Address by Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Acting Minister for Manpower at Maritime Manpower Singapore, 6 September 2013, 9.00am, Raffles City Convention Centre, Singapore

1. Good morning. I am very honoured to join all of you in this conference this morning.
   
   Developing the maritime sector workforce
2. Since the founding of our nation, our port has been a gateway into the world economy, providing access to global markets and supporting Singapore’s overall economic development. And it’s not just economic development for its own sake, but it’s really about providing a living for our people. Both in terms of keeping the economy going and providing jobs for our people. Today, the maritime sector continues to be an important part of our economy, comprising a workforce of about 170,000 people and contributing more than 7% to Singapore’s GDP.
3. The sector also offers diverse job opportunities ranging from shore-based positions to seafaring careers. As the maritime sector grows and we expand our port facilities in the next 15 to 20 years, the sector’s demand for skilled manpower will continue to grow. Which means that we will put in the effort to continue to build the infrastructure and expertise, and at the same time, in terms of the pipeline, we need to make sure that the talent is ready and available for these opportunities.
4. The maritime sector can provide good jobs for Singaporeans and we should develop this pipeline of Singaporeans for leadership and specialist roles. Efforts to attract more young people to shore-based positions in the maritime sector need to be stepped up, and in many ways, are gaining traction as well. However, growing the pool of local seafarers remains a challenge despite competitive remuneration packages and attractive career progression opportunities. Seafaring careers can provide good career prospects and wages, and we want to see more of these well-paying jobs going to Singaporeans. For this to happen, companies need to put in the effort, and we expect companies to put in the effort, to develop the Singaporean core, to develop the pipeline so that Singaporeans at all levels can be trained and developed, so that when the opportunity arises, it makes sense to look to Singaporeans to take up some of these positions.
5. To realise this vision, SMOU and our other stakeholders are working to raise the percentage of locals working on board Singapore flagged ships, by providing more pathways and support for entry into the sector, and by enhancing its attractiveness.
   
   Multiple pathways into the maritime sector
6. Our Institutes of Higher Learning already offer a range of maritime education programmes to build a strong manpower pipeline for the sector. Our Continuing Education and Training (CET) system also enables maritime employees to upgrade their skills to keep up with developments in the sector. CET for the sector is supported by the Maritime Cluster Fund (MCF) set up by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), which encourages maritime businesses to enhance the pertinent skills of their employees. The number of participants benefitting from MCF has risen from close to 700 to more than 4,000 from 2008 to 2012 and we would like to see this grow. So we hope that companies will continue to support and place the emphasis on these upgrading opportunities.
   
   Programmes under WDA and the Tripartite Nautical Training Award
7. The Workforce Development Agency (WDA), MPA and NTUC’s Employment & Employability Institute (or e2i) have also rolled out a series of joint programmes for the maritime sector to recruit and train Singaporeans to be specialists such as harbour-craft steersman, deck officers and engineers. The training lasts from three to 21 months, after which the trainees can look forward to better opportunities for career progression with higher income. These programmes have attracted more than 500 trainees since they were progressively launched in 2009, and we hope to see even more coming on board.
8. SMOU, working together with e2i, WDA, and the Singapore Shipping Association, has also started a Tripartite Nautical Training Award, or TNTA, to train Singaporeans to take up seafaring roles. Upon completion of the training, trainees will take up appointment as Class 3 Deck Officers and draw a minimum monthly salary of $3,000. With two to three years’ experience working on board ships, Class 3 Deck Officers can upgrade themselves and progress to become Class 2 Deck Officers, with a monthly salary of about $4,000 to $4,500 and this does not include allowances. Over the last few years, more than $6 million have been invested in this initiative, and the training award has attracted some 100 candidates. I understand that most of them are presently pursuing careers on board ships, earning a better income, with promising prospects, and what it means is that it provides good opportunities for our young people to provide for themselves, stand on their own two feet and importantly, to provide for their families in future.
   
   Tripartite Maritime Scholarship Scheme
9. Efforts to build a Singaporean core in the maritime sector should not stop there and do not stop there. MPA is also collaborating with the unions and shipping companies to provide undergraduate scholarships to attract more students into the sector. The Tripartite Maritime Scholarship Scheme launched in 2002 offers scholarship recipients a jumpstart in their maritime careers. To date, more than 100 scholarships have been given out.
10. So, who are the Singaporeans who have benefited from these training programmes? One of them is Amali Akmal Bin Zainal, who, at age 26, decided to pursue a career as a maritime officer and applied for the TNTA. Today, Amali is working in PACC Ship Managers Pte Ltd as a Deck Cadet while he undergoes training to become a Deck Officer. As a Deck Cadet, Amali enjoys a training allowance of $1,400 a month, of which $700 is funded by WDA.
11. Another example is Omar Bin Mohamed, an ITE graduate who held a NITEC 2 certificate. Omar lost his job in 2008 and approached e2i to seek help with finding employment. Omar successfully completed the Steersman programme, and was immediately employed as a steersman. Through his hard work and good performance, he was quickly promoted to a supervisor. However Omar did not stop there. He decided to make a switch in track to take on a seafaring career instead. He successfully applied for the TNTA, where, upon graduation, he will earn a monthly salary of about $4000 as a nautical officer. It is a very big step and achievement for Omar.
12. It is very encouraging to hear such stories. These are just two, and we hope that such stories will continue to be written. We certainly hope to see more young Singaporeans respond to this call, and to look at building their careers in the maritime sector. To attract more Singaporeans into the sector, the tripartite partners are also working together closely to improve working conditions for our people.
    
    Ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC)
13. As part of our efforts to improve working conditions for seafarers, Singapore ratified the Maritime Labour Convention (or MLC) in June 2011. Singapore is the first Asian country to ratify the MLC, which sets minimum global standards for seafarers’ working conditions. Since its ratification, our tripartite partners have taken concrete steps to set national determinations and prepare legislative changes in alignment with MLC provisions, minimum standards and fair working conditions for our seafarers. This is a clear signal of emphasis on seafarers’ well-being and safety. I would like to commend the efforts of the tripartite partners in this area.
    
    Conclusion
14. All stakeholders have worked hard to build a pipeline of manpower for the sector. I believe that the support and infrastructure put in place to attract and retain talent will create more interest among young Singaporeans for the maritime sector. Publicity is important and all of us need to put in effort to make sure more Singaporeans are aware that this is a very attractive and viable career opportunity. And certainly our efforts to build a strong and competent maritime workforce will see results in the years to come.
15. I wish everyone here a fruitful conference. A very good morning to all of you, and thank you very much.