MPA, WDA, e2i and harbour craft industry
commit another S$15 million to groom local seafarers

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) will commit an additional S$15 million to extend the Certificate of Competency (CoC) (Special Limits) programmes for Deck Officers and Marine Engineers for another three years to 2017. This was announced by Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transport, at the graduation ceremony for the CoC (Special Limits) programmes held today.

The CoC (Special Limits) programmes prepare seafarers to serve on board ships operating up to the "Special Limits" near Singapore (Please refer to Annex A for the map on "Special Limits"). The new grant brings the total funding to S$27 million since the launch of the programmes in 2011. With the latest enhancement, the programmes aim to groom an additional 300 local seafarers on top of the 188 deck cadets and 85 engineer cadets attracted to date.

To meet the changing needs of the industry such as new requirements set by the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention, MPA, e2i and WDA have also worked closely with industry partners to enhance the existing CoC (Special Limits) programmes with these new initiatives:

(a) Six-week specialisation training course:

MPA collaborated with the Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA)[1] and included a six-week specialisation training course in the CoC (Special Limits) programmes to enhance the skills and knowledge of seafaring officers. The training course covers topics such as 'Advanced Oil Tanker Safety' and 'Passenger Ship Safety', and equips officers with skills and knowledge to operate specialised and more complex vessels such as tankers and passenger ships.

(b) Three-week refresher course:

To assist cadets who face difficulty in their written examinations, MPA and SMA introduced a three-week refresher course in programmes. The refresher course aims to improve cadets' understanding and knowledge of the topics in the programmes and to better prepare them in their written examinations.

(c) Career progression for CoC (Special Limits) Officers

MPA will be working with SMA to introduce an upgrading course by end of this year, which will facilitate the progression of Deck Officers and Marine Engineer Officers to become Master (Special Limits) and Chief Engineer (Special Limits), respectively, after they have graduated and clocked a further two to three years of sea time.

Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA, said, "Quality manpower is a critical success factor for Maritime Singapore. We are pleased to collaborate with e2i, WDA and our industry partners once again to grow a pipeline of skilled local seafarers as part of our maritime workforce. We will continue to enhance our programmes as necessary to ensure relevance to the maritime industry."

Mr Gilbert Tan, Chief Executive Officer of e2i said, "e2i's collaboration with MPA and WDA over the last four years has equipped over 200 cadets under the CoC Special Limit programme with maritime skill sets. The rigorous training and constant curriculum enhancements ensure that this graduating group and future cadets would be future-ready. With the additional funding and updates to the programme, we believe more Singaporeans can secure a good job in the Maritime industry."

Mr Goh Eng Ghee, Acting Chief Executive of WDA, said: "WDA is pleased to continue our efforts in developing a ready pipeline of competent officers to support the maritime industry. The programme provides opportunities for Singaporeans to equip themselves with the required skillsets and embark onto a rewarding career in seafaring. We are committed to working with our partners to address emerging manpower needs and build deep capabilities to sustain the growth of the industry."

A total of 60 cadets have graduated from the second batch of the Deck Officer and Marine Engineer (Special Limits) training programmes. Associate Professor Faishal presented insignias to 32 of them, who have passed their professional exams and obtained their Certificates of Competency, at today's graduation ceremony. The remaining 28 graduates will be sitting for their professional exams conducted by MPA in the near future.

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[1] The Singapore Maritime Academy (SMA) is Singapore's maritime education and training academy. SMA trains students in three distinct maritime disciplines: Maritime Business, Nautical Studies and Marine Engineering (with Shipboard Operations and Offshore Technology options).

Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transport, giving his speech at the graduation ceremony for Certificate of Competency (Special Limits)


One of the cadets receiving her epaulettes


Group photo with the graduating cadets
 

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