Those interested in a career in the maritime industry will get more help identifying the specific skills they need to get the job they want.
A structured guide that lists the skills required for 48 different jobs in the sea transport sector and charts the career progression of workers was launched yesterday.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo said that as the maritime industry transforms, jobs will become more knowledge-intensive. "We will need a workforce that is comfortable with automation and digitalisation. To succeed, the industry also needs our people to have a global orientation," she added.
The industry accounts for 7 per cent of Singapore's gross domestic product and employs more than 170,000 people.
The framework , which can be found on the SkillsFuture website, also lays out trends in the sector, so prospective and existing workers can upgrade their skills and prepare for their desired jobs. Information on relevant training programmes will also be covered.
Speaking at the Singapore International Maritime Awards at the Shangri-La Hotel last night, Mrs Teo said growing a more skilful workforce was one of the Government's three priorities for developing the sector, which is facing challenges such as increased competition and rapid technological advancements. The other two focus areas are port development and building a vibrant business network.
Plans for the Tuas Port are progressing as scheduled, noted Mrs Teo. It will have the capacity to handle up to 65 million twenty-foot equivalent units of cargo a year, more than double what Singapore's port handled last year.
"For the port to remain competitive, we know that scale alone will not be enough," she said. The new port will have an "unprecedented" degree of automation, and processes will be optimised so that customers can save time and money, she added.
At yesterday's event, Mrs Teo presented awards to 10 firms and individuals who have contributed to Singapore's development as a leading maritime hub.
The top award, the International Maritime Centre Award, was given to shipping firm K Line and Mr Patrick Phoon, deputy managing director of Evergreen Shipping Agency (Singapore), for the corporate and individual categories respectively.
