Building, Architecture and Engineering Graduates

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Education (a) how many building, architecture and engineering graduates did our local universities produce in the last three years; (b) how many of these graduates entered the construction industry; and (c) in view of the increasing problem faced by the construction industry in recruiting locally-trained personnel and the tightening of foreign worker employment rules, whether our local universities will increase their annual student intake for these courses.

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Over the past three years, our Autonomous Universities produced over 1,100 building, architecture, civil engineering and related graduates. We do not have exact figures on how many of these entered the construction industry, but our estimates, based on graduate surveys, are that close to half of these graduates are employed in the construction industry.

The Government will continue to work with our industry partners to attract local talent into the construction and other strategic industries. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) offers various scholarships, such as the BCA-Industry Built Environment Scholarship, to encourage Singaporeans to take up diplomas and degrees in the construction industry. There are also initiatives, such as Learning Journeys, career fairs and internship programmes, to reach out to students.

The Government also provides support for Continuing Education and Training (CET) degree pathways for adult learners to upgrade their qualifications. Employees can make use of the various schemes, such as the Workforce Training and Upgrading Scheme (WTU) or Skills Development Fund (SDF), to upgrade their skills and increase productivity. There are many courses relevant to the construction industry offered by organisations, such as the certification courses, specialist diplomas and part-time Masters programmes offered by the BCA Academy.

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