SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was so impressed by how some employees at Keppel have progressed in their careers despite not having much academic qualifications that he turned interviewer to find out their stories, he said at his National Day Rally speech on Sunday.

He said that when he visited Keppel Offshore and Marine in Tuas, he was deeply impressed by what management and staff had achieved, and their can-do spirit and confidence. He then went back again with a video crew to interview them himself.

Ms Dorothy Han told him that she graduated from the Institute of Technical Education and joined Keppel FELS as a draughtsman 25 years ago. She left then came back, and rose to lead the pipe design section of the engineering department, supervising 62 people.

Mr Abu Bakar graduated from the Singapore Polytechnic and joined Keppel Shipyard as an assistant safety officer. Today, he is CEO of Nakilat-Keppel Offshore and Marine, a joint venture in Qatar specialising in solutions for gas carriers and offshore structure

Mr Lee said another Keppelite, Mr Roy Lim, was an example of how every Singapore can hope for a better future.

Mr Lim left school after Secondary 2 and started as an apprentice in Far East Levingston Shipyard, which later became Keppel FELS.

He upgraded his skills with support from Keppel, and is now one of two shipyard managers of Keppel FELS, who together manage 12,000 workers in Keppel's two largest yards in Tuas.

Said Mr Lee: "There are many other Roy Lims in Singapore. They may not have degrees but are working hard and trying to improve themselves."