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Speech at the Institution of Engineers (IES) 44th Annual Dinner & Dance

Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Manpower, Shangri-La Hotel

Skills, training and development

Engineer Ho Siong Hin, President, IES

IES Members

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

  1. It gives me great pleasure to join you this evening to celebrate the 44th Anniversary of IES. I would also like to thank the IES Council for making me an Honorary Fellow of IES. Engineering training is useful whether you are in the technical field, in business or even in politics. As an engineer, we learn to address problems in a disciplined way. We learn to identify the problem systematically and we learn to break down a complex problem into smaller parts that can be tackled more easily. We then look for solutions methodically, and weigh the trade-offs so as to arrive at the optimal solution. Such skills are important, even in public policy implementation.
  2. Today, IES plays an important role in attracting a fair share of Singapore's brightest talents to an engineering education and career. You recently spearheaded the National Engineers Day, during which more than 1,000 secondary school students went on industry visits that gave them a taste of the exciting engineering career. Tonight IES will recognise engineering students for their outstanding academic performance in their faculty through the IES Gold Medals and Yayasan Mendaki Scholarships. Allow me to congratulate the recipients.

    Engineering in Tomorrow's Economy
  3. Our economy has recovered strongly from the recession. GDP grew by 17.9% in the first half this year. Labour productivity has also increased, reflecting the strong GDP growth.
  4. But a more important question is whether the productivity of the Singapore economy will continue to improve in the years ahead and at what rate. The Government has set a productivity growth target of 2-3% per annum over the next decade. The engineering profession will play a crucial role in the necessary transformation of our economy. Every sector in our economy requires engineers. This is true not only in manufacturing or construction; but also in service-related industries such as hotels, retail and logistics, not only in the technical or operational areas but also in management and planning. This means that there are many opportunities out there for our engineers to make a positive impact on the productivity of the companies that they work in.
  5. The Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) had called for the development of "T-Shaped Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs)" who not only have deep skills in their own fields, but also possess the knowledge of related areas and are able to operate in different business environments. To achieve this, engineers must broaden their horizontal skills in areas such as business operations, people management, project management, marketing and finance. Increasingly, engineers will be expected not just to solve problems, but to lead, inspire and motivate people and organisations.
  6.  One potential benefit of a multi-disciplinary skills approach is in DfS, not the duty-free shop, but "Design for Safety". Over the years, we have seen various work safety incidents arising from poor design that resulted in the loss of lives and limbs. Engineers make a huge contribution to workplace safety & health (WSH) improvements by practising DfS. Eliminating risks at the design stage can help mitigate or even eliminate WSH risks from the onset. Engineers adopting DfS can ensure buildings, structures, products, systems and processes are safe for all those involved in their construction, maintenance and usage.
  7. I am glad to know that IES is at the forefront of promoting Design for Safety principles in the profession. IES is one of three accredited training providers, offering the WSH Council's Project Safety and Health Coordinator Course for the construction industry. This course will equip architects and engineers in the construction industry with relevant competencies to effectively implement DfS. I am told that IES will conduct its first two-day programme on 26th October.
  8. I urge IES to continue working closely with the various government agencies and the industry to take the lead to galvanise efforts amongst its members to raise awareness of future opportunities for the engineering profession.

    CET for Engineers
     
  9. IES can also develop initiatives to help upgrade the skills of the profession. Over the last two years, my Ministry has been expanding CET opportunities for PMETs. More than 85,000 PMETs have benefited from training programmes since December 2008. We will also expand the range of Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) and other industry-related programmes that will help PMETs broaden and deepen their skill sets.
  10. We will support more programmes like the one pioneered by IES and Human Capital Singapore (HCS). I understand that the two organisations will partner to support the government’s push to develop "T-Shaped PMETs". Together they will develop and deliver courses on people management through a HR Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) competency based curriculum for engineers and scientists. The first run of the "People Management for Technical Professionals Programme" will be held in January 2011.
  11. This programme will join a range of several other WSQ training programmes developed by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) for engineers, in sectors such as precision engineering, bio-pharma and water fabrication.
  12. Take Mr Sivaraja, for instance. At 30 years of age, he has been working with Qioptiq Singapore Pte Ltd since 2001, starting off his employment at the company as a Tradesman. Armed with only an ITE qualification, he was sponsored by his company to enrol in the Precision Engineering Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Diploma in Machinery and Systems offered by the Singapore Polytechnic in November 2008 to upgrade his skills and capabilities in order to perform his job more effectively and efficiently. Mr Siva benefited substantially from the training. Upon completion of the programme, he was promoted from an Assistant Section Leader to an Engineering Assistant and received about 20% salary increment. His job scope had also been enlarged to include supporting the engineers in designing jigs and fixtures. Through this training programme, Mr Siva has become more capable in managing and implementing continuous improvement at his workplace. This includes halving the product process cycle time from 20 minutes to 10 minutes, resulting in an overall increase in the company's productivity.
  13. To help people like Mr Sivaraja, the Government will continue to provide financial support for PMET training. PMET courses will enjoy course fee subsidy of up to 50%. In addition, the government will increase the course fee tax relief from $3,500 to $5,500 with effect from Year of Assessment 2011. I hope IES will further step up its efforts in encouraging its members to continually upgrade themselves to stay relevant and competitive.

    Concluding Remarks
     
  14. I am happy to be part of your 44th celebrations tonight and I wish IES all the success in serving your members and helping them prepare for the challenge ahead. I wish all of you a pleasant evening.
  15. Thank you.