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SINGAPORE – There will be a total of 1,000 training spaces, company attachments, as well as internship opportunities offered in the maritime sector to Singaporeans and permanent residents in the coming months.
The openings will be in areas such as automation systems, digital transformation, shipping operations and maritime superintendency.
Speaking on Thursday (Oct 22) at the 10th Singapore Maritime Institute (SMI) Forum, State Minister for Transport and Foreign Affairs Chee Hong Tat said that the vacancies reflect skills in demand in the industry, but may also benefit apprentices if you later decide to join other sectors.
“Our maritime sector is not only resilient, it is actually growing stronger during this pandemic. This is the challenge we have set for ourselves … how to grow Maritime Singapore and create more good jobs,” Chee said.
“In addition to creating new jobs, we must also help our people develop the skills to take on these positions.”
The government said in August that there were 200 job openings in the sector and Mr. Chee announced an additional 800 spots on Thursday.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is partnering with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), Workforce Singapore (WSG), the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), maritime companies and institutes of higher education to provide opportunities within the framework of the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Initiative. the organizations said in a joint statement Thursday.
MPA and SSG are also collaborating with institutes such as Singapore Polytechnic, Singapore University of Management, National University of Singapore (NUS) and with companies such as PSA, DNV GL and American Bureau of Shipping, on training opportunities through the SGUnited and SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Skills Program – Entrepreneurial Training Program.
The forum held at NUS featured a discussion on the future of ports and shipping, where panelists spoke about the role of research and innovation in the development of the ports of the future, and the automation and sustainability of shipping .
In his speech, Chee said that Covid-19 has greatly altered many sectors globally and has changed our way of life. However, Singapore’s maritime sector has remained resilient.
But he added: “As supply chains change and become more complex, due to Covid-19 and other global developments, we must be ready to adapt and remain relevant.”
Among other things, the industry must embrace digitization, which is fundamentally changing business models and processes across different industries, said Chee, emphasizing the importance of global industry collaboration in areas such as automation.
“In the maritime sector, digitization will change the rules of the game for companies to improve their productivity and differentiate themselves from the competition,” he added, and said it will create new opportunities for collaboration with other industries such as logistics and manufacturing.
Chee also addressed decarbonization, which refers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.
He said decarbonization will change the face of maritime things, such as the type of marine fuel used, the design of vessels, and how port infrastructure and operations are organized.
As Singapore is the world’s largest transshipment hub and a major maritime hub, Chee noted that the country will do its part in the fight against climate change by supporting the International Maritime Organization’s emission targets.
“We do not believe that being a ‘business friendly’ place is at odds with being ‘environmentally friendly’,” he said.
The maritime industry here must turn these challenges into advantages with innovation and experimentation, and also take risks and accept some failure along the way, he said.
At the event, it launched two new research and development initiatives from the Center of Excellence in Modeling and Simulation for Next-Generation Ports, to create digital models of ports.
PortML is a set of universal programming language standards, while SINGAPort Studio is a software package that uses PortML to design and build digital twins.
These models, in which port authorities and operators can test solutions for different operational scenarios, reduce disruption to central port operations and delays for customers.
“By establishing a common modeling language and software suite, innovations developed for different ports can be interoperable, to support international collaborations and maritime operations around the world,” said Chee.
He shared that a total of 12 partners from Europe, China, Japan and South Korea have shown interest in the platform. He invited more global partners to adopt it.
In his speech, Chee said that the government will provide a regulatory environment that supports business and innovation.
“When we achieve sustainable growth, we can also achieve other important results such as creating good jobs for our workers and implementing industrial practices that protect the environment,” he said.
Chee also released the Roadmap for Intelligent and Autonomous Shipping Systems on Thursday.
The event also saw the renewal of a memorandum of understanding between MPA and the American Bureau of Shipping, which will establish a new center of excellence in Singapore and will also provide training opportunities for the maritime workforce.
MPA CEO Quah Ley Hoon said the maritime sector must continue to move forward with digitization and automation despite the pandemic.
“With the transformation of the Maritime Singapore industry, the attraction and retention of talent is key in this endeavor. Singaporeans can look forward to benefiting from exciting and rewarding careers in the maritime industry,” he said.
SSA President Caroline Yang said Covid-19 has accentuated the need for businesses and workers to reorganize and retrain to meet the changing global shipping industry, and urged members of the maritime community to participate in the training programs.
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