The National Transport Workers Union (NTWU) and SMRT introduced a digital skills programme for SMRT bus and rail employees.
They worked with NTUC LearningHub to customise the SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace (SFDW) programme to be relevant for workers.
The announcement for the course was made at SMRT’s National Day Observance Ceremony on 6 August 2019. NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng was the guest-of-honour.
The programme is the first initiative arising from the company training committee (CTC) formed between the union and company in February this year.
The customised SFDW is supported by SkillsFuture Singapore and will be delivered by NTUC LearningHub. It hopes to help bus and rail workers understand the key trends and technologies affecting the future of work in the land transport industry, adopt a future-ready mindset and develop action plans to pursue continuous learning.
Participants of the course will also get a hands-on lesson to use existing SMRT work-apps such as Workplace by Facebook and to dabble in augmented and virtual reality.
More than 40 SMRT workers went on pilot classes on 24 July 2019 and 5 August 2019.
SMRT Circle Line station manager Krishnasamy Suriyakhanu, who attended the pilot class, said: “The programme provides insight to digitalisation at the workplace. We found the hands-on session particularly useful, and the skills learnt, easy to apply. My colleagues and I who attended the course are now more aware of mobile apps that can assist us in both the workplace as well as in our personal life.”
SMRT, NTWU and NTUC LearningHub will take feedback from the pilot classes, review the course content and further customise it before the programme is rolled out to more SMRT employees.
NTWU and SMRT said that the CTC will continue to make sure that SMRT employees’ skills are up to date and they remain employed and employable in the digital economy.
“SMRT is committed to working towards Singapore's Smart Nation goal. As a public transport service provider, we are undergoing a digital transformation across the company to provide safer, more reliable and more comfortable journeys to commuters. Digital technology has brought many changes, and we want to prepare our staff to embrace the transformation. We are happy to work with NTUC to equip our staff with the necessary digital skills to stay employed and employable,” said SMRT Group CEO Neo Kian Hong.
NTWU Executive Secretary Melvin Yong said it is crucial to ensure that land transport operators continue to enhance their workforce in preparation for the future industry.
“The CTC is an initiative by the Labour Movement to ensure that both employers and unions work together to help the workers and companies transform for the future. We will continue to work closely with SMRT to seize opportunities for companies to adopt new technologies and for workers to be equipped with the necessary skillsets to exploit and leverage these new tools to become Worker 4.0,” he said.
