SINGAPORE - Students taking marine engineering courses at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) will soon see more content on decarbonisation and sustainability in their curriculum. They will learn about industries' strategies to reduce their carbon footprint, as well as new sustainability standards.
Giving this update at a seminar on green innovation in marine decarbonisation at ITE College Central on Wednesday (June 15), ITE CEO Low Khah Gek said: "We are keen that our staff and students keep abreast of developments in the industry on decarbonisation strategies."
The topic also ranks high on the minds of the youth, as they are concerned about global warming and rising sea levels impacting their future, she added.
"We want to include new concepts into the curriculum and acquaint our students with new work processes and industry standards arising from sustainability and decarbonisation."
Other courses also cover green efforts in their fields. For instance, urban greenery and landscape management courses include topics like mangrove carbon sequestration.
And built environment courses include green energy audit and net zero energy standards.
The event was attended by students from ITE under the work-diploma course and returning students.
ITE and automation company ABB also signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in decarbonisation in robotics and automation.
They will jointly develop a means for energy monitoring and optimisation of an existing industrial robot located in the Automation Hub at ITE College Central, which will help better explain concepts to students.
The robot being deployed in the hub is an industrial robot called the FlexArc, (Arc Welding Robot).
A solution like this can be used in welding sheet metals for the marine industry and the metal industry. It has several benefits when it comes to sustainability, such as consuming less power as compared to traditional methods.
There is also no need for the robots to operate in a lighted or air-conditioned environment so this lowers the operation's carbon footprint.
ITE and ABB will also develop and offer continuing education and training courses for the public and adult learners as part of a three-year partnership.
Five industry practitioners also shared sustainability efforts they were undertaking.
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore assistant chief executive Tan Hoe Soon shared that by 2030, the agency aims to reduce absolute emissions from the domestic harbour craft fleet by 15 per cent from 2021 levels, through adopting lower-carbon energy solutions such as blended biofuels, LNG, diesel electric, hybrid and full-electric propulsion fuels.
Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling, who was at the event, said that as a global hub port, Singapore is committed to supporting innovation, research and meaningful collaborations to decarbonise the maritime industry and international shipping.
It also needs local talent to be involved in the marine and offshore engineering sector. She said: "The sector has pressed on and moved into renewables, this ensures that we play a part in the decarbonisation pathway and we will work with the schools to create jobs that will be well-taken up by students."
