During Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2016, CH2M launched a new Leadership Development program at its Singapore InfraHub.
The Leadership Development program will prepare the company's next wave of multi-disciplinary employees to develop and execute complex infrastructure projects in Singapore and the region. The program, which is supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), is CH2M’s first program of its kind.
Employees will undergo mentoring and overseas training in countries in the Asia-Pacific, including India. During these periods, employees will learn how to structure and execute infrastructure projects in these markets. Many projects will involve challenging public-private partnerships due to the gap between the available public funds and the funding requirements needed to meet the region's infrastructure needs.
The introduction of this leadership development curriculum marks an expansion in the capabilities of CH2M's InfraHub, which was launched in Singapore in 2015. The InfraHub is aimed at strengthening the company's engineering and consultancy services, such as industrial water, underground spaces and smart cities solutions. It is positioned to address Asia's growing infrastructure gap by investing in the firm's Singapore operations, local delivery and experience. InfraHub was launched in collaboration with utilities, government agencies and city planners to help deliver complex infrastructure projects. It will also advance the development of high quality, sustainable infrastructure for Asia's mega cities through best practices, quality design and capacity building.
"For more than 20 years, CH2M has partnered with clients in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region to deliver key, cross-sector infrastructure projects in water and industrial facilities, which have enhanced Singapore's socio-economic backbone, livability and long-term sustainability," said Greg McIntyre, CH2M global president of business groups. "As the region's needs for infrastructure increase, we are committed to harnessing Singapore's engineering talent to lead larger, more complex projects for our clients and contribute to the city's desire to be Asia's infrastructure hub."
According to the McKinsey Global Institute, in Southeast Asia alone, it is estimated that $7 trillion will be needed for infrastructure, housing and commercial space from 2015 to 2030. Apart from fulfilling the region's existing infrastructure needs, CH2M's trainees from this program will also have the opportunity to work in sophisticated markets, such as the U.S. They can develop new capabilities in anticipation of future infrastructure needs, such as data centre facility development and advanced water quality modeling.
"We are committed to growing our pool of talent in Singapore and beyond, and we are excited about the opportunities to offer services across the full value chain of infrastructure development to create the greatest value for our clients and the region," McIntyre said. "With this new talent initiative in place, we will accelerate the development and deployment of disruptive technologies in the infrastructure sector and groom a highly-technical workforce to fill specialized roles to execute infrastructure projects involving niche disciplines."
Lim Kok Kiang, assistant managing director, EDB, added: "By leveraging cross-sector synergies through the InfraHub, CH2M is well-positioned to capture local and regional growth opportunities in Asia. We are confident that the InfraHub will serve as a key enabler to groom talent with the necessary skills to design and deliver complex infrastructure and urban solutions for the region."
Source: CH2M
