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How employers in Singapore's power & gas and transport sectors are upskilling workers

10 employers in power and gas industry to upskill workers through CTCs

Yesterday (29 October), 10 employers in Singapore's power and gas industry committed to partner the Union of Power and Gas Employees (UPAGE), in upskilling their workers through Company Training Committees (CTC), as announced by UPAGE.

The employers who have made the commitment are:

  1. City Gas
  2. KMC O&M
  3. PacificLight Power
  4. Pavilion Energy Management
  5. Sembcorp
  6. Senoko Energy
  7. Singapore LNG Corporation
  8. SP Group
  9. Tuas Power Generation
  10. YTL PowerSeraya
This commitment was made in conjunction with the Singapore International Energy Week 2019, and witnessed by (pictured above): Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing; Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Koh Poh Koon; UPAGE President Tay Seng Chye; UPAGE General Secretary and NTUC Vice President Abdul Samad Bin Abdul Wahab; and UPAGE Executive Secretary S Thiagarajan, amongst key union leaders and management partners.

Having these CTCs in place will allow the union to work together with the respective companies, in coordinating efforts to communicate and implement training plans for workers. This will be done in tandem with the developments brought about by industry transformation.

For instance, they will be able to identify any jobs that are at risk of disruption, as well as build new competencies and map out new skills requirements.

Further, the companies will also be able to enhance the productivity of their workers by equipping them with adaptive, technological, and technical skills.

In total, at least 4,000 out of 5,500 workers employed in the sector could potentially benefit from this.

Commenting on this initiative, UPAGE General Secretary Abdul Samad said: "The power and gas sector is undergoing significant transformation. To ensure that our workers are better prepared for the future, UPAGE is committed to help our workers build their capabilities and upgrade their skills as the sector powers up to build a sustainable, smart-energy future.

"It is heartening that these 10 companies have pledged their collective commitment to partner the union. We look forward to working with all parties through this sector-based approach, to uplift workers across all levels, so that ultimately both the company and worker can benefit."


MOU signed to upskill bus captains in Singapore

In similar news, Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with eight industry stakeholders, to upskill bus captains in preparation for the potential deployment of autonomous buses in Singapore, as announced by LTA.

In addition to LTA, the other stakeholders who have signed the MOU include:

  1. Employment and Employability Institute
  2. Go-Ahead Singapore
  3. National Transport Workers' Union
  4. SBS Transit
  5. SMRT Buses
  6. ST Engineering
  7. Tower Transit Singapore
  8. Workforce Singapore
In a speech at the signing ceremony, Ngien Hoon Ping, Chief Executive of LTA, said autonomous vehicles (AVs) are an emerging technology expected to improve connectivity and provide more comfortable and convenient journeys for commuters.

He then elaborated: "The AV technology is still evolving, and there would be new job opportunities arising from the deployment of AVs, when the technology stabilises. I applaud this key milestone today, which is to prepare the bus captains for the changes to come.

"The MOU will signify the commitment of the industry players to enter into a collaborative relationship for the development of industry-recognised training programmes to upskill our bus workforce, in particular, bus captains and help them stay relevant."

As such, with the various parties working together under the MOU to raise the skills and competencies of public bus captains, these captains will be enabled to take on new roles when autonomous buses are deployed in Singapore.

For instance, there is the role of the safety operator, trained to take over immediate control of the autonomous bus if the need arises. This safety operator will also be trained to remotely monitor the operation of the autonomous bus, to ensure the safety of the public.

As a start to the upskilling partnership, about 100 bus captains will be sent for training over the next few years, to prepare for the planned pilot deployment of autonomous buses in Punggol, Tengah, and the Jurong Innovation District in the early 2020s.

As the technology continues to develop, the size of the cohort will also be progressively increased, to ensure a ready pool of safety operators when autonomous buses are introduced on a larger scale.

Sharing his viewpoint on this, Tan Choon Shian, Chief Executive of Workforce Singapore (WSG), affirmed that WSG has been working closely with the various sector agencies to actively engage companies to enhance their workers’ employability.

He added: "The land transport sector is a dynamic industry that is constantly charting new territories in technological possibilities to increase convenience and greater mobility to our commuters.

"It is important that we develop new capabilities in our workers through job redesign and allow them to reskill and upskill to keep pace with the needs of the industry."


Photo and caption / Energy Market Authority 

[From L-R: Representatives from 10 key employers in the power and gas industry, together with representatives from the UPAGE, Tay Seng Chye, Abdul Samad Bin Abdul Wahab, S Thiagarajan and Salman bin Kamiso signaling their commitment to workers’ training through CTCs. The commitment was witnessed by Chan Chun Sing, Koh Poh Koon and Ngiam Shih Chun.] 

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