Only at SAESL will you be able to work with an exclusive range of Rolls Royce aircraft engines. And with BrightMinds, you might just land the job.

By Cheryl Lim

Imagine you are in a fully air-conditioned, spacious workshop with music playing softly in the background. The cool air and clear lighting create a comfortable environment for you to do your job maintaining and repairing aircraft engines for highly reputed commercial airlines.

This is a day in the life of 26-year-old Ng Yong Hua, a Trainee Inspector at Singapore Aero Engine Services Pte Ltd (SAESL).

“I studied aviation in school,” says the Mechanical Engineering graduate from Nanyang Technological University. “I preferred a more hands-on type of job, which only a few companies offered. SAESL was one of them.”

Job-hunting made easy
After graduating in mid-2008, Yong Hua went through several avenues in search of his dream job. Two months later, he clinched the traineeship programme with SAESL through BrightMinds, an online career fair focusing on campus recruitment.

Widen your horizons through a naval career, which comes with many opportunities for career progression and lifelong learning.

By Cheryl Lim

After thirteen years with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), 2WO Ken Chong is still enjoying the dynamism of his career. The potential and possibilities which he saw as inherent in a military career years ago have surpassed his expectations.

“I studied Marine Engineering and felt that whatever I was going to do in the Navy would be very relevant to what I had studied,” says the Singapore Polytechnic alumnus. “Being in the Navy, I can also gain financial independence at an earlier age. It was a viable option for me then and it is no wonder that I’ve been here until now.”

However, Ken quickly learnt that a naval career is not just about operational duties and patrolling the seas. In 1997, his vessel was involved in the salvage mission of Silk Air Flight 185 in Palembang, Indonesia.

“The sight of the airplane debris floating on Musi River remains vivid in my mind. This deployment was during the early days of my career and it reminded me of how different this was compared to a desk-bound job,” Ken recounts. “It was also at this juncture that we realised we were there to help, and not just doing our jobs.”

Up the ranks
Ken's career in the Navy started onboard a naval ship, where he climbed the ranks and became the Chief Engineer onboard a Mine Counter-Measure Vessel.

At IRAS, employees have enriching careers that are filled with developmental opportunities, work-life balance, and prospects for progression. Certainly, what more could one ask for?

By Cheryl Lim

Here’s a secret that many passers-by of the Revenue House are unlikely to know. This building, where the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) is located, also houses a fully-decked gym, muay thai training centre, badminton courts, and function rooms.

At IRAS, providing employees with a dynamic work environment and healthy work-life balance is the order of the day.

The IRAS culture came as a pleasant surprise to Cai Nana, a 22-year-old Tax Officer who joined the agency in March this year. It is also one of the key reasons why Principal Tax Officer Alan Chua has stayed on for 11 years and counting.

Besides, the financial independence and career prospects available at IRAS were dual offers they could not refuse. The Technical-Gratuity Scheme, available to all diploma-holders who join the company, grants each person a gratuity amount of $12,000 upon completing three years of service and an opportunity to be emplaced or promoted within these three years.

Alan has already benefited from this unique scheme, from which Nana will also reap the fruits of her labour by 2012.

SP scholar Elysia Low has continually proven her mettle as a Management Associate in the organisation.

By Cheryl Lim

It’s unusual to find a female as inclined to engineering as 24-year-old Elysia Low.

Her interest in the subject was sown in her primary school years when she used to be a habitué at her uncle’s mechanic workshop, before the word “physics” made any sense to her.

“I started going to his shop when I was in primary school because it was near my house, and since both my parents were working,” Elysia shares. “Although it was just a car repair shop, there were many interesting gadgets to play with which I couldn’t find at home. And I didn’t have to worry about anything getting spoilt because there were always people who would repair them later!”

Years down the road, her experience of working on research projects as a student at Hwa Chong Institution further strengthened her inclinations towards the engineering field.

Two SAF scholars tell how the Navy, regardless of rank or gender, has honed their characters and calibre through opportunities as countless as the stars in the sky.

By Tan Yan Shuo and Cheryl Lim

“The joy of sailing, no land or ships around you, just the sky, the sea, the tranquillity, the beauty of the sunset on the horizon, the beauty of a full moon rising on the horizon, and the beauty of a thousand stars in the sky – all that excites me every time I go out to sea,” muses Lieutenant Colonel Alan Goh from the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).

Although his current posting doesn’t require him to sail, a love for the sea continues to run through the veins of this former sailor, avid sportsman, and SAF Overseas Scholar.

Of depth and breadth
Since joining the Navy in 1998, Alan has garnered a wealth of experience through extensive opportunities. His eventful years of service illustrate the sheer amount of grooming that the Navy offers its scholars.

He has worked onboard various ships, climbing the ranks from trainee to second-in-command in his early years and learning specialities such as anti-submarine warfare; he has worked in the Naval Plans Department, where one of his biggest projects involved procuring Singapore’s second generation of submarines; he has studied for a year at the US Naval War College; he has commanded a Missile Corvette in the Navy.

Being part of a spirited team and the ability to make a difference are some of the reasons why two scholars take pride in their careers with MHA.

By Cheryl Lim

“My greatest satisfaction is being able to make a positive impact on someone’s life,” says Captain Png Yan Da, 27, a Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) scholar.

In his line of work – a Rota Commander with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) – this could refer to saving a life, preventing damage to property, or simply making a difference to the men under his charge.

While he might not fit the stereotypical bill of a firefighter, Yan Da’s unassuming demeanour exudes a strong conviction of the significance of his work. “Any life or property saved is a big achievement. To a person whose house is on fire, every little thing you do to save his house is a big thing to him,” he says.

From engineering to defence
As a Singapore Government Scholarship (Home Uniformed Services) recipient, Yan Da was able to study overseas at Imperial College London, where he obtained a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering.

An EDB scholar attests how a career with the organisation has enlarged his mind and capacity for greater things.

By Cheryl Lim

Thanks to a scholarship with the Economic Development Board (EDB), 27-year-old Kenneth Chew has received extensive exposure that few of his peers enjoy. Since embarking on his career in 2006, he has travelled to at least six countries and interacted with people from various walks of life.

“The good thing about EDB is, after two years, officers get a chance to rotate. That allows us to better understand what we want,” says the University of Michigan alumnus. “For a fresh graduate, it’s a very good thing, because EDB provides that kind of exposure to different types of jobs. You get to understand your strengths and weaknesses, and also get a better sense of your career preferences.”

As the lead government agency responsible for enhancing Singapore’s position as a global business centre, EDB plays a pivotal role in facilitating value-creation for investors and companies in Singapore, overseeing the development of about 40% of Singapore’s GDP. It aims towards growing the nation’s economy and creating sustainable employment for all.

A dynamic environment, extensive exposure, and propitious future are promised to those who make the cut for a career in the Army.

By Cheryl Lim

At 31, Lieutenant Colonel Tan Cheng Kwee is already into his fifth posting in the Army, where he has enjoyed personal growth and “learnt to see things from different perspectives of the organisation”.

“I chose the SAF scholarship as it offered a job that was not desk-bound all the time, and offered me a dynamic challenge to lead,” says the SAF Overseas Scholar.

Cheng Kwee’s career progression is testament to that. He has been involved in ground command as both Platoon and Company Commander, been an instructor in the Officer Cadet School (OCS), served as a Staff Officer in the Army General Staff, and is today an Operations Officer with the 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade.

“The Army’s business is the defence of Singapore through deterrence, diplomacy, and swift, decisive actions on the ground. It needs strong operational units on the ground to execute the tasks required to achieve its desired outcomes. My role is thus to ensure the units under my charge are well-trained, competent, confident, and ready to carry out missions required by the Army,” he says.

With new features, a bigger marketing budget, and a refreshing approach to publicity, the JobsCentral Career & Learning Fair 2009 was truly in a league of its own.

The annual fair, brainchild of online career portal JobsCentral, has gained increasing recognition since its inaugural launch three years ago. Despite a placid job market, this year’s event garnered a record number of 110 exhibitors (comprising leading employers and education providers) and received more than 50,000 visitors.

Exciting new features
This year, the JobsCentral Fair introduced three new elements to the event:
• A by-invitation-only networking session
• Free seminars conducted by industry professionals
• A job application engine on the event website

Held on the morning of the first day, the networking session was a closed-door event, exclusively for a selected pool of JobsCentral portal users. Invitations were sent based on the exhibitors’ general recruitment criteria.