Speeches
Speech by Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence, at the Opening Ceremony of Engineering Week 2008 on Wednesday, 22 October 2008, Republic Polytechnic
Dr Dave Chong, Chairman, Polytechnic Engineering Promotion Task Force;
Mr Yeo Li Pheow, Principal of Republic Polytechnic;
Distinguished Guests, Principals, Teachers, Students;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Introduction
It is my pleasure to launch the opening of Engineering Week 2008. First, let me congratulate the five polytechnics for working closely together over the past five years to raise awareness and interest in engineering among our secondary school students. They have come together to champion an important message, that engineering provides Singaporeans a solid foundation to pursue many career opportunities. History clearly tells us that countries that place a premium on science, engineering and technology (SET) are more likely to succeed and generate wealth for their citizens.
Importance of Engineering for Singapore
There are simple and practical reasons why at a systemic level in both educational and economic policies that emphasis is placed on SET in our schools and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). Firstly, it has worked to our advantage in the past. This policy was a key success factor in enabling Singapore’s transformation from a Third World to a First World economy. Just after our independence in 1965, we moved away from labour intensive industries where we were at a competitive disadvantage, and towards high-valued manufacturing industries. This impetus led to the creation of our polytechnics and ITE to skill up our people. It has helped us achieve yearly, the ranking of best technical workforce in the world by Business Environment Risk Intelligence (BERI). It has attracted Multinational Corporations who in turn raised technical expertise here and fuelled further our export-driven economic growth.
Personally, engineers can also lay proper claim to have played a significant role in Singapore’s success. According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the engineering-related sector still provided the largest number of job vacancies over the past two years. In 2006, a third of the 3,639 top ten professional job vacancies were in engineering. And of the top 50 chief executives in Singapore, a third were engineers by training.
Engineers are paid well. A 2007 study conducted by Business Times found that senior executives with engineering degrees form the bulk of top earners from STI listed companies and featured prominently among the big earners. Seventeen of the 55 executives - that is, 30 per cent, the most of any profession - graduated with engineering degrees. Science degree holders were the next best achievers, with 12 of them making the top 55 list. Among these, some also specialised in engineering.
45 per cent of our current Cabinet ministers1 and many more top civil servants and business leaders are engineers by training too. Among their ranks, we have industrial engineers like Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, and Chairman of Spring Singapore, Philip Yeo. We also have electrical engineers like Ms Ho Ching, CEO of Temasek Holdings and Dr Chen Mun, Chairman and MD of Powermatic Data Systems. Creative Technologies mogul Sim Wong Hoo graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a diploma in Electronics and Electrical Engineering. Hyflux CEO Ms Olivia Lum is a chemical engineer by training; Kwa Chong Seng, Chairman and MD of ExxonMobil Asia Pacific, a mechanical engineer. The list goes on. This shows the flexibility of someone with an engineering background. It is true that many of these influential persons cited did not practice engineering. But their training as engineers provided them a springboard to move into leadership positions. It also trained their minds to approach problems systematically and to offer practical solutions.
Global Trends in Engineering
Some may ask if a career in engineering still holds a similar premium today compared to the past, with the restructuring and diversification of our economy. While is true that the services industry is expected to grow proportionately larger, it would be wrong to conclude that this reduces the role or importance of engineers and technical expertise. Let me cite a few reasons why engineers continue to be relevant for the present and future.
Engineers will continue to be in high demand, not only here but globally. This is because students elsewhere are moving into other disciplines, even where aggregate demand has increased. Take Japan as an example. It was Japan’s engineering prowess that first helped lift it from postwar defeat to become an economic superpower and a manufacturing giant. But the young in Japan are increasingly choosing other fields like finance, the arts and other creative industries, rather than following their “salaryman” fathers into what they perceive to be the unglamorous world of manufacturing and technology-related fields. Universities call it “rikei banare” or “flight from science”. Short of engineers, the New York Times reports that Japanese companies are starting to import foreign workers, or sending jobs to where the engineers are, in Vietnam and India.
The US is facing a similar problem. In the past few years, reports by several prestigious bodies have warned that an impending shortage of scientists, engineers, and technical personnel at least partly caused by inadequate K-12 science education threatens the US’ long-standing scientific leadership in an increasingly competitive, globalized world. Ivy League universities are recognising the importance of engineering in tackling the challenges of the future. The major challenges of today and in the future related to energy shortages, global warming and even the current financial turmoil will require engineering expertise to provide solutions. US Universities are ramping up their capabilities in this area, for example by increasing faculty members. But it remains to be seen if they can reverse the downward trend of engineering as a less popular choice.
Germany’s shortage of engineers has become so acute that some leading companies want to nurture that interest even at the kindergarten level! Industrial giants such as Siemens and Bosch are among hundreds of companies giving materials and money to kindergartens to nurture interest in technology and science among children as young as three years of age. Bosch even sends its apprentices to kindergartens “to explain what they do at work and then later invite them to look around the company”.
The decline in interest among students in developed countries is a growing trend as they view engineering and science as “tough” disciplines and can find softer options to succeed. In contrast China, still young and economically hungry produces about 400,000 engineers a year. We cannot match their numbers and indeed do not need to. But Singapore will do well to maintain its emphasis on education in engineering and technical expertise. This will help us retain and enhance our comparative advantage in a future that will be increasingly technologically driven.
Research & Development the way forward
The current global financial turmoil will affect all economies and some experts believe the global recession may be long. But even if this happens, Singapore will continue to commit to Research and Development efforts.
Just last weekend, we saw the grand opening of our new home for the science and engineering research community (and the info-communications and media community), Fusionopolis. Sister to Biopolis, the home of the biomedical sciences, Fusionopolis will focus on interactive media, physical sciences, engineering and technology. The centre will bring together science and engineering research institutes with world-class capabilities in data storage, materials science, infocomms, microelectronics, chemical synthesis, high-performance computing and manufacturing technologies.
In addition, the centre will also house at least thirteen corporate laboratories, examples of which are Vestas, Ubisoft, Linden Lab (creator of the phenomenal Second Life, the online 3D virtual world) and Nitto Denko. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will also open the Advanced Digital Sciences Centre, its first overseas research centre, at Fusionopolis during the first phase of development.
As mentioned by PM Lee, based on A*STAR’s preliminary 2007 National Survey of Research & Development results, our R&D expenditure has hit an unprecedented $6.3billion in 2007. The number of Researchers, Scientists and Engineers (RSEs) has grown from 15,892 in 2000 to 27,301 in 2007. Last year, we spent 2.6% of GDP on R&D expenditure. And we remain committed to the targets set for 2010 under the current Science and Technology Plan. EDB’s target for private investment in R&D is to create 7500 RSE positions; attract $9bn in investments from private companies setting up R&D operations in Singapore; and at least 45 large R&D projects.
Centres of Innovation (COIs) in Polytechnics
Our polytechnics too have developed strong applied R&D capabilities and established good networks with industry, and have set up Centres of Innovation (COIs) in selected areas of strategic importance to the economy. This is to enhance the value of the engineering diploma course. Moving forward, the polytechnics expect to do more and will further deepen their links with relevant industries to boost local research and innovation efforts.
The COIs set up in selected niche areas in our polytechnics are a key platform for the polytechnics and local enterprises to engage in joint research, innovation and development activities in selected niche areas. To date, a total of three COIs have been established, namely the Food Innovation Resource Centre at SP, the Marine and Offshore Technology Centre at NP, and the third COI, the Environment and Water Technology Centre at NP.
The COIs are beacons of excellence in the local R&D sector for industry, by enhancing and building on polytechnics’ niche strengths. The COIs will play an important role in deepening the linkages between polytechnics and industry.
Innovation Fund
MOE provides an Innovation Fund for the polytechnics and ITE via a competitive grant bidding process to contribute to the polytechnics’ and ITE’s standing as innovative and world-class education institutions, by improving systems and processes, enabling development of applied research, and augmenting technological capabilities.
Universities’ Initiatives
Similarly, our Universities too are enhancing course provisions for engineers. NTU, for example, plans to develop an inter-disciplinary Premier Engineering Programme, to produce top engineers who will go on to become industrial and business leaders, chief technology officers and CEOs of technological companies.
Our universities also participate in the Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE) initiative, which aims to establish world-class research centres in Singapore which will involve collaboration with universities, polytechnics, laboratories and research institutions.
The Value of a Polytechnic Education
For all these reasons, I believe that students who choose to study engineering in our polytechnics have made a very sensible choice that will stand them in good stead for their careers and future. Engineering graduates from our Polytechnics have enjoyed high employability and strong demand for their skills in recent years. Results from the latest survey by the polytechnics on employment outcomes show that fresh engineering diploma graduates earn about $1,930 on average, with those who have completed National Service earning about $2,220. Within just six months of graduation, 94% of engineering diploma graduates had jobs. We may have to adjust expectations in the current slow down, but at present, employability for engineers is still healthy.
Engineers are valued not only for their technical expertise and often move to managerial positions or become entrepreneurs. Take for example Mr Jackie Cheng Ee Lieng, who graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 1990 with Electronic and Computer Engineering. He is now the Chief Executive Officer of HISAKA (Singapore) Pte Ltd which is a key provider in automation solutions specialising in mechanical motion products.
Mr Seah Chee Wei is another engineer who has made a mark for himself. Graduating from Singapore Polytechnic with a diploma in Civil Engineering, he is now the Managing Director of Jackson Supplies Pte Ltd. The company started out as a mixed construction company back in early 1988. It has since taken on numerous sizeable projects and currently provides an array of services like general maintenance of refinery plants. The firm counts among its clients, petroleum manufacturing giant Exxon Mobil.
On a national level, our economic strategies will continue to provide abundant opportunities for engineers. Today, Singapore is the world leader in Transport Engineering - in ship repair, oil rig construction and floating production, storage & offloading - or FPSO - platform conversion. In Electronics, we account for 10% of the global semiconductor wafer foundry output, 30% of the world’s hard disk drive shipment and 20% of the world’s retail Point of Sale impact printers. In the Chemicals cluster, we rank among the top three countries in the world for oil refining and trading. Recognised for our highly-integrated, world-scale chemical complexes, we are also the leading integrated petrochemical hub and stand among Asia’s largest centres. Lastly, in Precision Engineering, we hold a global leadership position in products such as jack-up oil rigs and semiconductor wire/ball bonders - where we produce 70% of global output. Singapore also leads the world hard disk drive manufacture as we provide 30% of global output.
The next wave of engineering jobs is set to be in industries such as clean energy. This is expected to boost Singapore’s economy by about $1.7 billion.
Conclusion
In closing, I would like to commend the Polytechnic Engineering Promotion Task Force once again for organising this event. It sends an important message to students that choosing to be an Engineer is a smart decision and provides them ample opportunities to move up in their careers and contribute positively to our economy and society in the future. I wish you all a successful and enriching Engineering Week 2008.
Thank you.
Footnotes:
- Cabinet ministers with engineering backgrounds are: George Yeo, Mah Bow Tan, Lim Boon Heng, Lim Hng Kiang, Teo Chee Hean, Lim Swee Say, Yaacob Ibrahim, Khaw Boon Wan and Gan Kim Yong. Information from Cabinet website.↵