By Cai Haoxiang

A NEW training programme customised for the high-tech wafer fabrication industry was unveiled yesterday, in a move to boost the productivity of its engineers as well as make them more employable.

It has gained the support of six key wafer fab companies, which have agreed to send about 7,000 of their engineers for in-house training under the scheme.

It provides a framework for these workers to systematically acquire a range of certified engineering skills that will be recognised nationally.

The scheme was launched by labour chief Lim Swee Say yesterday, as part of the labour movement's new focus on reversing Singapore's declining productivity.

Said Mr Lim: 'With this national framework in place, we can keep upgrading but more importantly, we can keep updating the framework as technology changes and as innovation processes change to keep pace with technology and competition.'

Next year, a similar certification for operators and technicians will be introduced for 3,000 such workers in the wafer fab industry, he added.

The new initiative is developed under the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework.

It is part of the Workforce Development Agency's plan to expand such programmes for professionals, managers, executives and technicians into new sectors.

To be certified, an engineer has to complete 10 units and it can take from one to two years.

In welcoming the certification, ST Microelectronics' managing director Renato Sirtori said: 'Engineers can now be cross-trained and undertake a wider job scope, thus allowing companies to deploy them to other work areas in situations of excess manpower or manpower shortage.'

United Microelectronics believes it would be a good yardstick when hiring.

Said its division director Y.C. Lu: 'The WSQ standards would serve as a safe gauge and screen how competent the engineers are in their skills and work.'

The other four supporters are Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Numonyx, Systems on Silicon Manufacturing and TECH Semiconductor Singapore.

Together, the six contribute to more than half of the wafer fab market here, which has been battered by the downturn.

Labour productivity has suffered. Official figures show it plunging 26 per cent in manufacturing in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, the worst performer among all sectors.

But Mr Lim said: 'The wafer fab industry is beginning to feel the winds of the upturn.'

Plant utilisation has risen to 60 per cent in the second quarter compared to 49 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

Next year's outlook is encouraging. Global revenue for the semiconductor industry is forecast to rise 25 per cent to $250 billion, said Mr Lim.

With his eye on the upturn, process engineer Eugene Tan said the certification will allow him to take on a wider range of jobs.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.