History of Temasek Engineering School

Early beginnings
Temasek Engineering School (then under the wing of the School of Science and Technology) came into existence in 1990. Its main office was at the Stirling Road campus and there were only seven staff members then under the Directorship of Mr Geoffrey Ng.

Towards the end of January 1991, the School moved to Grange Road Campus. The first batch of Engineering students (80 for each of the Diploma in Electronics and Diploma in Mechatronics courses) started their academic session there in July 1991. The Temasek Engineering School assumed an autonomous status in October 1992 and Mr Ang Keng Loo became its first Director. The second intake of Engineering students then was still pegged at 80 for each Diploma course. May 1993 earmarked the birth of the third campus for Temasek Polytechnic. That was when the Temasek Engineering School shifted to the Kim Seng Campus. The move enabled the School to increase its third intake to 240 students for the Diploma in Electronics course and 160 students for the Diploma in Mechatronics course. Since then, the School's staff and student population has grown. Tampines Campus When Temasek Polytechnic moved to its permanent campus in Tampines in September 1995, the School of Engineering's student population was 2240 for the 1995/6 academic session. By 2002/03, the School had more than 5,000 students, which remains as the student population today. Located just next to Bedok Reservoir, the scenic campus is surrounded by lush greenery.  Beyond the trees, the still waters of the reservoir beckons, providing an ideal environment for both study and recreation.

Courses offered
From its initial 2 diploma courses, Temasek Engineering School now offers 15 full-time diploma courses:

Tagline & Logo
In 2001, the School launched its tagline Where the Future Happens” and logo at a mass event held at Sentosa on 7 July 2001.  

Twin Engines

In 2002, Temasek Engineering School launched its Twin Engines, which saw the School moving forward with renewed vigour by focusing on two key areas of emphasis: Project Development & Technical Expertise, and Teaching Excellence.

In line with this, the School established Centres of Excellence called Competency Units”(CU) to spur research & development and to develop areas of expertise so as to keep the School’s training curriculum relevant, and to maintain the use of cutting-edge of technology.  In 2008, the Competency Units were re-clustered into Diploma Units” (DU) to better reflect relevant technology areas that are in line with national initiatives and emphases.

Peaks of Excellence

In 2008, the School embarked on a drive to establish and consolidate its niche areas of excellence.  These are in the fields of: Aviation & Aerospace, Clean Energy, and Interactive Digital Media (IDM).

Aviation & Aerospace niche

The School has also established the infrastructure to provide the support and resources for these niche areas.  Collaborating with Lufthansa Technical Training (LTT) of Germany, the School set up the LTT Centre,  one of Singapore’s best equipped aerospace training centres staffed by both the School’s lecturers as well as expert aerospace instructors from Germany.  The Temasek Aviation & Aerospace Centre was then established to complement the LTT Centre in supporting the Temasek Aerospace Programme @ Temasek Engineering School.

Interactive Digital Media niche
In 2008, the School also set up the Interactive Digital Centre Asia (IDC Asia) – the first and only such Centre in Asia -- jointly with its industry partners IM Innovations and EON Reality Inc.  IDC Asia now not only supports the School’s Diploma in Interactive Media Technology, but also provides professional courses, support and consultancy for the industry.  The School will continue to further its expertise in IDM, in line with the Singapore government’s blueprint to turn Singapore into a global IDM hub by 2015.

Clean Energy niche
In 2009, the School opened its Clean Energy Centre – the first such Centre in Singapore.  The S$18 million centre houses state-of-the-art equipment to support research & development in Clean Energy technologies including fuel cells, solar power, hydro power, wind energy and biomass – the promising technologies of tomorrow.  The Clean Energy Centre now supports the School’s Diploma in Clean Energy, which was launched in April 2009.

Towards the Future
Going forward, Temasek Engineering School will continue in its drive to become a world class provider of Engineering education that meets the dynamic needs of the industry – by focusing on technological expertise & infrastructural support, teaching excellence & enhancing of student experience, as well as industrial collaboration & national emphases.