Encouraging Employment of ITE Graduates in Energy and Petrochemical Sector

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Education (a) how many ITE graduates who took courses related to the energy and petrochemical sector found employment in this sector; (b) how accessible are internship opportunities for ITE students; (c) how are Government agencies working with ITE to help more Singaporeans obtain long-term employment in this sector; and (d) what is the status of the enrolment of courses run by the International Trading Institute of Singapore Management University.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: Based on the Graduate Employment Survey (GES), six in 10 graduates from courses related to the energy and petrochemical sector are in full-time permanent employment six months after graduation or six months to a year after completing national service. Amongst them, six in 10 are in jobs related to their course of study. This is not surprising, as it is common for students to apply what they learnt at ITE to other sectors.

Having said that, ITE works with the industry and various Government agencies to help the graduates secure employment in the sector they are trained for. All ITE students in courses related to the energy and petrochemical sector are required to undergo internship. ITE also reviews the curriculum of its courses regularly to ensure their industry relevance and currency of the skills taught.

For example, ITE's Nitec in Chemical Process Technology is jointly developed with the Economic Development Board (EDB) and its industry partners.

The International Trading Institute (ITI) at the Singapore Management University (SMU) runs courses in the International Trading track and Maritime Business Operations track. These are offered through SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business. More than 740 students have enrolled in these courses since they were first launched in 2006.