Students and fresh graduates from the polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) keen to join the marine and offshore industry will now have a better idea of where their careers are headed.

Three major companies from the sector yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with the ITE, Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) and Singapore Polytechnic (SP) to promote and facilitate SkillsFuture initiatives in the industry.

The Singapore Workforce Development Agency and the Association of Singapore Marine Industries are also signatories to the agreement.

The initiatives include Earn and Learn, a work-study programme, and an enhanced internship programme that allows students to go on longer and more structured internships.

The tripartite SkillsFuture Council was established last year to train workers better and improve the career prospects of polytechnic and ITE students.

The first batch of 10 polytechnic graduates from NP and SP will start their Earn and Learn Programme with Keppel Offshore & Marine, Sembcorp Marine and Singapore Technologies Marine on Tuesday. During the year-long programme, they will attend evening classes at NP while being trained on the job, receiving a Specialist Diploma in Marine Production at the end.

Internships for the 160 final-year NP students enrolled in the Marine and Offshore Technology course will be extended to six months next year, twice as long as usual. Eighty Higher Nitec ITE students in the same course will also join the internship programme.

"They will also be given defined job scopes and student learning outcomes that place students first," said Mr Peter Liang, director of the Mechanical Engineering Division at NP's School of Engineering. "Currently, 70 per cent of our graduating students either pursue higher education or get employment within the marine and offshore industry. We hope to increase that proportion and groom talent for the sector."

Yuen Sin