Mr Tan Choon Shian
Principal and CEO, Singapore Polytechnic
Members of the Singapore Polytechnic Board of Governors
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
1. Good morning. I am very delighted to be here for the launch of Singapore Polytechnic (SP)’s AeroHub.
Background: Aviation Sector in Asia and Singapore
2. The AeroHub allows students to prepare themselves to master deep skills in this sector, and as such its opening is a timely one. Despite global uncertainties, air travel continues to grow in Asia Pacific, creating opportunities for the aerospace industries. By 2031, the number of aircraft in Asia Pacific is expected to triple to about 13,500.
3. With over 100 aerospace companies based here, Singapore is well-placed to capture the demand for aviation-related services, and has already garnered a quarter of the Asian Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) market. Singapore has also become a leading aviation hub in Asia-Pacific, and our aerospace industry has grown at an average rate of 10 per cent in the last two decades.
4. The Government has also announced recent plans to expand Changi Airport to cater to growing demand in air travel. The new Terminal 5, which is slated to open in 2025, is expected to handle up to 50 million passengers a year just on its own. This matches the total number of passengers that passed through all of Changi Airport in 2014.
5. I am confident that students in aerospace- and engineering-related programmes are thus well placed to take advantage of these positive developments with the opening of the AeroHub.
Singapore Polytechnic’s efforts on SkillsFuture
6. In line with the national SkillsFuture movement, the AeroHub’s facilities and fleet of aircraft will give students in SP an authentic learning environment to develop and master skills in this area.
7. I am very heartened to hear that SP has been working closely with industry partners, to take learning increasingly beyond the classroom. One example is the opportunity for students to work on actual industry projects, during their enhanced internships with major aviation companies such as Bombardier Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, SIA Engineering Company, Singapore Jamco Services, ST Aerospace, and Thales. With mentorship by experienced engineers in these major aviation companies, students will gain greater insight into the workings of the industry, and be better prepared for their transition into the workplace.
8. Today, I am heartened to note, how the multi-disciplinary projects are opening up more opportunities for SP students to develop practical solutions for real-world problems. The Boeing patents, as well as the RSAF simulator developed by SP, are good examples of how students from various disciplines can come together to hone their skillsets even before they join the workforce, and use them collectively to benefit the community.
9. With authentic learning experiences coming from both the state-of-the-art environment of the AeroHub, and the wealth of knowledge of the engineers during the enhanced internships, together with multi-disciplinary projects, I believe that SP students will be better placed to master skills to maximise their potential and achieve their career aspirations.
10. Once again, I would like to congratulate the aviation companies for lending their strong support, as well as SP for this outstanding milestone. Here’s wishing everyone all the best and a wonderful year ahead in 2016.