Page 15 - SEID2223-ebook ALF V2

SINGAPORE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY DIRECTORY 2022/2023
Third, the Government will work with polytechnics and universities to make engineering and manufacturing attractive to students. “Manufacturing is no longer about repetitive tasks done in a structured environment. In fact, today, the biggest challenge for the engineering and advanced manufacturing sector is how fast we are able to innovate and prototype new products and services,” Mr Chan said.
Singapore Economy 2030
On 4 March 2022, Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong unveiled a new plan to strengthen local businesses in various sectors, with an aim to significantly grow the city-state’s trade volumes by 2030. In greater detail, Mr Gan noted the plan will be driven by separate strategies that will provide direction and coordinate actions across the four key pillars of the economy – manufacturing, trade, services and enterprises.
The Singapore Economy 2030 vision for manufacturing, trade, services and enterprises will put Singapore’s industries, enterprises,
and workers on a firmer footing for long-term, sustainable growth over the next decade.
On the manufacturing front, the master plan lays out new initiatives under Singapore’s Manufacturing 2030 strategy announced in 2021, which aims to grow manufacturing value- add by 50 percent. Support measures will include “bespoke support for manufacturers with strong potential, to deepen their capabilities and expand their global reach”.
Mr Gan also spoke on the need to develop a strong local pipeline of talent and ensure that Singaporeans can access good jobs in the sector. To do so, companies will have to offer attractive career progression pathways in line with technological changes, and ensure these prospects are accessible.
To develop human capital for the manufacturing sector, M2030 Careers Initiative was launched on 4 March 2022, to train polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates.
The initiative will see collaboration among companies, polytechnics, and technical institutes to identify young graduates in engineering or technical education with relevant skills to the industry.
This includes the development of a handbook for employers, covering a range of best practices and resources to help manufacturers develop structured career progression pathways for their employees.
The Singapore Precision Engineering and Technology Association, which is developing the handbook with industry partners and the institutes of higher learning, will identify and work with at least 20 companies to pilot the adoption of these practices and pathways.
The initiative will offer at least 200 internships for ITE students from 60 companies by the end of 2022, as well as a pilot grant to hire ITE graduates for critical technician and assistant engineer roles.
11