Mr Teo Ming Kian,

Chairman of EDB

Professor Low Teck Seng,

Principal & CEO, Republic Polytechnic, and

Chairman of the Task Force on Engineering Education in Polytechnics

Distinguished guests, principals, teachers, students

Ladies and Gentlemen

INTRODUCTION

1                    I am very pleased to be here this afternoon at the start of the inaugural Engineering Week, which will bring us a range of events and outreach activities dedicated to the study and practice of engineering.

ENGINEERING MATTERS FOR OUR FUTURE

2                    It is critical that Singapore retains its focus and strengths in science and engineering.  It gives us a special edge in the competition of cities.  We are not just a service economy, but a vibrant and diversified city-economy.  We have every intention to keep both our engines of growth  -  manufacturing and services.  It allows our economy to grow even when one engine is down.  For example, even when the service industries were hit last year by SARS and other regional developments, our manufacturing engine, led by the upswing in the global technology cycle, powered Singapore to recovery.

3                    Our economic strategies shape the choices that young Singaporeans make for their careers.  But the choices that they make will also decide whether our economic strategies are viable and can be sustained.  Economic strategy and Singaporeans� choices of what they want to study and do in life therefore feed into each other.  It is a positive feedback loop from one into the other.

4                    Keeping a strong manufacturing sector will therefore provide a broad range of choices for young Singaporeans.  In some other Asian cities that have gravitated towards pure service industry roles, students with a passion for science and technology have limited options for growth in their careers.  By keeping a diversified economy, we will be able to maximise the opportunities for our students to develop their talents.  And in so doing, they will shape and contribute to Singapore�s economic vibrancy.

5                    Our strategies to preserve and grow manufacturing and technology-driven activities in Singapore begin in schools.  Our schools give our students a strong foundation in sciences and mathematics.  Singaporeans do well in these subjects by any international standard.  And unlike most other countries, it is not just our boys but also our girls who do well in Science and Mathematics.

6                    We should leverage on these strengths as students move on into higher education, so that there is a large group of Singaporeans in each future generation with a knack for technology.  Most experts believe that the knowledge-based industries will grow faster than other industries over the next 20-30 years.  And technology is at the heart of most knowledge-based growth.  As Singapore and the world become increasingly dependent on technology and innovation, our ability to nurture a pool of talented engineers in each generation will be essential for our progress.

7                    Small countries such as Finland and Denmark, with constraints similar to Singapore, have adopted similar strategies.  They have strengthened their national Science, Engineering and Technology policies as they recognise the importance of these disciplines for economic development in an increasingly competitive world.

REENGINEERING OUR ASSUMPTIONS

8                    As Prof Low has mentioned, the polytechnics will be doing more to encourage students to pursue engineering as a course of study, and as a profession.  The Engineering Week highlights their efforts.  I encourage students and parents to take advantage of this to enlighten themselves on the opportunities available in engineering, and to revisit certain common assumptions about an engineering career.  You could say we have to reengineer our assumptions and perceptions.

9                    First is the perception that engineering is losing its relevance as a career.  This is not based on facts.  As I have mentioned earlier, Singapore has no intention of letting the manufacturing and technology-driven economy wither or gradually disappear.  And leading global companies, like Seagate, Matsushita, Toshiba and Siemens, besides numerous other companies, are giving Singapore a vote of confidence with their large investments in technology-intensive operations in Singapore.  Opportunities for engineers will remain abundant, both here in Singapore and in the regional operations of companies that have their regional headquarters here.

10               The facts show that engineering graduates enjoy high demand and employability.  The yearly employment surveys done by the polytechnics show that engineering graduates are the best paid among the graduates.  This year�s survey indicated that fresh engineering diploma graduates earned about $1,750 on average, with those who have completed national service earning about $2,160.  The salary is comparable to what some university graduates are offered.

11               A second perception is that engineering jobs involve a lot of hard work and is more demanding physically.  Well, I can assure you that every profession with strong prospects involves hard work, whether it is lawyers or accountants or engineers.  But the impression that engineering is a more physical job is out of date.  In today�s knowledge economy, engineers use the computer more often than they use the calipers.  They work in sophisticated facilities, with cutting edge equipment and technology.  In Singapore, engineers perform a wide range of tasks, like product design using computer simulation and modelling.  Some do prototyping and measurement in laboratories, while others do planning work.

12               A third perception that has little basis is that engineering is a narrow area of study that limits one�s career prospects.  Engineering is in fact one of the most versatile professions.  As a non-engineer myself  -  I studied economics  -  I always felt that the choices I had available to me were more limited than some of my friends who chose to stick with engineering in their higher education.  Being an engineer gives you a special versatility, the ability to pursue a wide spectrum of careers in both the private sector and in government, and in fields as diverse as financial services, logistics and the biomedical sciences.  Engineers will always be needed for the development of innovative products and services, no matter which industry, or where you work.  This is because an education in engineering cultivates the ability to find solutions to problems, wherever they may appear.

13               Ultimately, engineering is about creativity.  The word �engineering� has its roots in the word �ingenuity�.  Engineers of the future will need to possess imagination, and a desire to create what does not already exist.  To be prepared for this, our future engineers need exposure to a range of disciplines, besides their core focus on science and technology.  In this regard, I am pleased that engineering education in the polytechnics is moving towards a more broad-based curriculum.  Our engineering graduates will be imbued with multi-disciplinary skills and knowledge, and both hard and soft skills, that will help them spot opportunities in a fast changing environment, and to succeed in teams.

ILLUSTRIOUS ENGINEERS

14               Indeed, versatility and creativity are the strengths of polytechnic engineering graduates.

15               Do you know what the Taj Mahal Hotel in India, Banyan Lepas International Airport in Malaysia and the Supreme Court in Singapore have in common?  Well, these signature buildings were provided with waterproofing and building protection by Michael Wong, the Managing Director of Hitchins Group.  Michael, an engineer by training, graduated from the Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Civil Engineering in 1977.  Now at 49, he continues to oversee the technical aspects of operations, in addition to being responsible for the overall management and strategic directions of the company.

16               There is also Lawrence Leow, 46, who heads the Crescendas Group which has a diversified portfolio of business in property, electronics and healthcare, among others.  Its turnover is about $150 million.  Lawrence is also the President of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME).  He was trained in Mechanical Engineering at the Singapore Polytechnic.  Imbued with entrepreneurial foresight, he says that there is always demand for engineering graduates regardless of the stage of economic development.

17               We also have Poo Teng Pin, now the Assistant General Manager of Trek2000 International.  Teng Pin graduated from the Nanyang Polytechnic in 1999 with a Diploma in Multimedia Systems Engineering.  He was part of the team that invented the ThumbDrive Camera, which is a combination of a still and video camera, voice recorder and data storage device  �  all in one tiny package about the size of a thumb.  It is commonly known as the �James Bond Camera�.  Teng Pin�s engineering background has enabled him to create innovative products and devices that impact industry.

CONCLUSION

18               Let me finally thank and congratulate the Engineering Taskforce led by Prof Low Teck Seng for its wide-ranging efforts to reach out to students, parents and the public to raise awareness of the strong prospects that will be opened up by choosing engineering as a field of study.  I hope that you all will find the week-long activities useful in providing insight into the critical role that engineering plays in our future.

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