JTC Corporation (JTC) keeps an eye perpetually on Singapore’s industrial landscape. Some of its iconic projects include Jurong Island, a chemicals hub, various business and specialised parks such as Airport Logistics Park of Singapore, International Business Park, Changi Business Park, Seletar Aerospace Park, CleanTech Park and Tuas Biomedical Park, as well as one-north, a new work-live-play-&-learn development.

JTC will continue to create tomorrow’s industry spaces and engineer new projects that support our industries’ changing needs. The Jurong Rock Caverns looks to subterranean depths to optimise land use, the Tukang Innovation Park will spur even greater innovation, and the Jurong Island Version 2.0 will enhance the competitiveness of the chemicals sector. But in order to fulfil its ambitious strategies, JTC needs a cadre of individuals equipped with the skills to dream, design and deliver initiatives to shape our nation’s industrial spaces.

Two of these individuals are Lee Chun Kiat and Sim Siew Ee. They give us an insider’s look at a career in this influential corporation, and what they look forward to in JTC’s exciting future.

Supporting Companies’ Growth

As an Assistant Manager in the New Estates Division, Chun Kiat works with various public sector agencies such as the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the National Parks Board (NParks) to implement initiatives in one-north. According to him, the most fulfilling aspects of his job include seeing the one-north community thrive, and witnessing myriad collaborations between different government agencies and private entities.

Left: Lee Chun Kiat
Assistant Manager, New Estates Division
Bachelor of Science in Real Estate, National University of Singapore

Right: Sim Siew Ee
Assistant Manager, Product Solutioning Department, SME Programmes Division
Bachelor of Business Administration & Master in Public Policy,National University of Singapore

He tells us, “The master planning and development of the one-north estate has helped facilitate intellectual collaborations. These collaborations traverse various fields such as electronics and biomedical sciences, and have resulted in new products that are beneficial to Singapore and the world.”

His counterpart Siew Ee, an Assistant Manager in the SME Programmes Division’s Product Solutioning Department, works on bolstering the growth and development of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore. She explains, “There is no typical day in JTC because our work is very dynamic. We brainstorm to identify gaps in existing policies to improve them. We also talk to industry experts to learn the various strategies that SMEs can adopt to boost their growth. Our conversations with these industrialists help us gain a better understanding of their business needs and requirements.”

Laudable Achievements

Chun Kiat brings to our attention the Jurong Rock Caverns (JRC) which he had the rare opportunity to visit. Built by JTC over a period of 14 years, JRC, located 150m below Jurong Island, is Southeast Asia’s first commercial underground storage facility for liquid hydrocarbons. He recalls, “Not many people would have had the chance to tread the construction tunnels and storage caverns like I did with my fellow Foundation Programme course mates. The scale of the endeavour and the opportunity to witness JRC below the seabed of Jurong Island was certainly an eye-opening experience.”

Apart from the JRC, other projects at which JTC officers marvel include the JTC Space @ Tanjong Kling and the JTC Surface Engineering Hub (SEH). Siew Ee explains that the former is a multi-storey development that utilises a smaller land area and aims at improving land optimisation by enabling production activities across multiple floors.

The SEH, on the other hand, provides shared facilities such as the centralised wastewater treatment plant, which allows companies to reduce space requirements, operational costs and upfront capital investments. Siew Ee muses, “As Singapore is land scarce with limited resources, JTC has certainly adopted very relevant and important strategies in shaping the nation’s industrial spaces.”

Opportunities to Grow

Beyond the nation’s industrial and economic development, JTC also ensures the development of its staff. JTC officers are assigned mentors on whom they can rely for guidance and information when they first join the corporation.

It also implements a suite of programmes that help officers to build up competencies beyond their work scope. For Siew Ee, she has been given the opportunity to emcee external JTC events, host internal events such as My JTC Day, and participate in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) committee. “Being an emcee helps to build my confidence and polish my skills in public speaking. My involvement in the CSR committee gave me the opportunity to organise and run corporate-wide events. These experiences are invaluable to me: I have learnt much from working with external parties such as beneficiaries, event organisers and service providers, on top of the government agencies and SMEs with whom I interact as part of my core work,” Siew Ee enthuses.

These opportunities are in addition to the Foundation Programme organised by JTC Academy. Chun Kiat tells us, “This programme for new hires in JTC is definitely a big plus for us. It enhances our understanding of JTC’s core businesses. It also allows us to pick up essential skills – such as that of public presentation and professional writing – through courses delivered by external professional trainers.”

He continues, “If the opportunity to join JTC presents itself, dive right in and learn as much as possible on this journey! You will definitely discover many new perspectives through your new experiences. These experiences will certainly groom you to become an all-rounded individual.”

Creating Tomorrow’s Industry Spaces

In line with JTC’s work ethos to always be prepared for the future needs of industries, both officers already have in mind what they hope to see in the industry going forward.

Chun Kiat shares earnestly, “I am keen to see how JTC will continue to adopt novel and innovative approaches, whether it is bringing different industry segments together to create synergies and promote collaborations, or thinking out-of-the-box to initiate ground-breaking ideas that will address Singapore’s land constraints. The Air Rights Development at one-north and the Punggol Creative Cluster are projects that I am looking forward to the most because they represent new frontiers in creating industry spaces for the future.”

Siew Ee concludes, “With a dynamic global outlook, an ever-changing industrial landscape is inevitable for Singapore. Having said that, I look forward to discovering new challenges and offering new solutions that can help to catalyse the growth and development of SMEs in Singapore.”