NANYANG Polytechnic's new engineering diploma course is tailored to attract today's digitally savvy youths.

To be introduced in April, it has a digital manufacturing component with state-of-the-art equipment, while its course content ensures its graduates are industry-ready.

The diploma in digital and precision engineering is one of four new offerings for the coming school term.

The other three are final year specialisation tracks much in demand: aerospace electronics, fund management and administration, and information security.

Mr David Wong, deputy director of the polytechnic's school of engineering, said while it is a challenge attracting youths to engineering, the new course comes with several incentives.

All 120 students admitted will be eligible to apply for a scholarship from the Economic Development Board (EDB) and Spring Singapore. This covers course fees, a monthly allowance of $800, and a chance for attachments in Germany, Switzerland, Holland or Japan.

There is a three-year bond with EDB in a precision engineering related company.

The course's digital manufacturing component is another draw. 'Instead of working in a sweatshop, students will be working on computers to digitally design and create an object,' Mr Wong said.

Not only does such a process save time, money and manpower, it also enables tie-ups with experts from other countries via the Internet, he said.

'The product will be optimised digitally such that when you manufacture it in the workshop, it will be right the first time,' he said.

The EDB, Spring Singapore, industrial partners and Nanyang Polytechnic have invested close to $20 million on the initiative.

Students will work on state of the art equipment. For instance, one in micromachining costing almost $700,000 can 'drill a hole through a strand of hair'.

With an expected demand for 5,000 people over the next five years to support the emerging industry, course graduates can expect to work, say, as mould and tool designers in telecommunications sectors or machining process technologists in the biomedical or manufacturing sectors.

Aside from the new diploma, the three new specialisation tracks offered to final-year students will also meet industry demand for trained personnel.

'The third-year specialisation system allows us to respond very quickly to new and emerging areas. Our students can join the workforce within one year,' said Mr Anthony Woon, registrar and director for student affairs.

At Singapore Polytechnic, there will also be new courses to be offered in April, including a diploma in Human Resource Management with Psychology, which aims to equip its students with core human resource and business psychology skills.

Another, a diploma in Financial Informatics, will train students to perform settlements and operations in the middle to back office of banks.