March 7, 2005
Making the job switch
By Leslie Koh
JOB re-creation has landed 2,000 Singaporeans in jobs that were once deemed too dirty or cheap but have since been given a makeover.
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New life blooms for green thumb
AFTER Mr Tan Choon Kok resigned from his job as an engineer last October, he had problems finding another.
The 44-year-old nearly gave up after three months, until a chance to turn landscape technician came up.
He now gets $900 a month planting, watering and pruning shrubs and trees at places such as Changi Airport.
It's a drop from the $3,000 he used to earn, but it's exactly what he sought, after his stressful job reconditioning heavy machinery.
'I've always liked horticulture. I wanted to switch. I like the challenge of learning new things,' said the mechanical engineering diploma holder.
The National Parks Board sent him for training under the National Skills Recognition System, where he learnt his professional skills.
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