Singapore faces the twin challenges

Singapore faces the twin challenges of enticing more people to become engineers and preparing young engineers well for the technical aspects of the job.

The country needs 1,000 more engineers every year for the next five years, recent government figures showed, to work on the huge pipeline of infrastructural projects ranging from constructing the ever-expanding MRT network to research and development opportunities in electronics.

There has, however, been waning interest in engineering with fewer people pursuing it as a career in recent years, perhaps due to its less than glamorous image and lack of high salary. But there is an urgent need to prepare the next generation of engineers early or risk delays in the country’s development due to lack of talent.

The Government recently announced that it is reviewing the salary and career progression of its engineers, as well as including more variety in their job scope, as a way to attract and retain talent. It is welcome news which could boost the engineering industry with surveys showing that the average monthly starting pay of engineers is between S$2,800 and S$3,500.

Beyond producing more engineers, tertiary institutions also need to teach relevant skills as graduates seem to be lacking when it comes to understanding the latest trends, methods and modern tools that industry uses. Mastering this knowledge takes time, goes beyond reading textbooks and should start before a graduate enters the workforce.

At a recent roundtable discussion held with academics from institutions around South-east Asia, participants examined factors ailing engineering today, and how companies and educators could develop more compelling, industry-relevant engineering education.

During the discussion, there was consensus on the need for closer collaboration with industry players to enable academia to develop curriculum that addresses current and future needs in a rapidly changing global environment, and producing engineers who are technically capable, adaptable and armed with practical experience.

What needs to be done to attract more students to study engineering and ensure they are not only academically adept, but also able to think on their feet and meet the real-life challenges thrown at them in their first years of work?

START THEM YOUNG

Youngsters need to be exposed to practical learning at an early age to ignite a passion for exploration which leads to enhanced skills in problem solving and teamwork — essential abilities in any engineer. For this to occur, collaboration is required between primary-level educators, the Government and industry.

One good scheme is the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Applied Learning Programme (STEM ALP), which enables students to apply their knowledge and skills in science, mathematics and technology to solve real-world problems.

The MOE recently announced that 42 secondary schools are offering this programme. And by 2017, half of the 124 mainstream secondary schools in Singapore are expected to offer it to students. It is hoped the programme can be extended to more schools.

Some schools have also taken the initiative to teach more science-related topics beyond what is required in the national curriculum.

For instance, Rulang Primary School has included robotics in its formal curriculum to complement its shift from quantity to quality teaching and learning since 2005. The school’s robotics education enables pupils to learn through experience. As a result, Rulang has developed into a leader in qualitative education, receiving numerous prizes including the Zonal Centre of Excellence for Robotics West Zone in 2008.

In an effort to encourage more hands-on learning early, educators and the Government are refocusing curriculum to become more encompassing and exploratory. This is a vital step in preparing youngsters with practical skills that will be valued in any number of professions, including engineering, but requires further support from tertiary educators.

PRODUCING INDUSTRY-READY ENGINEERS

A key hurdle in preparing industry-ready graduates is that many more traditional higher education providers still overlook the importance of students being able to hit the ground running and continue to focus heavily on academia in their curriculum. On the other hand, more progressive institutes are bridging gaps by becoming more diverse.

One way is to include more hands-on engineering experience during undergraduate years through internship programmes with engineering companies. Some tertiary institutions such as Nanyang Technological University do so with its Renaissance Engineering Programme which was started in 2011.

The programme, which attracts around 400 applicants each year, is highly sought after as it offers students a year-long course with a partner university and they can take up internships at start-ups and companies abroad.

Offering double-degree or hybrid courses is another way of broadening learning and enables students to gain a better understanding of functions associated with, but not taught, in an engineering course. Such courses also stir greater interest among students who can learn another skill such as accounting or business, in addition to engineering, resulting in more people taking up these dual programmes.

Polytechnic institutions are becoming increasingly creative in their hybrid course offerings and enticed more students back to engineering. Ngee Ann’s hybrid Engineering and Business Management programme, for instance, is gaining popularity and now attracts students with aggregate O-Level scores as low as nine points, compared with 18 when it was first launched in 2010.

Unfortunately, innovative teaching methodologies may not pass muster with the accreditation bodies that govern the structure, standards and rankings of tertiary institutions, which is why some tertiary institutions remain largely conservative towards embracing holistic teaching and moving away from strict academia.

Regardless of this, academic institutions can look at forming industry councils with partners to identify engineering challenges and tailor curriculum that encompasses more applied learning to better prepare students for the workforce and result in higher graduate employment.

The Government is providing a range of career services as part of its five-year plan to build skills for the future. It is now up to educators and industry to come together and play a leading role in helping to prepare industry-ready engineers.

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結果 (中文) 1:

新加坡面临双重挑战，诱使更多人成为工程师和年轻的工程师们也准备工作中的技术方面。这个国家需要更多的工程师的每年接下来的五年，政府最近的数字表明，上班上巨大的管道的基建项目，从建设的不断扩大捷运路网的研究和发展的机会，在电子的 1,000。然而，已有工程与更少的人继续追求它作为事业近几年，或许比魅力十足的形象和缺乏高薪水少的兴趣降低。但有迫切的需要准备下一代的工程师早或风险延迟在该国的发展由于缺乏人才。政府最近宣布它正在审查其工程师，以及在其工作范围，包括更多的品种，以此来吸引和留住人才的薪金和职业进展。它是受欢迎的消息，这可能提振工程行业调查显示的平均每月起薪的工程师是 S$ 2,800 和 S$ 3，500 之间。除了生产更多的工程师，专上院校还需要教有关的技能，如毕业生似乎缺少了解最新的趋势、 方法和工业使用的现代工具的时候。掌握这方面的知识需要时间，超越阅读课本，应该开始之前的毕业生进入劳动力市场。At a recent roundtable discussion held with academics from institutions around South-east Asia, participants examined factors ailing engineering today, and how companies and educators could develop more compelling, industry-relevant engineering education.During the discussion, there was consensus on the need for closer collaboration with industry players to enable academia to develop curriculum that addresses current and future needs in a rapidly changing global environment, and producing engineers who are technically capable, adaptable and armed with practical experience.What needs to be done to attract more students to study engineering and ensure they are not only academically adept, but also able to think on their feet and meet the real-life challenges thrown at them in their first years of work?START THEM YOUNGYoungsters need to be exposed to practical learning at an early age to ignite a passion for exploration which leads to enhanced skills in problem solving and teamwork — essential abilities in any engineer. For this to occur, collaboration is required between primary-level educators, the Government and industry.One good scheme is the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Applied Learning Programme (STEM ALP), which enables students to apply their knowledge and skills in science, mathematics and technology to solve real-world problems.教育部最近宣布 42 中学都开设这一课程。到 2017 年，一半在新加坡就读 124 的主流中学预计它向学生提供。希望该方案可以扩展到更多的学校。一些学校还主动教更多科学相关的主题，超越什么国家课程所需。例如，如浪小学已列入其正式的课程，以补充其从数量转向质量教与学自 2005 年以来的机器人。学校里的机器人教育可使学生从经验中学习。因此，如浪已发展成为在领导定性的教育，接受奖项，包括 2008 年的纬向的机器人西部区域中心。为了鼓励更多的动手学习早，教育工作者和政府重新确定课程变得更加包容和探索性。这是准备通过实际的技巧，将值中任意数量的专业人士，包括工程，但需要进一步支持专上教育工作者从青少年的重要一步。生产行业准备工程师制备工业准备毕业生的一个关键障碍是很多更传统的高等教育提供者仍然忽视学生能够旗开得胜，继续重点集中在学术界在其课程中的重要性。另一方面，更进步的机构由正变得更多样化弥合差距。一种方法是包括本科年通过实习方案与工程公司更多实际工程经验。一些大专院校等南洋科技大学这样做其复兴工程计划，在 2011 年开始。它为学生提供为期一年的课程与大学的一个合作伙伴，他们可以暂用初创企业和国外公司的实习方案，每年吸引约 400 名申请者，是备受追捧。双自由度或混合课程扩大学习另一种是和使学生能够更好地理解函数关联，但不是教了，工程的课程。这类课程也激起更大的兴趣，学生可以学习另一种技能，如会计或商业，工程，除了造成更多的人占用了这些双重的方案中。理工学院的机构正变得越来越富有创造性，它们混合的课程并吸引更多的学生回到工程。义安的混合工程和企业管理方案，例如，越来越受欢迎，现在吸引低至 9 个百分点，相比于 2010 年第一次推出 18 聚合 O 水准成绩的学生。不幸的是，创新教学方法可能不合格的认可机构的治理结构、 标准和专上院校排名，这就是为什么一些大专院校保持很大程度上保守走向拥抱整体教学和移动从严格的学术研究。即便如此，学术机构可以看看形成行业议会与伙伴合作，确定工程面临的挑战和定制课程包含更多应用学习更好的准备的劳动力和结果在较高的大学毕业生就业的学生。政府提供一系列的职业服务作为其五年计划建设未来的技能的一部分。它现在是教育工作者和业走到一起，发挥主导作用，协助准备产业准备好工程师。关于作者:

結果 (中文) 2:

新加坡面临着诱人更多的人成为工程师和准备年轻工程师以及这份工作的技术方面的双重挑战。这个国家每年需要1000多个工程师在未来五年，政府最近的数据显示，到工作的巨大管道对基建项目从建设不断扩展的地铁网络，以研究和电子产品的发展机遇。有先后，但是，已经在逐渐减弱的人比较少追求它作为一种职业在近几年，或许是由于其低于迷人的形象工程感兴趣缺乏高工资。但有一个迫切需要培养下一代的早期工程师或风险延迟在国内的发展，由于缺乏人才。政府最近宣布，它正在审查其工程师的薪水和职业发展，以及包括多品种在他们的工作范围，以此来吸引和留住人才。这是可喜的消息可能助推工程行业的调查显示，工程师的平均月起薪为S2800美元之间和S3500美元。除了生产更多的工程师，大专院校还需要教相关技能的毕业生似乎缺乏时，来了解最新的趋势，方法和工业使用现代工具。掌握这方面的知识需要一定的时间，超出教科书的阅读和研究生进入劳动力之前，应该开始。在与学者从机构围绕东南亚举行了圆桌会议最近的讨论中，与会者审议了境况不佳的因素，今天的工程，以及企业和教育工作者如何发展更引人注目的，行业相关的工程教育。在讨论过程中，有就需要与业界更紧密的合作，使学术界，开发课程，解决当前和未来的需求在迅速变化的全球环境达成共识，并生产工程师谁在技术上有能力，适应能力和装备的实践经验。需要做什么来吸引更多的学生学习工程，并确保他们不仅在学术上擅长，而且还能够想到自己的脚，并满足在他们身上的真实生活的挑战？第一年的工作启动它们YOUNG 青少年需要从小就接触到实际的学习点燃勘探这导致提高技能，解决问题和团队合作的热情-必不可少的能力在任何工程师。为实现这一目标，需要基层教育工作者，政府和工业界之间的合作。一个好的方案是教育的教育部科学，技术，工程和数学应用学习课程（STEM ALP），使学生运用部他们在科学，数学和技术方面的知识和技能，以解决现实世界的问题。教育部日前宣布，42所中学都提供此程序。而到2017年，一半的124主流中学新加坡预计将它提供给学生。希望该计划可以扩展到更多的学校。有些学校还主动教给更多的科学相关的话题超出了需要在国家课程。比如，Rulang小学已在其正式课程，以补充列入机器人它的转变，从数量型向质量教学自2005年以来学校的机器人教育使学生通过学习经验。其结果是，Rulang已发展成为素质教育的领导者，在接受众多的2008年，包括奖品卓越的机器人铁西区的带状中心在努力鼓励更多的动手学习初，教育工作者和政府都重新调整课程设置变得更具包容性和探索性。这是在准备与青少年将在任何数量的行业，包括工程所重视实际技能的关键一步，但需要从三级教育的进一步支持。生产的产业准备工程师在编制行业准备的毕业生的一个重要障碍是，许多更传统的高等教育机构仍然忽视学生能够旗开得胜，并继续着力于学术界在其课程的重要性。在另一方面，更进步的机构正在缩小差距，成为更加多样化。一种方式是包括多动手的工程经验中，通过实习计划与工程公司的大学生岁月。一些大专院校，如新加坡南洋理工大学这样做有其于2011年开始其复兴计划工程的计划，该计划每年吸引大约400申请，备受追捧，因为它为学生提供长达一年的过程中与合作伙伴大学，他们可以承担在实习创业和海外公司。提供双学位或混合课程是拓宽学习的另一种方法，使学生更好地了解与相关的功能，但不教，在一个工程课程。这些课程也激起学生谁可以学习另一项技能，如会计或业务，除了工程，导致越来越多的人接受了这双方案之间更大的兴趣。理工院校正在成为他们的混合动力的课程越来越多的创意和吸引更多的学生背工程。义安的混合动力工程和商业管理课程，比如，越来越受欢迎，现在吸引学生聚集O水准成绩低9分，与当它在2010年首次推出的18相比不幸的是，创新的教学方法可能无法通过鼓起与治理结构，标准和大专院校的排名，这就是为什么一些大专院校保持对全面拥抱教学和严格的学术移开很大程度上保守的鉴定机构。不管这个，学术机构可以看一下形成产业与议会合作伙伴，以确定工程挑战和量身定制的课程，涵盖更多的应用学习，以更好地为学生准备的劳动力，并导致更高的毕业生就业。政府提供一系列的就业服务，作为其五年计划，以提高技能为未来的一部分。现在它是由教育工作者和行业走到一起，在帮助行业准备就绪工程师发挥主导作用。作者简介：

結果 (中文) 3:

新加坡面临着吸引更多的人成为工程师和准备的年轻工程师对工作的技术方面的双重挑战。

国家需要1000个工程师每年在接下来的五年里，政府最近的数据显示，工作在基建项目从建设不断扩大的捷运网络在电子研究和发展机会的巨大管道。

有，然而，被减弱的兴趣在工程用的人少，追求它近年来作为一种职业，也许是因为它并不那么迷人的形象和缺乏高工资。但这是培养下一代的工程师提前或延迟风险在国内的发展由于缺乏人才的迫切需要。

政府最近宣布，它正在审查薪酬及其工程师的职业发展，以及包括在他们的工作范围，更多的品种，作为一种手段来吸引和留住人才。这是值得欢迎的消息，调查显示平均每月起薪工程师2800美元和3500美元之间促进工程行业。

超出生产更多的工程师，大专院校也需要为毕业生似乎缺乏当它来了解最新的趋势，给相关的技能，方法和现代工具，工业用。掌握这些知识需要时间，超越教材，要开始毕业进入职场之前。

在最近举行的圆桌讨论在东南亚研究机构的学者，参与者因素工程今天生病，以及公司如何与教育发展更加引人注目，行业相关的工程教育。