1. The Centre for Digital and Precision Engineering (CDPE) was officially opened at Nanyang Polytechnic today. The CDPE is part of the $76 million Precision Engineering (PE) Manpower initiative announced in 2007 by Minister Lim Swee Say.

2. Under the PE Manpower initiative, EDB and SPRING took the lead to work with various government agencies, institutes of higher learning like NYP and industry to attract a new generation of talent to join the PE industry, and to upgrade and deepen the capabilities of Singapore PE manpower base. The S$76m PE Manpower Initiative aims to train 2,000 PE professionals over 5 years. The Initiative consists of two programmes that will equip the PE workforce with advanced manufacturing capabilities to meet the challenges of tomorrow- the PE Scholarship programme and the PE Specialist Programme.

3. The Scholarship programme is a fully-funded three-year Diploma in Digital and Precision Engineering (DPE) targeted at students while the Specialist Programme is a five-year in-employment upgrading programme targeted at working adults. To date, about 300 students have been awarded scholarships to pursue the DPE at Nanyang Polytechnic or the Technical Engineer Diploma at Institute of Technical Education (ITE). 220 working adults from 71 companies have participated in the Specialist Programme to acquire specialised skills, hands-on training and advanced knowledge.

4. This Manpower Initiative exemplifies Singapore’s efforts to be a “Home for Talent”, which recognizes talent not merely as an input factor, but as a key driver of economic growth. This scholarship complements Singapore’s transformation into a “career capital” – from a “host” of global talent to a “home”. By offering superior education for knowledge workers, Singapore can provide a strong foundation to facilitate innovation, a key differentiator to attract global talents and businesses here.

5. The Scholarship Programme for the DPE is only available at Nanyang Polytechnic, and 120 places are offered for each intake. This course equips students with a strong foundation in precision engineering, with emphasis in areas such as product and mould design & creation, complex tool & component manufacturing and manufacturing software technology. Diploma students will serve a 3-year bond within the PE industry upon graduation.

6. The scholarship covers full tuition fees for the 3-year diploma course with a monthly allowance of $800. It will also provide opportunities for students to participate in fully paid overseas attachment of up to 6 months in Germany, Switzerland, USA, UK or Japan. The $21 million centre is located at the School of Engineering (Manufacturing) at the NYP Ang Mo Kio campus.

7. The Specialist Programme provides special upgrading opportunities for engineering candidates in-employment through part-time PE specific Diploma or equivalent means. These candidates will also enjoy annual training allowances in recognition of their growing PE capability.

8. Emphasising the importance of engineering talent, Mr Leo Yip, Chairman of the Economic Development Board said, “Singapore must continue to build on our strengths in precision engineering. It offers us a competitive edge in attracting and rooting more companies here to carry out both manufacturing as well as innovation activities. The range of manpower development programmes covering both pre-employment training and in-employment upgrading is therefore critical to build and sustain a deep engineering talent pool.”

9. SPRING’s Deputy Chief Executive Mr Ted Tan said, “As the backbone to Singapore’s manufacturing industry, our forte in precision engineering has enabled us to diversify beyond electronics into medical technology, aerospace, and oil and gas and other complex manufacturing. Through our capability development programmes, 35 PE SMEs have embarked on upgrading projects over the past two years to position themselves for new business opportunities. The National Precision Engineering Manpower Initiative adds on to these efforts to develop a strong base of diploma-qualified workforce that will support the industry’s continual growth.”

10. NYP’s Principal & CEO Mr Chan Lee Mun said: “The Centre for Digital & Precision Engineering plays an important role in NYP’s efforts to remain relevant to the changing needs of industry. To date, the centre has supported more than 40 PE companies in areas of joint projects and capability development, and this is in line with our goal of offering manpower development programmes and services to business and industry.”

11. The Scholarship for the Diploma in Digital and Precision Engineering is jointly awarded by EDB and SPRING, and administered by Nanyang Polytechnic.

Interested applicants, please contact the following for more information :
Nanyang Polytechnic
Mr David Lim
Course Manager
DID : 6550 0450
Email : david_lim@nyp.gov.sg

---

About the precision engineering industry in Singapore

Manufacturing is a key pillar of the Singapore economy. The sector contributed to more than $22 billion in manufacturing output (about 10% of the manufacturing output), and $6.7 billion in value add in 2008. It accounts for more than 100,000 jobs and makes up for about 25% of the total manufacturing workforce.

About the Singapore Economic Development Board

EDB is the lead government agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business centre and grow the Singapore economy. We dream, design and deliver solutions that create value for investors and companies in Singapore. In so doing, we generate economic opportunities and jobs for the people of Singapore; and help shape Singapore's economic future.

‘Host to Home’ articulates how EDB is sharpening its economic development strategies to position Singapore for the future. It is about extending Singapore's value proposition to businesses not just in helping them improve their bottom line, but also in helping them grow their top line. EDB plans to build on existing strengths and add new layers of capabilities to enable Singapore to become a ‘Home for Business’, a ‘Home for Innovation’ and a ‘Home for Talent’.

For more information on how EDB can help your business, please visit www.sedb.com 

About Nanyang Polytechnic

Established in 1992, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) (www.nyp.edu.sg) is a premier tertiary institution that offers quality education in Engineering, Information Technology, Design, Interactive & Digital Media, Business Management, Health Sciences and Chemical & Life Sciences. Currently, it offers 47 full-time diploma courses and a suite of customised courses for continuing education.

The Polytechnic’s unique “Teaching Factory Concept”, complemented with other innovative pedagogies, enables students to learn within a training environment that emulates the workplace. It is also an excellent platform to engage in industry projects and collaborations. NYP has also developed the award-winning Accumulated Experience Sharing (AES^TM) knowledge management system which provides a rich reservoir of intellectual resources and best practices to support its learning needs.

NYP was conferred the 2009 Innovation Excellence Award (I-Award) by the Singapore Quality Award Governing Council. The I-Award is the highest accolade given to the most innovative organisations in Singapore.

Being an innovative polytechnic has resulted in several key outcomes for NYP. These include graduates who are well sought after by industry, high-value industry projects, a wide portfolio of patents, achievements in national and international competitions by staff and students, and recognition of NYP’s brand of technical education & training by many local and international organisations and institutions.