WDA, NTUC to spend $4.2m to train Singaporean seafaring officers
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Four years ago, Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduate Omar Mohamed Said started working as a steersman piloting small boats under an Indonesia captain.
On Monday, the 29-year-old took his first step towards captaining his own ship, after receiving the Tripartite Nautical Training Award aimed at getting more Singaporeans to become seafaring officers and, eventually, captains of ocean-going ships.
The award, jointly funded by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency and Singapore Maritime Officers' Union, has earmarked $4.2 million to train 80 sea cadets in the next two years. Two other parties in the programme are the National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and the Singapore Shipping Association.
The award covers the training fees and provides a monthly allowance of up to $1,400 to each sea cadet during their 31-month course. It is an extension of a $2.4 million programme launched in 2009 which is funding the training of 56 sea cadets.
