mid-career switch with the help of Graduate conversion program such as Executive Master Programs and Postgraduate Diploma programs.

Singapore being the hub for professional courses, there are many professional conversion programs and SPURs oriented for the professionals. There are large numbers of PMETs employed in the labor force of Singapore. As these people draw high salaries so the government feels that they might face the crux of the financial crisis. Though there are many PMETs who have the skills to cope up with the changing job scenario there are professional conversion programs (PMP) and SPURs courses which assist in job search and training.

There are many government and non-governmental agencies that have come up with professional conversion programs (PMP) and SPURs courses. The courses mainly focus on enabling the PMETs to grab the job opportunities and thus make a wise career switch. The Workforce Development Agencies in association with the economic agencies in Singapore are trying to introduce professional conversion programs especially designed keeping in mind the requirements of different sectors. There are many programs that have been launched in the last few months for pre-school education, pharmaceutical manufacturing, health care and workplace safety. There are many SPURs (Skills Program for Upgrading and Resilience) that have been planed keeping in mind the needs of Digital animation artists and stage managers. These programs are direct initiatives by the government and the Universities in Singapore. There are other private organizations that are creating innovative programs for the overall development of the professionals.

The professional conversion programs (PMP) and SPURs include creating workshops, skills achievement tests, acquiring some key computer skills (including learning the new software and upgrades in the computer world). There are some organizations that also offer stipend to the students. The students also get the opportunities to work as apprentice in some of the top companies. Master Programs in Singapore can be taken up while you are pursuing a job too. The Singapore MBA School will make sure that you get a payroll leave from your job during the course.

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The Businessman’s Best Bet – Singapore’s economic prowess is aptly embodied in its name: the lion city. With an economic infrastructure fit to rival even the best of Europe, Singapore is frequented by a healthy number of business travelers and global investors year-round. Its strategic location, amazing connectivity, great convention venues and superior hotels make Singapore one of the world’s leading business hubs.

Strategic Location – Its central location in the growing business region of Asia places Singapore at an advantage over other countries. Surrounding the lion city are the fast-emerging markets of China and India. Its strategic location also allows it easy access to air transport facilities. More than 4,000 weekly flights depart from Singapore to more than 180 cities around the world.

Unparalleled Connectivity – All businessmen know that connectivity plays an important role in the cutthroat business world. Global Information Technology Report ranks Singapore as the “Most Network-ready Country in the World”. In addition, numerous high-class hotels in the country offer Internet and teleconferencing services to its business guests. Businessmen will not have a problem staying in touch with the rest of the world while in Singapore.

World-class Corporate Venues – Singapore offers a wide selection of convention centers, exhibit halls and meeting venues to the businessman-on-the-go. The Singapore Expo is a mega-scale facility for international exhibitions. The 25-hectare venue offers 60,000 square meters of indoor, column-free, exhibition space and another 25,000 square meters of outdoor exhibition space with 19 conference halls and meeting rooms and a host of support services. Another defining business structure is the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Center, one of Asia Pacific’s largest convention venues with a seating capacity of 12,000. SICEC is located within Suntec City – Asia’s Convention City with direct access to 75,000 square meters of meeting space, 5,200 hotel rooms, 1,000 shops, 300 restaurants and a world-class performing arts center. The Raffles City Convention Center and the Waterfront Conference Centre are also great corporate-friendly facilities.

Superior Accommodations – Being no stranger to discriminating business guests, Singapore offers a wide spectrum of accommodation choices ranging from budget boutique to five-star fancy, all promising unmatched comfort and convenience of a great Singapore hotel. Even better, most hotels in Singapore have state-of-the-art meeting rooms and banquet halls with complete presentation and audiovisual equipment – perfect for smaller, more personal functions. Most Singapore hotels offer business centers and in-room communication tools like fax machines and IDD phones to address your business needs.

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Eating is a national pastime in Singapore. Furthermore, with the variety of places to enjoy this pastime, it is no surprise at all if the phrase “eat to your heart’s content” had originated from Singapore.

Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Peranakan, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Korean cuisine, and more compete one another in the “battle of the taste buds”! On top of that, there is Singapore’s vast array of hawker stalls and restaurants that range from global franchises to gourmet delis to posh six-star settings. To further promote this delicious pastime, there are seemingly endless food promotions and tours – including the Singapore Food Festival in July – which are held throughout the year.

Furthermore, food and entertainment often go together like hand and glove. Many places offer both excellent food and entertainment options, thus enabling you to enjoy the best of both worlds in one location.

Indeed, all these attractions have created a food paradise like no other. Food has become something that is thoroughly appreciated by every Singaporean and visitor alike!

Singapore officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying 137 kilometres  (85 mi) north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia’s Riau Islands. At 710.2 km² (274.2 sq mi) Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast Asia. It is substantially larger than Monaco and Vatican City, the only other surviving sovereign city-states.

Before European settlement, the island now known as Singapore was the site of a Malay fishing village at the mouth of the Singapore River. Several hundred indigenous Orang Laut people also lived along the nearby coast, rivers and on smaller islands. In 1819, the British East India Company, led by Sir Stamford Raffles, established a trading post on the island, which was used as a port along the spice route. Singapore became one of the most important commercial and military centres of the British Empire, and the hub of British power in Southeast Asia.

During the Second World War, the British colony was occupied by the Japanese after the Battle of Singapore, which Winston Churchill called “Britain’s greatest defeat”.  Singapore reverted to British rule in 1945, immediately after the war. Eighteen years later, in 1963, the city, having achieved independence from Britain, merged with Malaya, Sabah, and Sarawak to form Malaysia. However, the merger proved unsuccessful, and, less than two years later, it seceded from the federation and became an independent republic within the Commonwealth of Nations on August 9, 1965. Singapore was admitted to the United Nations on September 21 of that year.

Since independence, Singapore’s standard of living has risen dramatically. Foreign direct investment and a state-led drive to industrialization based on plans drawn up by the Dutch economist Albert Winsemius have created a modern economy focused on industry, education and urban planning.  Singapore is the 5th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) per capita.   In December 2008, the foreign exchange reserves of this small island nation stood at around US$174.2billion. The Singapore government, with approval from the President, announced in March 2009 that it would tap into its official reserves for the first time ever and withdraw some S$4.9 billion. The funds were then used as part of the US$20.5 billion resilience package unveiled by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on 5 February 2009. As of January 2009, Singapore’s official reserves stands at US$170.3 billion.

In 2009, the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Singapore the tenth most expensive city in the world in which to live—the third in Asia, after Tokyo and Osaka.  The 2009 Cost of Living survey, by consultancy firm Mercer, has ranked Singapore similarly as the tenth most expensive city for expatriates to live in.

The population of Singapore including non-residents is approximately 4.99 million. Singapore is highly cosmopolitan and diverse with Chinese people forming an ethnic majority with large populations of Malay, Indian and other people. English, Malay, Tamil, and Chinese are the official languages.

Singapore is a parliamentary republic, and the Constitution of Singapore establishes representative democracy as the nation’s political system. The People’s Action Party (PAP) dominates the political process and has won control of Parliament in every election since self-government in 1959.