GESS and TUM Asia formalise partnership to support STEM application for students in Singapore
Singapore, 5 December 2019
On 5 December 2019, German European School Singapore (GESS) and Technical University of Munich Asia (TUM Asia) inked their agreement to support the future academic successes of GESS’s students and further develop their interests in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) areas with TUM Asia.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between Dr. Markus Wächter, Managing Director of TUM Asia, and Mr. Christof Martin, Principal at GESS was witnessed by Mr. Knut Zuchan, Counsellor, Head of Science and Technology Department, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Singapore.
Innovation leads to new products and solutions that sustain our economy, which requires innovators to have a solid foundation in the STEM areas. Most jobs of the future will require a basic understanding of math and science, and education plays a crucial role in preparing the next generation to be academically competent and equipped with relevant and practical skills. This is a common view that German European School Singapore (GESS) and Technical University of Munich Asia (TUM Asia) share when preparing their students to be future-ready graduates.
“The world is evolving a lot on the engineering and industrial front and when our students graduate from GESS we want them to be able to be bold, innovative and competent contributors in such a world. That is why partnerships such as this with TUM Asia means so much to us. It is the best way to connect our students with industry experts, researchers and thinkers and give them the chance to learn beyond the classroom!” said Christof Martin, Principal at GESS.
GESS is the first school outside of Europe to offer the Junior Engineer Academy programme outside of Europe. The school has a world-class purpose-built campus equipped with facilities that give students many opportunities to develop their talents, while actively promoting STEM development. By exposing students to STEM and giving them opportunities to explore STEM-related concepts, GESS hopes that they will develop a passion for it and hopefully pursue a career in a STEM field.
In line with its parent university, the Singapore campus of TUM aims to educate and prepare students in STEM subjects through German academic excellence and Asian relevance. With the fourth industrial revolution characterised by technology, TUM Asia offers a suite of undergraduate, graduate and executive education courses to prepare students to live in a world that constantly changes and reinvents itself.
“To excel and be relevant in today’s digital world, skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) are vital. Through our industry relevant programmes, we prepare our students to become tomorrow’s innovators. We want to inspire the next generation’s talents and show them that what they learn at school can become something much bigger,” said Dr. Markus Wächter, Managing Director of TUM Asia.
GESS and TUM Asia intend to create a programme to successfully promote talented young individuals, such as through internship placements of GESS’s students to allow them to be exposed to STEM areas at TUM Asia, while encouraging them to pursue their higher education studies in technical universities.
Following the signing, GESS and TUM Asia have agreed to meet up to kick off the planning of their joint measures to foster STEM education on 8 January 2020.
Media Contacts
German European School Singapore
Kirsten Mönch
Marketing and Communications Manager
DID: +65 6461 0852
Email: kirsten.moench@gess.sg
TUM Asia
Daphne Ang
Head of Admissions and Marketing
DID: +65 6777 7407 (Ext. 105)
Email: daphne.ang@tum-asia.edu.sg
About GESS
GESS is a multilingual, not-for-profit international school in Singapore that caters to students of over 67 nationalities, from 18 months to 18 years. The school offers students a choice between the IB Curriculum and German Curriculum and is committed to developing confident, forward-looking students who are ready for tomorrow. In that vein, GESS provides ample STEM exposure to its student through initiatives such as the first ever Junior Engineer Academy outside Europe, co-curricular activities such as Robotics and Aviator’s Club. The opportunities are further enhanced through its state-of-the-art facilities such as a professional Design and Technology Studio.
About TUM and TUM Asia
As the first German academic venture abroad, TUM Asia opened its doors in Singapore in 2002. German in its roots and Asian in its approach, TUM Asia combines an emphasis on industry readiness and innovation with a distinct dedication to be relevant to Asia and its development. TUM Asia has seen over a thousand global graduates come through its Master programmes, including graduates from Asia and Europe.
TUM Asia currently offers five Master of Science programmes. The Industrial Chemistry, Integrated Circuit Design and Green Electronics programmes are jointly offered with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) or National University of Singapore (NUS). The Aerospace Engineering and Rail, Transport and Logistics programme is offered exclusively by TUM Asia. Our international faculty hail from Germany and more, and their wealth of knowledge from various fields provide a spectrum of experience for the students to glean from.
Recognising the demand for engineering excellence in Singapore, TUM Asia partnered Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to offer Bachelor of Science programmes in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology and Chemical Engineering in 2010. It has also set up TUMCREATE in June 2010 to propagate research programmes, where scientists and researchers from both Germany and Singapore can work together for the advancement of science and technology.
