- Spanish companies that develop civil works there may hire Spanish road engineers from five national universities
- The ‘Land Transport Authority’ plans to double the extension of the subway network of the Asian country until 2030
The Government of Singapore has begun to officially recognize the degree of road engineers from five Spanish universities. Thanks to this recognition, the Spanish companies that tender in the important public works competitions of the Asian country will be able to include Spanish engineers in their teams, which until now was impossible since their degree was not recognized.
The Secretary of State for Commerce, through the commercial office of Spain in Singapore, initiated a work campaign with the transport authorities of the Government of Singapore two years ago to achieve two objectives: 'recruit' Spanish road engineers, very defendants in Singapore, and achieve recognition of their qualifications to be able to hold management positions and be part of the technical teams in international civil works tenders, a demand repeated on numerous occasions by the large Spanish engineering and construction companies with interests in Singapore.
Since last March, the 'Building Construction Authority' has made public the recognition of the degree of engineering of roads of five Spanish universities: the Polytechnic University of Madrid, the Polytechnic of Catalonia, the Polytechnic of Valencia, the University of Cantabria and Alfonso X el Sabio University.
Once this requirement has been met, and with one year of experience in the country, Spanish road engineers and with electrical and mechanical specializations can apply for the title of 'resident engineer', which enables them to be hired by the construction companies that participate in the competitions of public works in the Asian country.
Until now, many Spanish companies were forced to hire foreign engineers whose titles were recognized by the 'Building Construction Authority' or the 'Professional Enginering Board', a basic and punctual requirement in the tenders launched by the 'Land Transport Authority' of Singapore , public entity under the Ministry of Transportation of the country. This agency plans to double the 180 kilometers of the subway of the city state of Singapore to 360 kilometers in the year 2030. Also, a high-speed train linking the states of Singapore and Malaysia is under study.
35 Spanish road engineers hired
In addition to a boost for professionals and Spanish companies, this step by the transport authorities of Singapore highlights the great interest they have in capturing the talent and experience of Spanish engineers. In the last two years, the commercial office of Spain in Singapore, in collaboration with the College of Roads, Canals and Ports, which has spread the offers in Spain, has facilitated the hiring of 35 road engineers, at the request of the Land Transport Singapore Authority.
Engineers have been able to join their jobs in these two years, but without options to hold the category of 'resident engineer', which prevented them from reaching management positions and being part of the technical cadres in public works tenders, a possibility that since this month of March they have already opened.
The Secretary of State is currently working to ensure that the "Professional Enginering Board" of Singapore also recognizes the qualifications of Spanish engineers from other specialties and expands the number of recognized universities.
