The Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) have come together to tap on their respective expertise to help grow local engineering talent in the profession through technical knowledge and soft skills development, in an attempt to attract and retain them in the industry.
Over the past few years, more engineering graduates have chosen careers outside of the engineering industry. According to the Manpower Ministry, engineering jobs took up three of the top 10 places of degree-level jobs with the highest vacancies in 2012. Some of the contributing factors include graduates’ expectations on starting salary, job scope and career prospects.
IES also found that more engineering talents are leaving the profession after initial years to pursue interest in other careers such as banking and marketing, among others. Hence, as a concerted effort to attract and retain talents in the engineering industry, the Labour Movement and its U Associate IES will be launching the inaugural Engineering Leadership Series (ELS) today - a series of customised programmes tailored to the needs and interests of the engineering community.
“Clearly, as engineering graduates enter the profession, there is a need to acquire proficiency in those complementary skills that support progress in their career. This IES partnership with NTUC, to launch the Engineering Leadership Series, is a unique initiative that leverages the strengths of both organisations towards meeting the needs of our engineering professionals,” noted Professor Chou Siaw Kiang, President, IES.
Engineering Leadership: Successful Crowd funding to raise a million for your dreams
The first event in this series will feature Singapore’s most notable crowd-funding company - Pirate3D. Participants will be able to pick up real-life leadership practices from the founders of the company. The company launched a crowd-funding campaign for the Buccaneer, their first 3D printer, on Kickstarter.com which amassed US$1.4 million in pledges from over 3,500 backers.
Besides IES and NTUC members, the Nanyang Technological University Alumni from the Engineering Faculty and NTUC nEbO members are also invited to the event, in a bid to re-ignite the passion within the engineering graduates to stay or re-join the industry, and also to bring in new blood to the sector by showcasing the interesting side of the profession.
Some 200 participants are expected to attend the demo of the 3D printer, as well as a panel discussion supported by speakers from the National University of Singapore, SPRING Singapore, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and The Straits Times.
Coming Up
NTUC is working closely with IES to implement more programmes to engage the engineering community and benefit its members. Some of the upcoming programmes include a series of outreach efforts, where dialogue sessions with engineering specific themes will be held for both the public and IES members. These sessions will highlight topics like engineering industry outlook and leadership development within the industry.
Moving forward, the Labour Movement will continue to work hand in hand with IES to help engineering graduates with better careers. “Around 4,000 engineers graduate from local universities every year, yet many find better salaries and career prospects in other sectors. There is a great potential to bring together the technical know-how of our U Associate IES as a premier industry association, and the leadership development and career progression expertise of the Labour Movement. Together, we aim to equip graduating engineers with future trends in engineering as well as strategic leadership skills, so they can chart a better career path in engineering and related professions.” said Mr Vivek Kumar, Secretary, NTUC Membership Council.
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