SG-MAP launched at the Singapore Maritime Dialogue
Mrs Josephine Teo, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Transport, launched the Singapore Maritime Ambassador Programme (SG-MAP) today at the second Singapore Maritime Dialogue, the MPA said in a press release.
The programme engages students and professionals from various maritime sectors to volunteer as Singapore Maritime Ambassadors. They will help to inspire more Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, to join the maritime sector by showcasing the immense possibilities that this sector offers. This new initiative is spearheaded by the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF), with support from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Mrs Teo said, "The Singapore Maritime Ambassador Programme supports our efforts to build a strong and sustainable core of local talent that will take Maritime Singapore into the next chapter. I am glad that amongst the Ambassadors are students, executives and industry veterans, who will be able to share their experiences and passion for the maritime sector."
For a start, 30 Maritime Ambassadors have been identified and more are expected to be appointed in the coming months to complement the current spectrum of promotional and outreach initiatives by various stakeholders in the maritime industry.
Mr Muhammad Hazreen Bin M Haffis, the moderator for this year's Singapore Maritime Dialogue, is one of the Singapore Maritime Ambassador pioneers. The IMC - MaritimeONE scholar joined IMC Industrial[1] Pte Ltd last year, after graduating from Nanyang Technological University with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Maritime Studies.
The Singapore Maritime Dialogue aims to create awareness of and generate interest in the maritime education, scholarship and career opportunities that the Singapore maritime industry has to offer. About 280 students from various junior colleges, polytechnics and ITE College Central participated in this year's event held at The Star Gallery - The Star Performing Arts Centre. The students had the opportunity to hear from and engage in a panel discussion with Mrs Josephine Teo and five senior maritime leaders[2] around this year's theme - "Maritime Singapore in 2030".
In line with the dialogue's theme, the exhibition this year featured a future-ready component, where students learnt more about the futuristic technology to be deployed at upcoming mega developments like Tuas Port[3]. Key features include the use of automated machinery and green energy systems to improve productivity and environmental sustainability. Students also learnt more about maritime-related courses, careers and scholarships at the exhibition, which had participation from academic institutions like Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University and Singapore Institute of Technology.
Another new element was the inter-school maritime quiz. The team from ITE College Central (Business School) came out tops from amongst the 16 teams fielded by attending schools. They received the championship trophy along with the top cash prize of S$1,000[4], from the Guest-of-Honour, Mrs Josephine Teo.
Mr Michael Chia, Chairman of SMF and MaritimeONE, had this to say about the maritime industry's synergistic efforts for student outreach, "The youths of today are increasingly discerning about their future careers, so we need to reach out to them in as many ways as possible, through events like the Singapore Maritime Dialogue, and the Maritime Ambassadors under the new SG-MAP initiative, amongst others. Singapore retained its top spot as the most important maritime capital in a recent survey[5] that benchmarked 15 cities around the world, and we want our young people to know about the many exciting and varied opportunities in Maritime Singapore that are right at their door steps."