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Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Telecoms engineer, music producer share how they forged their careers at ST Podcast Live event
Telecommunications system engineer Noel Png (left) and career coach Parameswari Seenivasan (centre) joined ST's manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi for a live recording of Headstart on Record. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE Telecoms engineer, music producer share how they forged their careers at ST Podcast Live event SINGAPORE – Most people expect professional networking to happen at conferences or on LinkedIn, but for Mr Noel Png, 31, it was a part-time bartending job at a bar that unexpectedly opened doors to a career in the satellite industry. It all began in 2016, when Mr Png - then a mechanical engineering student in NUS - struck up a conversation with a group of Western visitors who were in town for a business convention. That chance encounter led to a local internship with Thales Alenia Space, a France-headquartered company that provides satellite-based systems for telecommunications, navigation and other purposes. In 2020, he left Singapore for the UK to pursue a Master's degree in engineering before going on to work on satellite and defence projects across Europe. Mr Png, who returned to Singapore in 2024 and is now a telecommunications system engineer at ST Engineering, shared his story during a live recording of Headstart on Record on June 3. He was joined by senior career coach Parameswari Seenivasan from Workforce Singapore (WSG), and the session was moderated by The Straits Times' manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi. The event, which drew nearly 80 attendees to Rasa at Republic Plaza, marked the third edition of ST Podcasts Live, a series kicked off as part of ST's 180th anniversary celebrations. During the recording, Mr Png emphasised how networking has opened up more pathways for him. An extrovert by nature, he found it easy to speak to people from different fields and backgrounds - some of them would go on to become mentor figures in his professional life. His advice for introverted individuals is to make good use of virtual platforms like LinkedIn, where algorithms can help connect them with others in related industries. This episode of Headstart on Record was organised in partnership with WSG in support of Career Health, a SkillsFuture initiative. Ms Seenivasan from WSG encouraged the audience to seek guidance from career coaches throughout their professional journey. 'You don't have to wait till if something's gonna happen, you can always check in with a career coach,' she said. 'A career coach can always help you find out your values, interests and skills, work with you with a career plan, and look at the goals that you want to accomplish.' The full recording of this episode will be made available on ST Podcasts' YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify on June 16. The event on June 3 also featured the recording of a Music Lab episode with award-winning Singaporean music director and producer Evan Low, one of the creators behind The Road Ahead, a well-loved National Day Parade theme song. Close to 80 people attended the ST Podcasts Live event, held at Rasa at Republic Plaza on June 3. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE Helmed by ST music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi, the session focused on how Mr Low found his calling in music and built a career rooted in his passion. Growing up, expressing himself did not come naturally to him, Mr Low said. That was because in his family, love was quietly served on a plate of cut fruits, but never spoken aloud. But this changed when he discovered the piano. The 36-year-old recalled a moment when he suddenly cried while playing the piano , and realised he could express his emotions through music. He took a leap of faith and went on to study music at Singapore Polytechnic and subsequently the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Catch the full episode of Music Lab on ST's podcasts platforms on June 25.
Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Telecoms engineer, music producer share how they forge their careers at ST Podcast Live event
Telecommunications system engineer Noel Png (left) and career coach Parameswari Seenivasan (centre) joined ST's manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi for a live recording of Headstart on Record. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE Telecoms engineer, music producer share how they forge their careers at ST Podcast Live event SINGAPORE – Most people expect professional networking to happen at conferences or on LinkedIn, but for Mr Noel Png, 31, it was a part-time bartending job at a bar that unexpectedly opened doors to a career in the satellite industry. It all began in 2016, when Mr Png - then a mechanical engineering student in NUS - struck up a conversation with a group of Western visitors who were in town for a business convention. That chance encounter led to a local internship with Thales Alenia Space, a France-headquartered company that provides satellite-based systems for telecommunications, navigation and other purposes. In 2020, he left Singapore for the UK to pursue a Master's degree in engineering before going on to work on satellite and defence projects across Europe. Mr Png, who returned to Singapore in 2024 and is now a telecommunications system engineer at ST Engineering, shared his story during a live recording of Headstart on Record on June 3. He was joined by senior career coach Parameswari Seenivasan from Workforce Singapore (WSG), and the session was moderated by The Straits Times' manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi. The event, which drew nearly 80 attendees to Rasa at Republic Plaza, marked the third edition of ST Podcasts Live, a series kicked off as part of ST's 180th anniversary celebrations. During the recording, Mr Png emphasised how networking has opened up more pathways for him. An extrovert by nature, he found it easy to speak to people from different fields and backgrounds - some of them would go on to become mentor figures in his professional life. His advice for introverted individuals is to make good use of virtual platforms like LinkedIn, where algorithms can help connect them with others in related industries. This episode of Headstart on Record was organised in partnership with WSG in support of Career Health, a SkillsFuture initiative. Ms Seenivasan from WSG encouraged the audience to seek guidance from career coaches throughout their professional journey. 'You don't have to wait till if something's gonna happen, you can always check in with a career coach,' she said. 'A career coach can always help you find out your values, interests and skills, work with you with a career plan, and look at the goals that you want to accomplish.' The full recording of this episode will be made available on ST Podcasts' YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify on June 16. The event on June 3 also featured the recording of a Music Lab episode with award-winning Singaporean music director and producer Evan Low, one of the creators behind well-loved National Day Parade theme song The Road Ahead. Close to 80 people attended the ST Podcasts Live event, held at Rasa at Republic Plaza on June 3. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE Helmed by ST music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi, the session focused on how Mr Low found his calling in music and built a career rooted in his passion. Growing up, expressing himself did not come naturally to him, Mr Low said. That was because in his family, love was quietly served on a plate of cut fruits, but never spoken aloud. But this changed when he discovered the piano. The 36-year-old recalled a moment when he suddenly cried while playing the piano , and realised he could express his emotions through music. He took a leap of faith and went on to study music at Singapore Polytechnic and subsequently the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Catch the full episode of Music Lab on ST's podcasts platforms on June 25.
Independent Singapore
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Independent Singapore
Low Thia Khiang, Png Eng Huat lend star power to WP campaign on the ground on Day 2
SINGAPORE: The old guard of The Workers' Party came out in a show of force on the second day of the campaign, with Low Thia Khiang and Png Eng Huat seen on the ground to support candidates for this year's polls. The two men were out and about with the WP's Sengkang GRC candidates: incumbents He Ting Ru, Louis Chua, and Jamus Lim, as well as newcomer Abdul Muhaimin. The WP posted photos of Mr Low and Mr Png — both former MPs who have retired from politics —with the Sengkang team. FB screengrab/ WP Party chief Pritam Singh and chair Sylvia Lim were also present during the ground engagements and media doorstop with Team Sengkang on Thursday (April 24). FB screengrab/ WP Interestingly, Mr Low, 68, and Mr Png, 63, are following a tradition of WP stalwarts continuing to support the party's candidates in person, especially during election campaigns period. They are also known to fill in at opposition wards when necessary. Commenters who spotted the veteran politicians cheered. 'Mr Low wearing reservist WP uniform. Glad to see him!,' wrote one, while another chimed in with 'So nice to see Mr Low.' Another got excited about the WP's first rally on Thursday night at Sengkang, hoping that Mr Low would be a 'Teochew guest speaker at rally!!!!' One addressed Mr Low directly, writing, 'It's really so nice to see you, walking around with your W.P. teams. They have really done very good jobs in the past 5 yrs. They will be doing much better in many years to come…marching into the Parliament 2025 & forever.' Another addressed younger Singaporeans: 'For Gen Z and of course Gen X and Y. This is the great man that makes PAP walk around neighbourhoods. He is so real that residents of Hougang SMC, which he previous held, invited him for weddings and he personally attended void deck funeral parlours. Respect this genuine MP of Singapore. He basically set the standard of what an MP should do!' 'Thanks to the WP's 'old birds', Mr Low & Ah Huat, for lending supportive hands for the WP candidates in SK GRC, EC GRC, and Punggol GRC. Both your 'appearances' will definitely help WP candidates to get more votes to Parliament,' a Facebook user chimed in. Mr Low, the groundbreaking former secretary-general of the WP, has the distinction of having been the longest-serving opposition Member of Parliament in Singapore. He served a total of 29 years as an MP, first at Hougang SMC from 1991 to 2011. In the General Election of 2011, the Workers' Party took a gamble and Mr Low contested Aljunied GRC, leading a slate, which included Mr Singh and Ms Lim. In a stunning upset, the WP team won almost 55% of the vote, the first time an opposition party won a GRC. Mr Low stepped down as party chief in 2018, as part of the WP's leadership renewal. Mr Png, meanwhile, served as MP at Hougang from 2012 to 2020. The Workers' Party was able to keep its seat at Hougang in GE2020, when former Non-Constituency MP Dennis Tan won with 61.21% of the vote. Both Mr Low and Mr Png announced prior to the election in 2020 that they would not seek re-election. In April that year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Low was hospitalised for some weeks due to a head injury. He recovered completely and has served in a mentoring role in the party. /TISG Read also: Low Thia Khiang: Tribute to a political icon
