Singapore: The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has injected another S$65m ($46.9m) into the Maritime Cluster Fund Manpower Development Programme to attract local talent to the sector.
The latest fund injection has brought the funds invested under the programme to S$115m since 2007. The additional funding will be used to introduce new initiatives as well as step up existing efforts, MPA said in an announcement.
“MPA is committed to building a strong core of local talent in the maritime industry, which offers diverse career opportunities for Singaporeans in both seafaring and shore-based jobs,” said Andrew Tan, chief executive of MPA.
Tan said MPA will be announcing more initiatives on manpower development in the coming months.
In a poll carried by the publishers of Splash last year, 77% of respondents said the local talent pool was not large enough or of high enough quality while 53% of voters found current work restrictions on foreigners were affecting their businesses. Most damningly, 59% of readers said the government had not been effective in getting more people interested in a maritime career.
The poll formed a core part of an annual Singapore magazine. The full 60-page special can be accessed for free here.
