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FEATURE SINGAPORE AVIATION
Today, there are over 100 international scheme introduced by the EDB in 2011 to
companies carrying out MRO activities build up a pool of postgraduate manpower
alone in Singapore, and the list hardly with critical R&D skill-sets. Under the
stops there. All these companies look programme, PhD students spend the
to Singapore for its strong engineering majority of their time working on research
capabilities, a strong IP legislative projects while on company premises.
framework, and a pro-business “Today, the [Singapore] aerospace
environment. And that’s without taking industry employs over 19,000 people, of
a productive workforce and rapidly which 90% are skilled jobs, and eight out
expanding R&D capability into account. of 10 of those comprise Singaporeans and
Singaporean PRs,” notes Josephine Teo,
Developing intelligence Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance
Singapore is rapidly establishing itself and the Ministry of Transport. According
as a vigorous contributor to the aviation to Teo, the government is committed
R&D community. In 2010, Singapore’s to sustaining competitiveness, and
OPPOSITE: Rolls-Royce’s expenditure on R&D grew by 7.4% to S$6.5 continuing development of an aerospace
Seletar Campus has sprung billion (US$5.3 billion) and the number of workforce for all sectors.
into action, and last year it researchers and engineers increased by “The Ministry of Education has
celebrated its first Trent 900 6.4%, with the burgeoning private sector also announced a joint collaboration
aero engine produced locally employing 55.3% of those. with [industry] to launch the inaugural
BELOW: In February this
year, Hawker Pacific is This rapid expansion, even in times Singapore Industry scholarships. These are
scheduled to officially of global belt-tightening, is thanks in no aimed at nurturing a core of Singaporean
launch its new sales and small part to government support across a talent with the requisite skills to contribute
customer service centre at range of initiatives including the innovative to Singapore’s strategic sectors,” she
Seletar Aerospace Park Industrial Postgraduate Program (IPP), a adds. Major local players and aerospace
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