All major companies in the aviation sector have committed to sending their workers for training as they continue to grapple with the challenges brought about by Covid-19.
According to NTUC, there will be more than 17,500 training places available.
The companies, which included SIA, Scoot and SATS, affirmed their commitment on 3 April 2020 at a closed-door dialogue session with NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng at the NTUC Centre.
Leaders of the companies spent one-and-a-half-hours discussing the Covid-19 situation and the impact it has made on the industry. Some topics included leveraging downtime to train workers, including PMEs, and developing the companies’ technical capabilities and capacities.
Developing the capabilities and productivity of the workers during the downtime will help prepare the sector for economic recovery, said NTUC.
Mr Ng said he hopes that the aviation sector continues to take care of workers by working together with NTUC and the unions.
“We had a frank discussion. It has been a very challenging time for both our companies and workers. It is therefore heartening to see our aviation sector unions and companies working together to send workers to fill more than 17,500 training places.
“In these times, schemes such as the Job Support Scheme will help companies save manpower costs as they invest in their workforce. NTUC and the unions stand ready to work with companies through setups such as the Company Training Committees to upskill and upgrade our workers during this downtime so that when the storm clears, both company and worker can be better positions to exploit all the opportunities that the world will show us again,” said Mr Ng.
Some companies, such as Scoot, have made concrete plans to embark on training initiatives.
The company will be supported by NTUC LearningHub (LHUB) to send 1,900 flight and cabin crew for digital awareness training. The number represents more than 75 per cent of Scoot’s total workforce.
The training, done through home-based learning, aims to develop workers’ awareness of emerging technology and build confidence in leveraging technology.
According to NTUC, the first batch of 23 flight and cabin crew have completed the training course, and the rest will follow in the coming months.
The initiative comes after Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat announced the Enhanced Training and Support Package at the recent Resilience Budget.
NTUC also committed an additional $500,000 to help unionised companies in the aviation sector to send workers for training.
“These schemes aim to help companies save costs while upskilling their workforce; not only in preparation for the future but ultimately to save jobs,” said NTUC.
NTUC added that other courses will be available for workers, including change management, project management, service excellence related courses and technical training.
The efforts will see aviation workers undergo about 39,500 days of training.
Meanwhile, LHUB will ramp up its training capacity to meet demand from various sectors. It will use virtual live classes as one of the methods to conduct training.
LHUB CEO Kwek Kok Kwong said: “Working closely with the Labour Movement and employers, LHUB is acting swiftly to help aviation workers and companies build their resilience and adaptability by gaining new skills. We believe that upskilling is even more important in times of change. It is heartening to see that many trainees have remained positive and have kept their minds so open to upgrading their skills.
“Companies can also use this time to seize the opportunity to transform, enrich their workforce and keep their eyes on longterm goals. LHUB will walk this journey with workers and companies so that together, we can overcome challenges and emerge even stronger.”
The NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster will tap on the Labour Movement network to help affected workers secure temporary work to supplement their income.
The cluster will look at the manpower needs identified by unionised companies both inside and outside the aviation sector.
To date, 500 aviation workers have signed up for available temporary positions, such as crowd control management, temperature screening assistants, SG Clean Ambassadors and Safe Distancing Ambassadors.
