In a move to bolster the manpower needs for the Precision Engineering (PE) sector, key industry stakeholders rolled out a suite of events at the inaugural PE Day. Led by Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), as the appointed Jobs-Skills Integrator for the PE sector (JSIT-PE), the full-day event featured a career fair for jobseekers, an employer networking session and workshop for PE companies, and a learning journey for jobseekers and graduating tertiary students keen to enter the industry.

Organised by the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and Jobstreet by SEEK, the e2i x JSIT Precision Engineering Career Discovery Fair featured 29 companies, including Makino Asia, Sunningdale Tech, and VDL Enabling Technologies Group. The event offered over 200 potential job openings such as Automation Engineer, Quality Assurance Engineer or Inspector, Programmer and Machinist. Jobseekers keen on joining the PE sector participated in on-site job interviews with these hiring employers or received career advisory tips from the e2i career coaches.

Employers in the PE sector joined a workshop and sharing session on attracting and retaining talent in the PE sector. Keynote speakers shared ways to optimise human capital and elevate employer branding strategies for business success, equipping employers with the tools needed to attract and retain top talent. The session also featured speakers from PE companies sharing their strategies towards growing their businesses.

Complementing these efforts was a Learning Journey organised by NYP’s School of Engineering, which allowed jobseekers and graduating students to tour NYP’s state-of-the-art PE training facilities. Designed to inspire and educate, participants engaged in hands-on activities on actual equipment from Switzerland, Germany and Taiwan – the same equipment they will be working on at the workplace. The Learning Journey also showcased the PE sector’s innovations and the various career pathways available for the PE workforce.

Mr Russell Chan, Principal & CEO, NYP, said, “Advancing the Precision Engineering (PE) sector hinges not just on technology or processes, but on our most valuable asset: our people. Today’s event aims to create opportunities for individuals to gain a deeper understanding of the numerous job opportunities and career growth pathways the PE sector has to offer and to give them a head start in this growth sector. At the heart of these initiatives is a shared vision among our network of partners to grow a resilient PE workforce that has the skills, technical knowledge, and innovative spirit to create impactful change in the sector.”

“At e2i, we are committed to empowering individuals and driving growth within the PE sector. This event is an essential step in reshaping the perceptions around manufacturing work, and demonstrating how smart factory today is powered by advanced automation, digitalisation and IoT integration. In addition, the JSIT-PEARL (PE Assessment and Reskilling Lab) programme trains individuals for roles within PE companies, creating new opportunities for locals passionate about working with machines to join the industry without prior PE experience. e2i is happy to be a part of this initiative,” said Ms Caryn Lim, NTUC’s e2i’s CEO and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General.

More than 450 jobseekers and students, alongside 80 industry practitioners, participated in the activities organised by JSIT-PE.