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162 senior and young engineers graduated from collaborative NTUC-IES programmes in first combined graduation ceremony
SINGAPORE, 16 January 2017 – The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and its U Associate, The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES), today graduated a total of 162 engineers from the first cohort of the Advanced Engineers Leadership (AEL) Programme and the second batch of the Young Engineers Leadership (YEL) Programme. Exclusively delivered by renowned engineering practitioners to groom future engineering leaders, the programmes have to-date trained a total of 394 engineers from 86 organisations.
At the graduation ceremony held at the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), Guest-of-Honour NTUC Secretary-General Mr. Chan Chun Sing witnessed the presentation of certificates to 24 senior engineers and 138 young engineers for completing the AEL and YEL programmes respectively, and engaged them in a closed door dialogue. Through the modular courses under a holistic framework, these engineers have been equipped with not only the technicalities of engineering, but also cross-sectoral skillsets like advanced future-ready technology management and soft skills like leadership so as to go beyond their existing job scopes and assume management responsibilities in their respective organisations.
“Both YEL and AEL programmes have been embraced by the industry since they were launched. IES is pleased to see growing support from the industry for our joint efforts with NTUC in establishing the Engineers Progression Pathway for all engineers in Singapore. It proves that employers see engineers as invaluable assets who are instrumental in championing critical stages of growth for their organisations. It also ascertains the high relevance of our programmes in enabling engineers from different sectors to move confidently to leadership positions to address emerging challenges and embrace innovation and sustainability. We hope that these programmes will also encourage more students to join the ranks of engineers,” said Er. Edwin Khew, President of IES.
"It is very heartening to see so many young aspiring engineers stepping up to take charge of their career progression planning. These engineers would play a critical role in Singapore’s progress towards SG100. NTUC U Associate & IES will continue to develop practitioner-led professional development programmes to groom our next generation of young engineers into outstanding leaders of tomorrow. We are committed to help these engineers progress in the engineering career and stay relevant in the industry during economic uncertainties," said Mr Vivek Kumar, Assistant Director-General of NTUC and Director of U Professionals, Managers and Executives & U Associate.
Distinctive in being practitioner-led and delivered programmes, both YEL and AEL Programme have to-date featured 25 prominent engineering leaders, C-suite leaders and entrepreneurs from established local and international organisations. Participants learn from these leaders through knowledge-sharing masterclasses, dialogues and networking sessions. The exposure-oriented training programme also allowed participating engineers to visit top engineering organisations like Rolls-Royce Singapore and HDB Building & Research Centre to pick up best engineering practices across various industries.
"I am pleased that we supported the Programme with an industrial visit to our Seletar Campus, where we shared learnings on technology strategy. Taking the participants from strategy formulation to execution in an international context will help them progress in their career,” said Dr Bicky Bhangu, Director, Rolls-Royce Singapore.
Many participating employers, including Rolls-Royce Singapore, are positive about AEL Programme’s capacity to grow their engineers’ ability to champion new areas of growth for their respective organisations.
“Our engineers who participated found the AEL experience enlightening. It was great to see engineers from diverse industries participating in and contributing their own personal experience to create a rich learning environment. Such sessions are an essential part in developing future leaders,” said Dr Bhangu.
Another key feature of the programmes is the one-on-one mentorship where participants are paired with veteran engineers to receive guidance. While participants benefit from the sharing of experiences, the mentorship also provides veteran engineers with the opportunity to give back to the engineering community and help groom future engineering talents.
Mr. Mervyn Sirisena, Chairman, SIA Engineering Company JVs – Philippines, a mentor to AEL participants said, “The programme gives me the opportunity to guide the next generation of engineers, and impart advice, knowledge and skills that will help them overcome the obstacles they will encounter in their career path. It is very fulfilling to not just contribute to engineering on my own, but help young engineers lead the next wave of change.”
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