Encouraging More Graduates to Enter Sea-based Farming Sector

Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) why the Ministry does not track whether graduates from institutes of higher learning (IHLs) and Continuing Education and Training (CET) aquaculture programmes enter sea-based farms; (b) whether the Ministry will work with IHLs to establish a graduate-to-sector tracking mechanism similar to those in healthcare and teaching; and (c) what projected workforce demand figures are used to calibrate aquaculture training intake across IHLs.

The Singapore Food Agency's (SFA's) focus has been on tracking farm productivity and helping farmers achieve higher levels of productivity, rather than specifically tracking whether graduates from aquaculture programmes join farms.

While we do not track graduates' employment outcomes, SFA works with local institutes of higher learning (IHLs), such as Temasek Polytechnic and Republic Polytechnic, to develop aquaculture capability within our local farming workforce. This includes shaping programme curricula and facilitating industry internships. SFA also projects manpower needs based on industry developments, such as farm openings, potential scale-ups and recruitment plans of existing farms and provides regular inputs to IHLs and relevant Government agencies, such as the Ministry of Education, to inform adjustments to programme intakes for related fields of studies.