Funds for the MaritimeONE Scholarships are pledged by various stakeholders in the maritime industry including shipping lines, shipyards and maritime ancillary service companies. This year, 38 MaritimeONE scholarships are sponsored by 20 organisations, and are valued at more than S$1.2 million.
MaritimeONE scholars are able to choose from a wide spectrum of 21 courses – 18 business, law and engineering degrees offered by seven local and overseas universities, as well as three maritime diploma programmes at the Singapore Maritime Academy in Singapore Polytechnic.
Since 2007, a total of 238 MaritimeONE scholarships worth more than S$6.5 million have been awarded to outstanding students to pursue courses in Singapore and overseas. Details on the MaritimeONE Scholarships and courses supported can be found in Appendix A.
“The maritime industry in Singapore has so much to offer in career opportunities and development for our young people. It is a key pillar of our economy, contributing 7 per cent to our nation’s GDP1, and Singapore also retained its position as the most important maritime capital in the world in a recent survey benchmarking 15 cities. Hence, we would like maritime to be the industry of choice for students and the MaritimeONE Scholarship Programme is a key initiative to nurture talent for the industry.” said Mr Michael Chia, Chairman of MaritimeONE and SMF, who delivered the welcome address at the awards ceremony.
2015 MaritimeONE Scholars – Sisters (Alissa Ong and Angelia Ong)
Two of the MaritimeONE Scholarship recipients this year happen to be sisters – Ms Alissa2 Ong Shu Qin, and Ms Angelia3 Ong Shu Hui. The two sisters are supported by different sponsors under the MaritimeONE Scholarship programme, and are taking different paths into the maritime industry.
Alissa decided to sign up for the Bachelor of Science in Maritime Studies after hearing Angelia share about her studies and internship experiences at MPA4 and a ship management company, as part of her Diploma in Maritime Business course. Alissa is supported under the PSA – MaritimeONE5 Scholarship for her studies at NTU.
“I put Maritime Studies as my first choice because of my sister’s sharing, and after one year in the course, I am convinced that I made the right decision. The modules taught and the experiences shared by the professors and industry guest lecturers were all very interesting! I want a career that is rewarding, interesting and more importantly, something that I am really passionate about. I believe I have found all this in the maritime industry,” said Alissa, who will join PSA Singapore Terminals as an Operations Executive when she graduates.
Alissa’s older sister, Angelia, a SMA-PU6 – MaritimeONE Scholar, added, “My interest for the maritime industry developed over the years from the time I enrolled in the Diploma in Maritime Business at Singapore Polytechnic. Apart from the lessons in school, I also picked up a lot from my six-month internship with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. During my time with two departments (Vessel Traffic Management and Seafarers Management), I was a part of the team contributing to the work of running Singapore’s global hub port and it was truly an eye-opener!”
Angelia will pursue a degree in Maritime Business and Maritime Law when term starts next month at Plymouth University in the UK, as part of her MaritimeONE Scholarship for overseas studies that is jointly supported by Singapore Polytechnic’s Singapore Maritime Academy and Plymouth University.
