PRE-ENLISTEES CAN INDICATE INTEREST IN NS VOCATIONS FROM NOVEMBER

Come November, pre-enlistees going for their medical checkup at Central Manpower Base (CMPB) will be able to indicate their interest across 33 National Service (NS) vocations. This indication process will be done concurrently with their Manpower Aptitude Assessment System.

This batch of pre-enlistees will eventually enlist in November 2017.

The 33 NS vocations are spread across the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF). They include Island Defence, Transport and Guards from the SAF; Airport Patrol and Dog Handling from the SPF; and Fire and Rescue and Medical from the SCDF.

At a media brief held at CMPB on 7 Sep, Assistant Chief of General Staff (Personnel) Colonel (COL) Yew Chee Leung said that this initiative was part of the 30 Committee to Strengthen NS recommendations which examined how NS could be strengthened for the future.

COL Yew said: "The intent is to encourage greater ownership of our servicemen in the roles that they will play during NS. It also aims at providing a more positive NS experience for our servicemen."

Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) are currently deployed based on considerations such as the manpower and operational requirements of the SAF, SPF and SCDF, as well as their physical fitness and suitability to perform the requisite tasks. With the implementation of the NS Vocation Interest, pre-enlistees' interest will also be taken into account.

The vocations will be organised into seven categories -- 15 SAF vocations in three categories, 10 SPF vocations in two categories, and eight SCDF vocations in two categories.

When indicating their interests, pre-enlistees will have to select two or more vocations from each category. If they do not have any preference, they can choose to void their selection in a separate box.

To give the pre-enlistees a better idea of each vocation, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the SAF has packaged relevant information in short, snazzy videos.

From introducing the vocation and the role it plays in the SAF, SPF and SCDF to showing what the training would be like, each clip gives pre-enlistees a deeper insight into the different vocations. This allows them to make more informed decisions when indicating their interest.

In addition, a handbook providing more information about the various vocations will be made available. The public can access these materials on the CMPB website (www.cmpb.gov.sg/cmpb/ns-vocations) from 11 Sep.

Commander CMPB COL Koh Chia Chee hopes that these videos will also bring parents and pre-enlistees together, and give the former a better idea of what their child is going through in NS.

"We encourage parents to watch the videos with their children, because the vocations that they know from their time may be quite different from what we have now," said COL Koh.

While the CSNS committee hopes to match every pre-enlistee's interest to his vocation, the SAF, SPF and SCDF's operational requirements still take priority.

For instance, if a pre-enlistee is found suitable to join an elite unit like the Commandoes or Naval Divers, he will be asked to indicate his interest in either vocation. Pre-enlistees will not be able to indicate their interest in these vocations due to the units' stringent selection process.

Nevertheless, the vocation interest working group hopes that every pre-enlistee will find value in his NS regardless of which vocation he is assigned to.

COL Yew said: "We believe that every vocation plays a role in NS - that our servicemen will learn valuable skills regardless of the vocations they are deployed to, and they can contribute in a meaningful way to the defence of Singapore."

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