Singapore's future workforce will need to have a firm grounding in science and technology (S&T)and engineering in order to drive innovation and sustain strong economic growth, a government official said on Friday.
Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang said that engineering will continue to play an important and vital role in Singapore's economic growth.
Speaking at the 43rd anniversary of Institution of Engineers Singapore, he said that in recent years, student preferences have shifted and the institutions of higher learning are finding it increasingly difficult to attract students to S&T courses, in particular, engineering course.
He noted that Singapore has taken measures to mitigate this decline. He said that Singapore's fourth publicly funded university is set to open in 2011 and will offer programs in Engineering and Applied Science, Business and Information Technology, and Architecture and Design. He added that local universities are also re-designing current engineering courses.
He urged Singaporeans to correct misperceptions about engineering, and expose students to the real possibilities that engineering has to offer./.