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Speech at Official Opening of Air Transport Training College & NCI Award Ceremony

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Acting Minister for Manpower , Senior Minister of State, Seletar Aerospace Training Complex

Skills, training and development
Ladies and Gentlemen,

  1. Good afternoon. I am happy to attend today’s official opening for the Air Transport Training College (ATTC) training complex as well as the National CET Institute (NCI) award ceremony and graduation ceremony.

    Creating Opportunities, Developing People
  2. What we see today reflects two key themes that typify our approach to providing for our society and for our people. Firstly, it is important to grow our economy well by developing dynamic sectors and bringing in good companies. Why is this so? Well, firstly this creates good jobs for our people. Secondly, having created these opportunities, we need to train and develop our core of Singaporeans so that they can be ready for these jobs as well.
  3. Singapore is currently the leading aerospace Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub in Asia-Pacific, with over 100 aerospace companies operating here. What’s more, the aerospace industry registered an average annual growth rate of about 10 per cent compounded over the past two decades. Last year, the industry contributed a record $8.7 billion dollars in economic output and importantly, employed approximately 20,000 workers, of which 90 per cent are skilled, with more than 4 in 5 made up of locals.
  4. ATTC Training Complex was established in 1999 in support of Singapore’s position as the leading MRO hub. ATTC has been appointed by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) as the CET centre for the Aerospace Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework since 2007.
  5. As of March 2013, close to 1,200 trainees comprising existing industry workers and students looking to enter the industry have been trained here, with some 3,000 WSQ Statements Of Attainment awarded. Singaporeans and Permanent Residents make up more than 9 in 10 of the trained cohort. So I am heartened to know that more than 4 in 5 of students are placed in the industry after they have undergone training, with a retention rate of more than 70 per cent over three months.
  6. Continuing Education and Training, or CET for short, matters for our Singaporeans. It is a key competitive advantage we have here in Singapore because it helps our people to continually up skill and to stay competitive and productive. This, amongst other reasons, is why these companies are here and why the sector is doing well – and in turn, as a result of doing well, the industry is able to create jobs for people.
  7. We work closely with industry to understand where things are headed. As we expect to see continued strong growth in the aerospace industry, ATTC will continue to play an important role here to ensure we have a strong pipeline of local trainees to meet the manpower demands from the industry. So this interface is important, something that the government will constantly pay attention to, working with other industries and other sectors as well.
  8. The aerospace industry is an important pillar of the Singapore economy and is an important source of skilled employment for Singaporeans. Seletar Aerospace Park, where ATTC is located, is expected to create new and exciting career opportunities, with projects from companies such as Pratt & Whitney, Bombardier and Jet Aviation coming up in the next one to two years.
  9. The official opening of the ATTC training complex is thus timely. This one-stop centre offers a realistic training environment for aerospace industry players to upgrade their workforce capabilities through CET, as well as job placement, career advisory and other services.

    Making that Difference
  10. Ultimately, what do all these efforts and development add up to? It is really about providing our people with good, solid opportunities. Singaporeans with aspirations for a soaring career in aerospace industry will stand to benefit.
  11. Let me share with you the story of Miss Nurhusniyah Binte Azman. She is 23 and has always dreamed of a career in aerospace. After completing her GCE A Levels in 2009, she signed up for the Kingston’s Foundation Degree in Aircraft Engineering (FdEng) offered by ATTC, which is focused on aircraft line maintenance. Soon after graduating in September 2012, she found employment at Airbus as a Components & Repair Controller. She performed well and, on 1 March this year, was promoted to Acting Project Engineer with a 45 per cent salary increase and an enlarged job scope. Nurhusniyah credits her training at ATTC with widening her knowledge and instilling in her the right attitude for a career in aerospace, which played a big part in her promotion. Well done Nurhusniyah!
  12. Many ATTC graduates have also chosen to pursue further studies. Mr Koh Ho Peng is 56 and he graduated in 2011 with the Foundation Degree in Aircraft Engineering (FdEng) offered by ATTC. Mr Koh is now a trainee Licensed Aircraft Engineer with Singapore HAECO (pronounced hay-co) and is currently pursuing Kingston’s Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Aircraft Engineering at ATTC.
  13. These are just two stories, and I think these are stories which typify the many similar stories that we can count for other Singaporeans going through these courses.

    Attainment of NCI Status by ATTC
  14. In view of its achievements and commitment to CET development, I am pleased to announce that ATTC has been appointed by WDA as a National CET Institute (NCI). It is only the fifth such CET centre to be conferred NCI status. The NCI is the apex status conferred by WDA for CET centres that exemplify high-quality delivery of WSQ training.

    New Applied Diploma in Aerospace Maintenance
  15. As an NCI, ATTC will also work in partnership with WDA to roll out more high quality CET programmes for our people, and to address the workforce development needs of the aerospace industry. One such new initiative is the Applied Diploma in Aerospace Maintenance. This is a 7-month WSQ-aligned programme to attract GCE N Level certificate holders and ITE graduates into the aerospace industry, and to help them upgrade their skills thereafter. Trainees who successfully complete this Applied Diploma will also receive the WSQ Higher Certificate in Aerospace (Aircraft Maintenance).

    Conclusion
  16. I would very much like to congratulate ATTC for the opening of their new training complex, and its NCI status. I would like to encourage all aerospace companies in Singapore to embrace CET, so that employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to stay relevant amid ever-changing workplace needs.
  17. Clearly, as I have said earlier, economic development and growth does not exist for its own sake. Even CET is not an end in itself. Weaving these together, we can see that it is really about creating good jobs and opportunities for our people. It is really about developing and nurturing our people, so that they are not only ready for the opportunities created, but to thrive when the opportunities are presented to them. And in so doing, we can provide Singaporeans, young and old, like many of our graduates here today, with a foundation to realise their dreams and aspirations, and to provide for their loved ones.
  18. To all of you graduating today, well done!
  19. Thank you.