By Ramesh Subbaraman
The $1.2 million dollar Tripartite Engineering Training Award was launched by Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say on 3 May 2016 during the tenth anniversary celebration of the Singapore Maritime Training Fund.
The Award is a joint initiative by the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union (SMOU), the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).
It is also supported by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) and shipping companies.
The Beneficiaries
The Tripartite Engineering Training Award was launched to address the acute shortage of marine engineers in the maritime industry.
A total of 10 Singaporeans are currently undergoing training with the Wavelink Maritime Institute, with 80 per cent of the course fees borne by e2i, 10 ten per cent by SMOU and the balance by the cadet.
Reza Suhaidi, 27, a graduate in Offshore and Marine Engineering Design, heard about the training fund from his lecturer and got further encouragement from his shipping industry friend to take on the seafaring journey.
Cadets are offered training places by a shipping company even before they embark on their training, receiving between S$1,200 - S$1,400 in allowance during the 31-month programme.
“It is easier for me to get into the course and it helps me with my financial needs both at home and for the course. It lightens me and my mother’s burden.
“It is challenging as well as rewarding and hopefully I will get to be somewhere at the top in eight years’ time to become a chief engineer,” he said.
A Challenging Sector
The programme is one of the latest manpower initiatives to help the Singapore maritime sector.
NTUC President and SMOU General Secretary Ms Mary Liew said: “Over the years, we have noticed the manpower issues, in particular the dwindling number of Singaporean seafaring officers and marine engineers willing to embark on this career.
“Therefore, we initiated various programmes with the help of our tripartite partners to give Singaporeans a second opportunity to choose seafaring as a career.”
Meanwhile, Manpower Minister Lim said the Maritime and Port Authority is working with the tripartite partners to develop a manpower plan for the sea transport sector under the SkillsFuture framework.
