Singapore, 15 August 2018 – EM Services today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) that will deepen professional collaborations between academic institutions and the facility management industry in boosting students’ exposure and knowledge while equipping them with the industry-ready skills for a career in the industry.

The signing ceremony took place at NP and the MOU were signed by EM Services CEO Mr Tony Khoo and NP Deputy Principal Mr Mah Wee Beng at Ngee Ann Polytechnic on 15 August 2018. The signing was witnessed by EM Learning Managing Director Mr Justin Lim, Director of School of Design & Environment Mrs Pang-Eng Peck Hong and management staff from both EM Services and NP.

A leader in the property and facility management field, EM Services has maintained a strong track record in the management of townships across Singapore – managing over 600,000 HDB residential units, 9,000 retail and shop units, 6,500 market and food centre stalls, and 400,000 vehicle parking lots. Today, EM Services manages ten out of sixteen Town Councils in Singapore.

Under the MOU, EM Services and NP will cover a broad spectrum of collaboration including the likes of co-training, service-learning partnership, internship, research projects and training to train and impart essential skills to students as they embark on a career in township and facility management.

“The industry is undergoing a major structural change that is called the Industry 4.0 which is all about the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence and because of the technology push, it has especially impacted the Facility Management industry and the skillsets required to manage our assets and properties has changed and we have to adapt. Academic institutions are also changing the way training is being taught and that is why it’s important that we bring what is happening within the industry to the schools so students can gain relevant skills and increase their employability and also become relevant to the industry,” said Mr Tony Khoo, CEO of EM Services. “In a way, this collaboration will be able to help raise the students’ standards and most importantly, their salary as they begin their career”, he added.

“With the strong foundation that Ngee Ann and EM Services have built, this MOU brings us several steps forward and I think that it is wonderful as we work to further strengthen our collaboration in numerous areas – whether it’s service learning on township management, internships, industry talk or joint research and development,” said Mr Mah Wee Beng, Deputy Principal of Ngee Ann Polytechnic. “As our students learn as closely related to the needs and demands of the matter, it places our students in a good position when they graduate to begin their career or further their studies”, he added.