The Singapore Maritime Officers' Union (SMOU) has introduced a new programme to encourage Singaporeans to pursue careers as marine engineers.

Having worked for years to address the shortage of Singaporean seafarers, the SMOU and its training arm, Wavelink Maritime Institute, will team up with the government and industry partners to launch the Tripartite Engineering Training Award (TETA) Programme in the upcoming months.

This is also a place-and-train initiative, similar to the Tripartite Nautical Training Award (TNTA) for seafarers.

The TETA Programme was launched at the biennial Maritime Manpower Singapore event on July 16.

SMOU general secretary Mary Liew said, "The maritime industry contributes an astounding 7% of Singapore's GDP, and our aim is to continue to bring about greater awareness of well-paying career opportunities to young Singaporeans.