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SINGAPORE: To encourage more workers in the precision engineering sector to upgrade their skills, the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) is pumping S$560,000 into scholarships.
The money will be made available to 50 applicants over two years through a Specialist Diploma Programme.
WDA believes training gives companies a competitive edge and it provides workers with better opportunities.
As manufacturing companies move up the value chain, the need for more skilled workers increases.
Ong Ye Kung, Chief Executive, WDA, said: "The whole industry is growing, it's a big market globally for precision engineering (PE) and the skills demand is also getting higher and higher.
"We're looking at PE craftsman that can serve the aerospace, optical and medical industries which require a much higher level of precision than ever before."
Some 90,000 people are currently employed in the precision engineering sector.
The new Specialist Diploma Programme, which will be conducted at the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), will train participants in areas like laser technology.
The 12-month course will take in about 35 trainees who will have lessons twice a week. There are also plans to increase the class size to meet the growing demand for higher training.
Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said: "We also want to encourage different models of Continuous Education and Training (CET) institutions. Some are independent institutions related to research and development like SIMTech; some are in-house, conducted by companies to train their own staff.
"There are also other models we are developing. Through these models, we want to elevate our CET to a higher level."
Continuous training has already proven to be a success at Makino – a precision engineering company that builds machines that make precision parts. With its own in-house training, sales revenue jumped about four times from S$107 million in 2001 to S$431 million last year.
Makino is also sponsoring six workers to attend the Specialist Diploma Programme. Dr Moh Chong Tau, CEO, Makino Asia, said: "After training, he can perform the job of three persons. Instead of having a programmer, tooling engineer and operator, this specialist will have the core knowledge (of the functions of all three).
"Instead of paying S$5,000 to three persons, you pay S$3,000 or S$4,000 to one person, enhancing salaries as well as knowledge in managing the system."
WDA is carefully monitoring how this programme will benefit the industry before it applies the same principles to other industries such as the services sector.
- CNA/so
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