Redas calls for stronger push to attract young talent in built-environment sector
The association urges members to step up with internships, mentorships and scholarships amid shortages
[SINGAPORE] The Real Estate Developers’ Association of Singapore (Redas) has called for greater efforts to attract and train young talent in the built-environment sector.
This includes having more of its members “come on board”, whether to offer mentorships, case studies, internships or scholarships, said Redas president Tan Swee Yiow at the association’s annual Mid-Autumn Festival lunch on Friday (Oct 3).
One “good” suggestion by the Taskforce for Architectural and Engineering Consultants – a group formed in September 2024 to strengthen Singapore’s pipeline of architects and engineers – is the enhanced internship programme dubbed Inspire, said Tan.
Under the programme, participating companies offer longer internships of at least 30 weeks, compared to the industry’s typical duration of 20 weeks. It has also been recommended that they offer an allowance of at least S$1,500 per month, versus the market rate of S$1,000 to S$1,500.
Participants will have dedicated mentors and clear learning outcomes to ensure they acquire key technical and soft skills.
“A longer tenure and higher pay creates a deeper, more rewarding experience for interns,” said Tan. “I encourage more members to look into these areas.”
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Redas has also worked with master’s-level students from the National University of Singapore on heritage research, giving them “real project exposure” and helping developers gain historical insights, he said.
“These are small but meaningful steps,” said Tan, given that fewer graduates are choosing real-estate disciplines, and professions such as quantity surveying, project management and urban planning risked “serious shortages”.
“Yet a career in the built environment offers endless opportunities… (and) can help shape Singapore’s future and touch the lives of every citizen,” Tan said. “With our collective effort, we can nurture a vibrant pipeline of talent and ensure Singapore’s built environment continues to thrive.”
Also speaking at the Redas lunch, Second Minister for Finance and National Development Indranee Rajah highlighted the need to emphasise quality-based procurement while moving away from “the unhealthy practices of cheap-sourcing and fee-diving that create a race to the bottom”.
The government is therefore looking at updating the procurement evaluation criteria to put too-low bids at a disadvantage, and enhancing its contractual clauses to “enable a better distribution of risks between service buyers and (built environment) consultants”, said Indranee.
These were some of the recommendations shared in the taskforce’s latest report, published in early September.
Indranee pointed out that Redas was also exploring updates to its standard contract forms. “I encourage Redas and private developers to consider implementing similar enhancements to support a healthier business environment.”
At the same time, she pushed for stronger efforts to improve the built-environment sector’s workplace and give workers greater recognition, to improve talent attraction and retention.
This is why the taskforce developed a built-environment charter for appreciation, respect and empathy (Be Care) to outline best practices to develop collaborative relationships in project teams, said Indranee.
“Redas members like Frasers Property, Far East Organization and SingHaiyi Group are supporting this by implementing the charter in their projects, and I hope that more developers will join us in this effort,” she added.
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