What Our Scholars Say
Every year, JTC awards scholarships to outstanding individuals for study at reputable universities in Singapore or overseas.
Ong Sheng Siong
(Scholarship awarded in 2015)
Economics and Statistics,
University of California,Berkeley
Why JTC?
I was interested in the economic development of Singapore and had the opportunity to intern at JTC at the end of my national service. The internship really impressed upon me the importance of JTC's industrial development in ensuring the success of overseas companies, and local SMEs & start-ups. In particular, I felt that JTC will have a huge role in the agglomeration of not just industries, but also innovation, in the future. I wanted to be a part of this process.
What opportunities for development have you been given as a JTC scholar?
As part of my scholarship, I was given the opportunity to take on internship which gave me the opportunity to gain invaluable hands-on experience and play a part in shaping JTC’s policies. I was given the opportunity to work to detail JTC's innovation framework. This really widened by perspective of JTC's various functions in ensuring Singapore's industrial development.
I also had the opportunity to work on a feasibility study for the implementation of interactive panels in one-north that will provide a one-stop solution for the community to find out information on amenities, events and deals. It was an independent study that granted me substantial flexibility involving site-surveying, survey sampling, etc. While I probably did not have the professional expertise, the experience accelerated my understanding of JTC's industrial development (especially within one-north) and also piqued my interest in statistical methods. I eventually decided to add statistics as my 2nd major, with the belief that it will be useful in my future work at JTC.
Nagarajan Ratha
(Scholarship awarded in 2012)
Mechanical Engineering with Management, University of Manchester
Advanced Manufacturing Technology and Systems Management, University of Manchester
Mechanical Engineer, Technical Services
Why JTC?
Since my Junior College days, I had an inclination to pursue engineering. I was looking for engineering scholarships with agencies such as PUB, BCA, HDB and JTC. What drew me to JTC amongst my list of choices how dynamic its projects were and the difference these projects make to Singapore’s economic landscape. JTC pioneers many innovative projects. Each project poses its own challenges and constraints and I think this makes the work at JTC exciting. JTC keeps pace with the evolving needs of industries to ensure that our products and policies remain relevant. It is fulfilling to know that I am making a direct positive impact in shaping Singapore’s economic development.
What are your responsibilities at work and some of the challenges you faced in your job?
I provide technical support as a Mechanical Engineer to building projects. It involves ensuring sufficient M&E services are provided for in JTC’s developments, both for the present and the future. One of the challenges faced initially was to understand and address the needs and concerns of the various stakeholders involved in each project. The project team consists of people from various backgrounds – architects, civil, mechanical and electrical engineers, urban planners etc. This has taught me to think outside of my scope as an engineer – both to appreciate the bigger intent and purpose of the projects I work on, and to study engineering constraints from planning to maintenance.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
When I see the projects come to fruition, it is definitely fulfilling as I have come to realise how my work benefits the enterprises supported by JTC. By being part of a cross-disciplinary project, I also have the opportunity to be exposed to other functions and gain a deeper understanding of their work; and it has made me value my role as an engineer.
Ng Li Hui
(Scholarship awarded in 2011)
Geography, University of Oxford
International Planning, University College London
Assistant Manager, Land Resource Management
Why JTC?
I was looking for an organisation that would allow me to apply my education as a geographer. At the same time, I was interested in business and industry development. As Singapore’s industrial infrastructure developer, JTC provides me the opportunity to pursue both. The numerous capabilities within JTC also provide the opportunity to try out different operations if I wish to do so. I was also attracted to JTC’s emphasis on innovation and creativity
What are your responsibilities at work and some of the challenges you faced in your job?
As part of the Land Planning Division,I am responsible for all the land matters over a swathe of Jurong including Tukang Innovation Park and Jurong Port. These range from resolving the encroachment of land by other parties to negotiating with agencies to find a way to accommodate needs of companies. I am also involved in infrastructure planning to meet new requirements of companies and rejuvenation of older estates. Beyond the operational and planning work, I am involved in studies on underground space development and freight.
JTC has an interesting position of being both a government agency and a developer. This means that we need to strike a balance between resolving and facilitating our customer’s specialised operational needs and overcoming infrastructure limitations to prepare a site for their development, while working under accelerated business timelines. A key challenge for me has been to work with various stakeholders with competing or misaligned interests to reach a resolution under time pressure which will require experience and conflict resolution skills – something that you can’t pick up from a text book. This also makes it even more fulfilling when I work with a supportive inter-division JTC team and other agencies to solve problems together.
Chin Zhi Hui
(Scholarship awarded in 2010)
Engineering Science, Oxford University
Engineering Science (Masters), Oxford University
Assistant Manager, New Estates
Why JTC?
When I was young, I lived in one of the JTC Flats within Teban Gardens, next to Jurong Industrial Estate. I was curious about the presence of the industrial estates surrounding my house, and by questioning and reading as I got older, I learned that these estates were planned by JTC, and about the role JTC played in Singapore’s economic development. The work felt interesting and meaningful, and one thing led to another with me applying for the JTC scholarship!
What are your responsibilities at work and some of the challenges you faced in your job?
I’m currently part of New Estates Division, and I play a role in the masterplanning of one-north, a work-live-play-learn estate located in Buona Vista. As the needs of businesses continually evolve, we have a crucial role in guiding the development of the estate so that it can remain relevant to Singapore’s needs and interests in economic development. One of the points that I felt made a difference was the emphasis JTC made in creating a liveable and enjoyable estate, organising place-making activities such as Fantastic Fridays and the one-north festival – making the estate not just a simple place to work, but for one to connect and mingle and forge collaborations as well!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
As one-north is one of the most vibrant estates in Singapore, we have to balance the needs and expectations of the community together with planning requirements. Thus, we had to continually engage one-northers, as well as planning authorities, to ensure that we come up with practical solutions that meet the competing needs of all. When I see one-northers go about enjoying working there - and when companies set up shop in one-north as well – it does reaffirm that what JTC does for the estate is meaningful and it is deeply rewarding for me on a personal level.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of taking up the JTC scholarship?
To better understand the work that JTC does, I would recommend them to join the JTC internship programme. You would be able to familiarise yourself with what JTC does in the internship as well, and get to know our (friendly) working environment better before applying!