05 Aug 2010
1 A new Place and Train Aerospace Technician Programme has been launched to draw more Singaporean workers into joining the growing aerospace Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) sector. Supported by Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and administered by NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), the programme is expected to cost more than $1 million to train and recruit 150 trainee technicians over the next two years. Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry, announced this new programme at the Labour Movement’s Aerospace and Aviation Cluster National Day Observance Ceremony held at the SIA Engineering Company this afternoon.
2 Currently, a key constraint to the future growth of Singapore’s aerospace industry is the difficulty in attracting locals to work as aerospace technicians. Candidates with National ITE Certificate (NITEC) qualifications entering the industry are required to go through six to nine months of traineeship. The trainee will receive a monthly allowance of about $900, which cannot compete well with other job offers given the current tight labour market.
3 To overcome this entry barrier, WDA will work with e2i to provide training assistance to aerospace companies, through this Place and Train programme, to recruit and offer trainee technicians a higher starting monthly salary of $1,100. WDA will fund 70% of their monthly salary for up to nine months. “WDA’s enhanced support will make it more viable for aerospace companies to employ local workers and train them in Aerospace Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) courses as well as on the job. Locals will also find it more attractive to join the industry with our support. This will boost the pipeline of skilled local workers needed by the aerospace industry in an upturn”, says Ms Julia Ng, Director, Manufacturing and Construction Division, WDA.
4 Under this Place and Train programme, trainee technicians will undergo competency-based, On-the-Job-Training tapping on the industry-recognised Aerospace WSQ framework. Prospects are bright for trainee technicians upon completion of their training. They can aspire to become senior technicians in a few years and some of the promising ones may even progress to become licensed aircraft engineers after further training. The Aerospace WSQ framework has trained over 1,600 aerospace workers since December 2007.
5 Several aerospace MRO companies, such as Singapore Aero Engine Services Pte Ltd (SAESL), Singapore Jamco and International Engine Component Overhaul (IECO), have expressed interests in participating in this Place ad Train programme and hiring new trainee technicians in the next 12 months.
6 “One of the challenges the aerospace industry faces is to match growing business demand with the number of highly skilled workers. As a WDA-recognised ‘Approved Training Organisation’ for WSQ, we at IECO believe this initiative will assist us in our goal of bringing new talent into the industry and providing them with a platform to further their career,” says Mr Andrew Dickinson, General Manager, IECO.
7 “We can try to persuade youngsters that this is a promising career with a bright future. But I think the reality of the labour market today is that workers, especially younger ones, also look at how much they can earn today – whether there is enough to cover personal expenses, contribute to family expenses, go out with friends, etc. So the latest change is a step in the right direction, and I hope it will start to build a pipeline of technicians for the sector,” says Mr Ong Ye Kung, Chairman of e2i.
