Training Staff For Singapore

Press, Volume C, Issue 29671, 15 November 1961, Page 17

Training Staff For Singapore

Good progress is now being made toward the establishment of the industrial research unit at the Singapore Polytechnic Institute, which the New Zealand Government is presenting under the Colombo Plan. The director of the Canterbury University Industrial Development Department (Mr T. R. Pollard), who recommended the project after a visit last year, returned to Christchurch yesterday after a second trip to Singapore.

“Little real progress had been made since I was there last, but, after meetings with the Minister of Finance (Mr Goh Keng Swee) and the chairman of the Economic Development Board (Mr Hon Sui Sen), things began to move,” Mr Pollard said. •Accommodation is now assured and we have appointed some key staff members."

The first of these is Miss Koh Soh Choo (now known as Miss Molly Koh) who will arrive in Christchurch soon for six months’ training in the CUI.D.D. to become secretary of the Singapore unit

Miss Koh Is a Chinese, bom in Singapore, who was educated at the Katong Convent School and passed the Cambridge School Certificate examination in 1955. Since then she has worked as a secretary and bookkeeper

for the Singapore City Council and with private firm*. She speaks English, Hokkien, and Malay. She will be a key liaison officer between the new unit and the industrial undertakings it will serve.

Mr Lim Yew Chye has been appointed workshop technician and he too will come to Christchurch for training. Bom in Malaya, he was educated at the Victoria English School in Singapore. He joined the Army and passed all the trade xaminations of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. After instructing he had 18 months’ advanced training in the United Kingdom, was promoted to staff sergeant, and joined the Singapore Polytechnic two months ago. He is married and has a son and a daughter. In Christchurch Mr Lim will ’iave workshop training in constructing the

variety of special apparatus the new unit will need. An instrument technician, whose appointment has still to be confirmed, will also probably come to Christchurch for training under the Colombo Plan. Mr Pollard said that these three staff members would gain invaluable preparation for their new jobs in his department The Canterbury unit had had to pioneer its special services to Government departments and industry but it now had a vast fund of experience. Its work was now so well accepted in New Zealand that the Government had considered that the gift of a similar research unit would be the best possible contribution it could make to Singapore. Improvement of methods in village and other industries could greatly increase production and solve many problems which were peculiar to the area.

Mr Pollard said he expected to make another visit to Singapore in April with his chief design engineer (Mr W. F. Seldon) to launch the unit By then the buildings should be ready and equipment installed. During his next visit Mr Pollard has been asked to address the board and staff of tile University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur on the contribution universities can make to industrial research. Tt could be that another unit like ours will be established there,” he said.