Blooming and moving up the ranks

Ng Mun Hoe’s love affair with the landscaping industry started when he took on a holiday job as a teenager at a nursery. This short stint tending to flowers was enough to pique his interest in the landscaping industry, which he joined after he left school.

It wasn’t all rosy when he first started out. He had little experience and had to learn everything from scratch. His family relied on him, and this spurred him to put in extra effort to catch up.

"Because I didn’t know enough, I was always asking my colleagues and observing their techniques. I worked longer hours so I could learn more."

Soon, he performed well enough to leave a good impression on his bosses.

Over the course of his career, Mun Hoe has attended numerous courses to upskill. These ranged from a mix of landscaping and supervisory courses, including the Advanced Certificate in Landscape Supervision. Even now, at the age of 52, Mun Hoe continues to keep up-to-date on new landscaping techniques.

"We must be curious, keep learning, so that we can become better! This is the spirit!"

Work support schemes such as the Progressive Wage Model have been instrumental for Mun Hoe’s career as workers are encouraged to deepen their skills, improve their productivity and get higher wages.

There is also government support in the form of Workfare, which helps build up workers’ income and CPF savings. This is reassuring for workers, as there are plans in place for their retirement years.

Now managing different projects big and small, Mun Hoe’s role as a supervisor means he is more involved in project management and supervision. But his love for gardening has never waned.

Counting Orchids, Bougainvillea and Ixoras as some of his favourite flowers, Mun Hoe derives the same satisfaction when he tends to his flowers at home, as he does at work. Referring to them as his “babies”, Mun Hoe is proud of the fruits of his labour and the growth he has personally achieved.