Not Afraid To Explore the Unknown

Koh Ho Peng stumbled on opportunities in the aviation industry by chance and he was glad he took the plunge. “Sometime in early 2009, during a chat with a family friend, he happened to talk about WDA’s Professional Conversion Programme,” Ho Peng said. “He told me about the Foundation Degree to train people to become qualified aircraft engineers and he urged me to explore this avenue since I’ve always been interested in engineering.”

Stirred by his friend’s sharing, Ho Peng decided to find out more about the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP), which assists professionals in switching to new occupations in other industries. He was immediately attracted to its comprehensive training programme and felt assured by its allowance scheme.

“As the family’s sole breadwinner, and with two children in school, I have to be very careful about any career move. I discussed with my wife and she supported me as we felt that the PCP could help me realise my ambition,” Ho Peng remembered.

Taking A Brave Step Forward

Following up on the programme, Ho Peng took up the two-year fulltime Foundation Degree in Aircraft Engineering (FdEng) conducted by the Air Transport Training College (ATTC) in April 2009. “The course was interesting, and my instructors were committed in all that they did. In fact, their guidance ignited a passion in me to become a B1 licensed aircraft engineer, who can certify work done on aircraft according to CAAS (Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore) safety requirements.” Ho Peng said.

“But I know it is not easy to be a B1 licensed aircraft engineer as the requirements are very stringent. I have to be endorsed by both CAAS and a CAAS-certified company, my employer, as well as chalk up sufficient hands-on experience. Thankfully, the Foundation Degree programme at ATTC gave me a thorough grounding, and I managed to pass all the exams conducted and required by CAAS, which is the first step to become a B1 licensed aircraft engineer.”

Climbing The Aviation Rungs

Straight after graduation, Ho Peng was offered a position as a Tradesman at Singapore HAECO Pte. Ltd., a company specialising in aircraft servicing and repair. Working in line maintenance, carrying out repairs and servicing, he was given numerous opportunities to chalk up hands-on aircraft maintenance experience required to be a B1 licensed aircraft engineer. Subsequently, Ho Peng was rotated to the maintenance control centre to be exposed to the vigorous demands of coordinating, meeting and reporting customer requests and expectations.

Alongside his work, Ho Peng is also pursuing an Honours Degree in Engineering under the Skills Training for Excellence Programme (STEP) scholarship, with the support of his company. Furthermore, his company has arranged for him to undergo the Airbus A320 Aircraft Type course which will train him to certify maintenance work done by the company in the near future.

Challenges Ahead 

Having been in the aviation industry for close to a year, Ho Peng is confident he has made the right choice. But to achieve his goal of becoming a B1 licensed aircraft engineer, he is well aware of the many challenges he has to overcome. “There is a lot to learn – hands-on, on-the-job learning as well as theoretical knowledge. And of course, lots of self-study outside my work,” Ho Peng explained. “But I’m not afraid of the difficulties, I’m not put off by the long hours involved. Because I have a goal before me – I have set as my personal target to be certified a licensed aircraft engineer in one year’s time. And with passion, I am on my way there.”

The Professional Conversion Programmes enables Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) to switch to a range of new occupations such as registered nurses, occupational therapists, preschool teachers, facility management executives, media and digital media professionals, workplace safety and health managers.

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