For more than 50 years, ST Engineering has been dedicated to delivering innovative engineering solutions in the aerospace, electronics, land systems, and marine sectors. The global technology, defence, and engineering group’s vision is powered by talents that generate novel solutions to meet the challenges of tomorrow, marrying technology and innovation to create world-class solutions for customers in the defence, government, and commercial sectors.
With a footprint that stretches across four continents, ST Engineering products can be found in the depths of the oceans and in the vastness of space, making for a limitless breadth of opportunities within the organisation. Believing that a career is built in the long term, the group offers a multitude of growth and development opportunities that empower its staff to shape their own career as they pursue their passions.
Tan Kai Yu
ST Engineering Overseas Scholarship
Senior Engineer, Aerospace
Master of Engineering (Aerospace)
– University of Cambridge
To learn more about the ST Engineering journey, BrightSparks met with two ST Engineering scholars, 28-year-old Edwin Ang and 26-year-old Tan Kai Yu.
Engineering Diverse Growth
Land and air. Their work might focus on two different sectors, but Kai Yu and Edwin share a passion for engineering that motivated them to pursue a scholarship with ST Engineering, one that has proved to provide diverse opportunities for both.
Starting out as an Aircraft Stress Analyst in the Engineering Development Centre of the Aerospace sector, Kai Yu’s work after graduation was centred around converting end-of-life passenger planes into freighters. During this time, she received invaluable guidance from her mentors. “It is easy for an engineer to be caught up with the Science and Math behind an engineering product or service and overlook the business aspect of it. My exposure to management and strategy planning meetings provided me with valuable insights on the business aspects of various engineering projects, the market landscape we operate in, and how these affect engineering solutions,” she explains.
As a scholar, Kai Yu has enjoyed tremendous support from ST Engineering for her pursuit of training in areas that are not directly related to her initial course of study. The group sponsored her for summer school in Stanford which allowed her to take up Computer Science courses and is currently sponsoring Kai Yu for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Apprenticeship Programme (AIAP) as she makes the switch to be an AI Engineer. “I appreciate how the Group trusts and supports my proposals for trainings that I deem to be beneficial to my technical development and are aligned with the overall strategy,” she shares.
Edwin too, has been able to make the switch to a role that is greatly different. In the span of the three years since his graduation, Edwin transitioned from a Munitions Design Engineer to leading his own design project and has now moved to the Strategic Planning Office. This job rotation is one of the development opportunities he has enjoyed over the course of his scholarship. “I have also attended courses on engineering drawing, design courses, project management, and introduction to digitalisation,” he says.
Pursuing Tomorrow’s Technology, Today
In its pursuit for innovation, ST Engineering does not solely focus on nurturing new talent. The group is also dedicated in investing in the latest technologies while equipping staff with the tools that they need to come up with smart engineering solutions. Edwin shares one such example with us. “The Group has invested in additive manufacturing which helps to reduce the development cycle of a new product. This makes work more efficient as it reduces the normal design-manufacturing-testing cycle from three weeks to less than three days. It also means non-structural bearing parts can be designed more creatively,” he says, breaking down how his work processes had been made more efficient.
Edwin Ang
SgIS Scholar with ST Engineering
Senior Engineer, Land Systems
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
– Nanyang Technological University
Kai Yu has also seen similar efforts in her area of business. With ST Engineering adopting new technologies like additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence, she has witnessed how big data and deep learning technologies enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of video analytics solutions that are provided to customers.
“I am currently working with a deep learning team in the Electronics arm of ST Engineering, and I’m able to see the cutting-edge neural network algorithm that my team implemented deployed in actual video analytics projects,” she shares about the experience. “The adoption of AI will help to drive innovation in areas where there are real needs for AI application within ST Engineering,” she affirms, wishing to continue work as an AI Engineer and drive these innovations once she has completed her AIAP.
Growing Your Passions
With their positive experiences working for the Group, Kai Yu and Edwin are optimistic that aspiring engineers will find a place to build their futures with ST Engineering. The key ingredient? Passion. “If you are very passionate about engineering or eager to work towards bringing a home-grown engineering company to greater heights, ST Engineering is a good fit for you,” Kai Yu says.
Edwin agrees with this, adding, “ST Engineering values people as its most important asset, so job rotations and mentorship for new engineers are practiced and encouraged. You can be assured that your job will never be dull.”
