Firebenders' Background Information #1

With the popularity of processed food among consumers in recent years, it is not surprising that food and beverage manufacturing comprises a significant portion of the industry today. The food industry in Singapore itself is also growing tremendously, proven by the regional growth of local brands such as Yeo Hiap Seng and Gardenia as well as the influx of multi-national corporations (MNCs) like Nestlé and Cadbury's into the country. This proves that there is a dramatic increase in the demand for well qualified food specialists.

The National University of Singapore (NUS) offers the only degree course in Singapore for the major Food Science and Technology (FST) (NUS: Food Science and Technology Programme – Director’s Message). The NUS-FST Programme is expected to provide competent and knowledgeable graduates for the developing local food industry. Even though knowledge in the multi-disciplinary sciences is important for food technologists, many employers strongly emphasize on the need of well-developed communication skills, be it verbal or written, as well as the ability to work collaboratively.

In fact, with the shift to the knowledge-based economy, employers from most industries across the world seek graduates with strong communication skills. According to a report by the National Leadership Council for Liberal Education and America's Promise, more than 70 percent of the employers highlight the importance of acquiring teamwork skills in diverse groups and proficiency in written and oral communication (2007). Similarly, a survey carried out by Dr. William Koh from the Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning (CDTL) of NUS showed that employers ranked teamwork and interpersonal skills among the top five abilities that graduate employees should possess (2000).

Our research focuses on the communication skills required within the food manufacturing industry, specifically in the product development sector. Depending on the size of the food company, the main duties of a food technologist include product development, quality control and improvement of preservation and transport procedures. Food technologists who work in the product development sector are responsible for developing new products and improving existing company products for local and overseas markets. The food technologist then provides technical assistance to the quality and marketing teams, involving close cooperation between these departments. On top of possessing a degree qualification in the relevant field, food technologists are required to be "team players with good communication skills". This is demonstrated by the list of job requirements by Fraser and Neave (Singapore) Pte Ltd for food product development personnel (2007).

There are three modules offered by the Centre for English Language Communication (CELC) of NUS to students in the Faculty of Science. They are SP1202: Communicating with the Academy, SP1203: Foundation in Effective Communication and ES2007S: Professional Communication. SP1203: Foundation in Effective Communication is specifically designed for Pharmacy undergraduates, and thus is unavailable for FST students. SP1202: Communicating with the Academy aims to help students improve their writing skills related to academic scientific texts and develop their critical and analytical skills. On the contrary, the main objective of ES2007S: Professional Communication is to help students communicate effectively – either in oral or written form – in various social settings, particularly in the workplace. Nonetheless, none of these two modules are made compulsory for the graduation of FST undergraduates.

In our interview with NUS Senior Lecturer of the FST Programme Dr. Leong Lai Peng, she opined that FST undergraduates are sufficiently equipped with communication competence from the NUS curriculum. This is because students are given the opportunity to work in teams during projects and to gain proficiency in oral and written communication via oral presentations and report writing assignments. Also, Dr. Leong was of the view that undergraduates improve their communication skills considerably during their Professional Placement Programme in third year. However the question remains, is this really enough for employers?