The National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) and SMRT have collaborated on a new programme for SMRT employees. The SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace programme is designed to provide training of digital skills to SMRT’s employees.
This programme was initiated by the NTWU-SMRT Company Training Committee (CTC), which was established in February this year.
In a partnership of SMRT with NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB), it will be providing the necessary training for SMRT’s employees.
This will aid them in knowing how to use the most current workplace technological tools to boost productivity and produce positive results.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng announced this during SMRT’s National Day Observance Ceremony.
The new initiative is aimed at detecting and working on reducing the skills gap by providing employees with the necessary training. It will also look at creating training programmes to upgrade the skills of employees, which will lead to future enjoyment of higher wages and an increase in welfare and work prospects.
Benefits of the programme
Bus and rail workers will have a better understanding of key trends and technologies which will revolutionise the ways of the land transport industry and of their impact on the economy. It will also get them to always possess a future-ready attitude, where they will be involved in continuous learning.
They will be taught of the ways of using SMRT’s current work-related apps. Some of these apps include Workplace by Facebook. They will also be taught on how to implement Augmented Reality and/or Virtual Reality technology in their work.
Efforts taken
Pilot classes were conducted for more than 40 SMRT workers on 24 July and 5 August 2019. They were given hands-on training on how to apply the use of mobile apps in the workplace.
The training emphasised that digital transformation is not a tedious process and that it can be achieved by all. These classes widen the digital knowledge of employees and aid them in staying abreast with the latest tech innovations and be constantly able to contribute to the company.
They will be conducting a review of these pilot classes before further implementing them to more employees within SMRT.
Looking into the future
The NTWU-SMRT CTC will work on upgrading its methods of ensuring that SMRT’s employees will always be having the latest skills so that that stay employed and employable.
Mr Seah Moon Ming, Chairman of SMRT said, “We believe in a digital and networked SMRT so as to do our jobs better with higher productivity.”
OpenGov had earlier reported that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) had released an Industry Transformation Map (ITM) which focuses on creating up to 8,000 new public transport jobs by 2030.
The ITM includes LTA setting aside at least S$25 million for mobility-related research and technology trials over the next 5 years.
The map aims to make the land transport system smarter, increase productivity growth, deliver better services to commuters, and to future-proof the workforce with comprehensive up-skilling and re-skilling programmes.
