SATS Fosters Stronger Industry-Academia Talent Connections
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed today with local polytechnics deepens SATS’ commitment to bolster the talent pool and share industry knowledge.
Singapore, 7 February 2023 – SATS Ltd. (SATS) today announced a multi-year collaborative agreement with all five polytechnics in Singapore to jointly pursue a range of initiatives to nurture a larger pool of work-ready graduates and facilitate bilateral knowledge exchange between industry and academia. This new unified collaboration builds upon SATS’ existing efforts to build a sustainable pipeline of talent and support lifelong learning.
With the aim of building a strong Singapore core, there are six areas of collaboration that include: Student Internships, Post-internship Skills-based Career Pathways and Continuous Education, Awards and Scholarships Support Schemes, Industry Sharing and Career Talks, Access to Training Equipment and Facilities, and Staff Development.
As Asia’s leading provider of food solutions and gateway services, SATS is able to provide staff, faculty and students with diverse exposure to global trends, technologies, ideas and expertise for meaningful career growth.
Student Career Pathways
Under this new unified MOU, SATS aims to double its intake of interns and widen the breadth of available roles to include not only airport operations, but also food nutrition, sustainability, digitalisation, data analytics and cybersecurity, among others. Starting from academic year 2023/24, SATS will work with the polytechnics to place approximately 300 students from more than 20 Diploma courses on paid internships of up to six months.
Students will experience industry-relevant, structured and hands-on learning with regular mentoring sessions for a fulfilling internship. A key benefit that interns can look forward to is a pathway to full-time employment with SATS upon their graduation. As full-time employees, they will also gain access to development opportunities, including sponsorships for further studies under SATS’ Continuing Education Scheme.
In addition, SATS and the polytechnics will engage students from Year 1 via learning journeys, career talks and work-study programmes. The exposure to real-world experiences will bring their classroom coursework to life, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
Staff and Faculty Development
SATS will be establishing a knowledge-exchange framework with the polytechnics to drive continuous professional development and lifelong employability for staff and faculty. The opportunities include professional training and staff attachment programmes.
The framework will also help to ensure the relevance of curriculum based on up-to-date industry practices and innovations. To this end, SATS will invite faculty to be part of on-ground operations, while nominated SATS representatives provide the polytechnics with views on coursework requirements. Such engagements will bring classroom coursework to life, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
Kerry Mok, President and Chief Executive Officer of SATS, said, “At SATS, people are our most important asset, and we are excited to embark on this unique collaboration with the polytechnics to build strong pathways of meaningful career growth for our people and students. As SATS journeys from being an Asia-centric operator to a global aviation services leader, we remain dedicated to building a robust and supportive environment for local talent development so that they can thrive on the world stage.”
Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Second Minister for Education, said, “I am heartened to see homegrown companies like SATS doing their part to nurture our local talent pipeline in collaboration with the institutes of higher learning. The collaboration will give our students the opportunity to apply their knowledge in real-world situations and contribute to SATS operations. The collaboration will also enable SATS and polytechnic staff and faculty to exchange perspectives and learn from one another.”
The signing ceremony was held this morning at the Singapore Innovation Hub of the SATS Global Innovation Centre. The MOU was signed by Kerry Mok, President and Chief Executive Officer of SATS together with Jeanne Liew, Principal and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO), Nanyang Polytechnic; Lim Kok Kiang, PCEO, Ngee Ann Polytechnic; Yeo Li Pheow, PCEO, Republic Polytechnic; Soh Wai Wah, PCEO, Singapore Polytechnic; and Aw Tuan Kee, Deputy Principal, Temasek Polytechnic. Witnessing the signing ceremony was Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Second Minister for Education.
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ANNEX: QUOTE SHEET
“The food solutions and gateway services sectors have seen tremendous change over the past few years mainly due to COVID-19. Despite the challenges, these sectors continue to offer meaningful career opportunities to talents keen to join its ranks. Through this collaboration with SATS, we hope to enable our learners to discover more about these sectors and learn the various career pathways they can embark on post-graduation. The collaboration between NYP and SATS will also empower existing staff to develop additional skillsets to keep abreast of developments in the sectors and excel in their job roles.”
Jeanne Liew, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Nanyang Polytechnic
“With Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s focus on placing industry at the core of our curriculum, this collaboration with SATS will create more industry-relevant learning experiences for our full-time students and adult learners so that they can explore exciting careers in the food solutions and gateway services sectors. In today’s evolving business landscape, we also look forward to continuous professional development opportunities for our staff, whose close engagement with industry will further enrich students’ learning.”
Lim Kok Kiang, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
“The aviation sector has weathered the COVID-19 storm and is well-poised to make a strong recovery. Republic Polytechnic’s collaboration with SATS reinforces our commitment to train a pool of talents in supporting Singapore’s position as a global aviation hub. The engagements will provide staff and students with invaluable exposure through the various training and structured development pathways. In particular, we are pleased to synergise our expertise with SATS in co-developing Continuing Education and Training programmes as part of this collaboration.”
Yeo Li Pheow, Principal/Chief Executive Officer, Republic Polytechnic
"Growing a talent pipeline and instilling a sense of lifelong learning is key to sustaining a strong Singapore workforce. Our strategic tie-up with SATS will facilitate bilateral knowledge exchange between industry and academia. The collaboration will allow our students and faculty to gain invaluable knowledge, industry exposure and work experience through the various initiatives, enabling us to develop a pool of future-ready and work-ready graduates. We look forward to working more closely with SATS to build a sustainable pipeline of talent and creating careers that will make a lasting and meaningful impact on the industry."
Soh Wai Wah, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Polytechnic
“Temasek Polytechnic is pleased to facilitate the agreement between SATS and the five polytechnics. Our collaboration with SATS will help develop new and exciting possibilities in training and recruitment for our students in the aviation industry. This is extremely timely as we see the aviation industry in Singapore and the region growing rapidly after the pandemic. Temasek Polytechnic is privileged to play this role in creating a pipeline of talent and manpower for the community.”
Peter Lam, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Temasek Polytechnic