Germany’s top varsity sets its sights on talent development in Singapore
GERMANY’S Technical University of Munich (TUM), through its Singapore campus, has been collaborating with businesses here and some of the country’s top tertiary institutions for the past 20 years to help develop local talent with a focus on science and technology. The aim is to foster the global exchange of knowledge and help in the shaping of the future with talent.
One of the leading universities in Europe and the top university in Germany, TUM is known for its excellence in research and innovation with close to 50,000 students worldwide. It has produced 17 Nobel Prize winners since its founding in 1868, and currently publishes close to 10,000 scientific articles every year.
“Known as the university for excellence, we strive to empower our students in shaping the progress of innovation for people, nature and society with the highest scientific standards and technological expertise,” says Dr Markus Waechter, the Singapore-based managing director of the German Institute of Science and Technology – TUM Asia Pte Ltd.
“We want to foster an entrepreneurial spirit and inculcate a lifelong commitment to learning. Thus, TUM is also the most successful German university in producing startups,” he tells The Business Times (BT) in an interview.
Singapore is the first and only overseas campus for TUM. As an institute of higher learning, TUM Asia is dedicated to the learning development of students in the fields of science and technology.
“At TUM, we believe that to advance science, we need to connect with the brightest and most talented minds worldwide. Thus, TUM Asia was set up with this in mind to foster such scientific exchanges with our students and researchers, and develop as an international community. Our programmes are guided by TUM’s core values and principles to equip learners with the specialised skills and knowledge needed to address the evolving challenges of today competently,” says Dr Waechter.
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Invited by Singapore’s Economic Development Board under its global school house initiative, TUM Asia was set up in the Republic in 2002 to provide top-class research and education facilities.
“Singapore is an international destination that is well-connected to Western and Eastern countries. It is backed by sound corporate governance and political stability. With world-renowned universities and many specialised industries situated here, Singapore has an excellent learning and research environment,” Dr Waechter tells BT.
“The unique East-meets-West learning culture has widened our students’ perspectives, providing them a robust learning experience. Through our various programmes, we also contribute to training the workforce for Singapore’s high-tech industries. We started with a small cohort of 20 students as we wanted to better understand the landscape the business is operating in,” he adds.
TUM Asia works closely with its parent university in Germany to ensure that the academic content is attuned to the university’s standards, industry and global needs. Students get the same high-quality learning experience in Singapore as TUM professors regularly fly in from Germany to deliver lessons. Classes are kept small to give students the opportunity to ask questions and develop close bonds with their classmates. Many students also go to TUM’s home campuses in Germany as part of their Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis or to continue their research.
Dr Waechter says TUM Asia offers two Bachelor’s and five Master’s programmes, most of which are joint degrees with local partner universities such as the National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, and the Singapore Institute of Technology, as well as a range of Executive Education courses.
“All our programmes offered in Singapore are customised to address local and regional needs. We work closely with our industry partners to understand the industry’s needs and tweak the academic content to meet the market’s demands. Professors also fly in from Germany to impart academic and technical knowledge and provide students with twin perspectives of the East and West,” he notes.
TUM Asia currently has more than 600 students in its Master of Science, Bachelor of Engineering and Executive Education programmes. Its students come from more than 35 countries. The faculty comprises nearly 55 professors and lecturers, most of whom are from Germany. The Master of Science programmes are unique to TUM Asia, whereby modules are conducted in English by lecturers from both TUM and the local partner universities. Students can spend time in Germany either as part of their Overseas Immersion Programme, internship or Master’s thesis.
Underpinned by the German educational concept of a “dual vocational training system”, the close collaboration with globally renowned industry leaders has enabled TUM Asia to weave a unique work-integrated learning curricula. Students enjoy a wealth of opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world situations, which helps equip them with academically competitive and industry-relevant skill sets.
TUM Asia is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. “It is significant for us because TUM Asia is the first overseas campus of TUM and also the first overseas campus of any German university. It is a venture which no other university in Germany has ever taken. There was no playbook to follow, so there were numerous challenges when we started,” Dr Waechter shares. “As with any venture, the formative years were hard, but the rewards we reaped 20 years later are immeasurable. We have grown from a small cohort of 20 students to now more than 2,000 graduates working in different trades in top research institutes and companies across the globe.”
TUM Asia’s close relations with the German embassy in Singapore and the Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce have enabled it to establish strong ties with leading German companies and others as well. “From the company’s perspective, we can provide a pipeline of skilled talents in specialised fields where the talent pool is very small. At the same time, industry feedback is also crucial to ensure that our students are work-ready with the necessary skill sets,” Dr Waechter says.
“For our students, they would be able to gain real-world experience and greater understanding. Students are also able to dedicate time to do research, which companies may not have the time or resources to do. The two-way feedback we established with industry partners helps to take innovations from conception to the market,” he adds.
TUM Asia says its collaborations with industry partners have led to many successful transitions of student interns becoming formal employees. For instance, it is working with Siemens as its knowledge partner to provide vocational training for individuals, and courses for companies. According to Dr Waechter, TUM Asia’s collaboration with German software company FESTO Didactic – a world-leading provider of equipment and solutions for technical education – helped in the establishment of the Competence Centre for Digitalisation, Technology, and Innovation in Singapore to provide training, guidance and support to Asean companies and individuals in advanced digital manufacturing.
Among TUM Asia’s notable alumni working in Singapore are Dr Ronny Sondjaja, vice-president of research, development and innovation at Evonik SEA, whose parent Evonik Industries is a stock market-listed German specialty chemicals company; Dr Aswin Haridas, a Non-Destructive engineer at TESTIA, an Airbus company; and Chirag Tejuja, who co-founded TABSQUARE, a company that provides artificial intelligence-powered technology solutions for the food and beverage industry.
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