Limited choices with biotechnology
diploma
Mon, Nov 19, 2007
The Straits Times
I REFER to the article, '2 top cancer research groups to set up
shop here' (ST, Nov 5). It stated that the arrival of two prominent
research institutes was a 'strong validation of Singapore's
importance as a research node'.
While the presence of these two new research institutes here
further cements our role as a regional hub, we should not neglect
the local population.
This year, the biomedical research industry in Singapore came under
fire because a large amount of money was invested in this area with
little returns in terms of conclusive data.
Relate this to the fact that most research scientists here are
expatriates on expatriate pay.
Wouldn't it be more cost- effective to hire local graduates who can
do these jobs?
I am aware that one of the most prominent research institutes here
does not offer scholarships to polytechnic graduates for further
studies and I believe this discounts the fact that there are keen
minds in polytechnics today.
I studied biotechnology at diploma level, under the impression that
I would have good prospects in terms of future studies and career
advancement.
However, the fact is that only the top 10 per cent of polytechnic
graduates are accepted by local universities. This leaves the
remaining 90 per cent of life sciences students with limited
choices.
These choices include going overseas to pursue a degree in
biomedical science (which not everyone can afford), or jumping ship
and pursuing a degree that has nothing to do with life sciences. I
have, unfortunately, opted for the latter.
Also, I would like to point out that most polytechnic students have
at least four months of industrial experience, due to student
internship programmes that are a prerequisite of most diploma
courses.
In fact, one of my former polytechnic classmates, who is currently
studying in a local university, often has to guide his classmates,
who graduated from junior college, in the correct use of laboratory
equipment as well as safety protocol.
Furthermore, I have noted that even with a good degree, job
openings in biomedical research institutes are hard to come
by.
That said, one question I feel should be addressed is this: Why
groom us when there is little intention of hiring us?
Denise Mohan (Ms)
The Life Science Conundrum
After the hype, grads now realise that there’s no place for them in
the industry
Today, 9 Oct 2006
Loh Chee Kong
IN 2002, when Singapore universities had barely begun producing
their own life sciences graduates, Mr Philip Yeo, chairman of the
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), famously
rattled those unndergraduates when he said that they would only be
qualified to wash test tubes.
But four years on, armed with their Bachelor’s degree, some of
these graduates are learning the truth of his words the hard way.
Many from the first cohort have ended up in junior research
positions or manufacturing and sales jobs in the industry -
positions that do not require a life sciences degree. Others find
themselves completely out of the field.
Said Edmund Lim, 27, who graduated two years ago, and now works as
a property agent: “One of my classmates is working
illegally in Australia, peddling psychotropic drugs to clubbers.
Many of my classmates have gone into teaching. Others are in
pharmaceutical or equipment sales.”
Another life sciences graduate, who declined to be named, found a
job recently at a tuition centre, after failing to land
research-related positions for over a year despite numerous job
applications.
Already an established base for pharmaceutical manufacturing,
Singapore has been trying, in the past five ears, to move beyond
manufacturing to more high-end research that is
“value-added”.
According to the industry’s annual reviews compiled by A*Star and
the Economic Development Board’s Biomedical Sciences Group (EDB
BMSG), an average of a thousand new jobs were created annually for
the past five years. Last year, there were 10,200 manufacturing
jobs in the industry, almost doubling the 5,700 jobs created in the
then-fledgling sector in 2001. By 2015, EDB targets the number of
such jobs to hit 15,000.
But the booming figures mask a Catch-22 situation: The current
shortage of PhD holders in the biomedical sciences cluster is
hampering Singapore’s bid to attract multinational companies to
move their high-end research projects here. Without a PhD, most of
Singapore’s life sciences graduates are only qualified to work as
research assistants.
And both graduates and diploma holders vie for these positions that
could pay less than $2,000 a month. In the industry’s manufacturing
sector, life sciences graduates compete against their peers from
other general sciences and engineering disciplines. They face even
stiffer competition in the sales sector, where paper qualifications
take on less significance.
A*Star’s Biomedical Research Council oversees and coordinates
public sector biomedical research and development activities. On
the surplus of life sciences graduates, its executive director Dr
Beh Swan Gin told Today: “It is not a situation that can be easily
communicated, as there are many factors involved. Simply put, a PhD
is essential for progress as a researcher. And there are still not
enough Singaporeans pursuing PhD studies.”
Adding that the local universities should not pander to the
students’ demand for the subject, Dr Beh said: “The job market of
today and tomorrow, is the market the universities should focus on.
The manufacturing and commercial jobs have always been there,
albeit there are more of these now. NUS (National University of
Singapore) and NTU (Nanyang Technological University) should get
better data on the demand for life science graduates at the
Bachelor’s degree level.”
In 2001, NUS’ Science Faculty rolled out an integrated life
sciences curriculum and NTU started its School of Biological
Sciences (SBS) a year later. Meanwhile, the polytechnics also
introduced more life sciences courses. Thousands of students jumped
on the bandwagon, with demand outstripping the supply of places in
these courses.
Professor Tan Eng Chye, NUS’ Dean of Science - who believes that it
could take another five years for the industry to establish itself
- acknowledged that his school’s intake of life sciences
undergraduates was “a bit too high”.
“When we started offering a major in life sciences in 2001, 550
students took up the programme. For the subsequent intakes, the
number stabilised at about 450. But we would be more comfortable
with about a hundred less,” said Prof Tan, who added that many
students were “unrealistic” about their job prospects.
Said Prof Tan: “A lot of students were probably all hyped up to
look for R&D jobs. And when they can’t get such jobs, they
could be disappointed. If they want to do research, they should
further their studies.”
Nonetheless, some headhunters, like Kelly Services’ Lita
Nithiyanandan, predict that it is “only a matter of time” before
these “highly valued” graduates find willing employers. Said Ms
Nithiyanandan: “As most of these multinational life sciences
companies have recently set up or moved their R&D centres to
Singapore, they require senior and experienced research
professionals at this stage to streamline operations and get
compounds approved fast for clinical trials. Once these centres are
more established they will definitely need fresh graduates for
researching new compounds.”
She added: “Overall, Singapore’s biomedical scene is evolving as a
mature hub for Asia Pacific. This would create opportunities across
the board for skill sets through the value chain from fresh
graduates to mid-level research and analysts to high-end PhD
professionals.”
Straits Times Oct 9, 2010
Biomed Sector
EARLY LOSERS: Dreams that fizzled out in unforgiving industry
WHEN a starry-eyed Stephanie Tan enrolled in a local university to
do a biomedical science degree seven years ago, she had dreams of a
career in a cutting-edge industry that seemed at the heart of life
itself.
Those dreams did not last long outside of the rarefied air of
university.
Her bachelor's degree landed her a series of jobs selling
medical equipment, but after they 'bored her to tears', the
26-year-old quit to sell insurance.
Ten years into the biomedical science drive, disillusionment has
set in among graduates like Ms Tan. They are also feeling the sting
of the words of Mr Philip Yeo, then chairman of the Agency for
Science, Technology and Research. He said famously in 2002 that a
basic science degree qualified someone to wash test tubes, a remark
that caused much debate then.
Blunt, certainly, but painfully true eight years on, with experts
now openly admitting that to get anywhere in the field, a PhD is a
must.
Both the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang
Technological University (NTU) offer biomedical courses at
undergraduate level and beyond, and produce a total of about 600
graduates each year.
But records show that only about one in five goes on to do
a higher degree or undertake research work. Others end up in fields
like education, health and finance.
NUS' provost and deputy president (academic affairs), Professor Tan
Eng Chye, said a recent survey of life science graduates found that
most had managed to get jobs.
'This is the same with most graduates from other non-professional
degrees. We have many examples of our biology graduates who build
on their science training to be successful in other areas of
work.'
The acting chair at NTU's school of biological sciences, Professor
Alex Law, added: 'Even if you have basic training in the sciences,
it will serve you well in life.
'Understanding science is not just an academic pursuit, but helps a
person understand everyday encounters, ranging from household
appliances to the debate on stem cells.'
But the Government's strong push for biomedical sciences and the
lavish funding it has attracted have meant that other fields have
lost out in the talent stakes.
Professor Peter Ng, head of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity
Research, told The Straits Times: 'I believe there was a time when
some people felt that only biomedical sciences were important and
the rest of biology was obsolete, redundant or irrelevant.
'The baby almost got tossed out with the bath water. No one denies
that biomedical sciences are important but we must put things in
perspective.'
Some scientists were as starry-eyed as Ms Tan about biomedical
sciences' bright prospects. They came up with promising inventions
and tried to turn them into enterprises, but several learnt the
hard way that good ideas do not necessarily translate into
money-spinners.
Researcher Lee Chee Wee, for example, had dreams of new cancer
drugs when a decade ago, he discovered a way of altering drug
molecules. But funding dried up long before he could take his
discoveries to market, and he ended up paying for expenses out of
his own pocket, almost becoming bankrupt in the process.
Even more experienced players had some hard knocks in an industry
famous for its failures. United States-based biotech firm ViaCell,
for example, exited Singapore in 2007 after funding from the
Economic Development Board was pulled due to targets not being
met.
NUS deputy president (research and technology) Barry Halliwell
explained that in the early days after being set up, companies are
extremely vulnerable. 'Spin-offs need a lot of nurturing. We could
improve in making more money available to them,' he said.
Dr Ting Choon Meng, a general practitioner who has built up a
successful medical device company - HealthStats International -
based on his own cutting-edge technology, agreed.
Inventors and businessmen are two different creatures, he said.
'What we lack are not good researchers and inventors. What we are
really in need of is that special group of people who can take
inventions and build a viable and scalable business model around
it.
'Right now, we expect the inventor to also be the person to run the
company, develop business strategies and have great plans to
penetrate markets.'
Not only was he hampered by a lack of experience, but also local
investors had no faith in him, he added. 'There's still this
perception that local is not as good, and that must change.'
CHANG AI-LIEN
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