Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, at the Joint 4th Singapore BusTech Grand Challenge and 2nd Singapore RailTech Grand Challenge

Public transport workers 

Staff and students from our Institutes of Higher Learning 

Brothers and sisters from NTWU and e2i 

Ladies and gentlemen 

1.     Good afternoon. I am happy to join everyone here today at the joint Singapore BusTech and RailTech Grand Challenge. This is the 4th run of the BusTech challenge, and the 2nd for the RailTech challenge. 

2.     Through this event, we acknowledge the tireless efforts and specialised skills of our bus and rail technicians, the unsung heroes of our public transport system. Your work was brought to the fore during the East-West Line disruption earlier this year, but in fact, what you do behind the scenes is also what allows Singaporeans to have safe and reliable journeys every day. All of you, our bus and rail technicians, play key roles in ensuring the smooth, safe and reliable operations of our public transport system. 

3.     The Grand Challenges are also about preparing for the future. What began as a friendly competition has also evolved into a platform to strengthen partnership between our Public Transport Operators (PTOs) and our valued partners from Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). By fostering a culture of collaboration, such platforms for our PTOs and IHLs to interact and pave the way to a better future for public transport via greater innovation. 

4.     Indeed, today’s event is a reminder that there will always be room to improve our public transport system through stronger teamwork and new approaches. By setting new challenges for ourselves, we encourage our technical teams and student participants to think outside the box, push the boundaries, and create forward-thinking solutions that enhance both bus and rail engineering technologies within our public transport system. 

5.     I am heartened by the growing interest in the Grand Challenges. The number of participants has increased by 50%, from 84 last year to 126 this year, driven by an increase in students participating in both challenges. This is a clear testament to the value these platforms bring to nurturing our young talent, beyond the prizes and awards. Not only has it helped them differentiate themselves in internship applications, the exposure from this challenge has also opened doors for them to collaborate with companies on their final year projects. The industry values their practical, hands-on experience, and I am delighted that this competition has contributed to their personal growth and readiness for real-world challenges. I had asked some of the student participants at the exhibits earlier whether this was a useful experience. They told me, of course, it was very useful! 

6.     This year, I am particularly excited about the new segment under RailTech ‒ the “Open Innovation Challenge”. Similar to the Students Challenge under BusTech, the RailTech “Open Innovation Challenge” invites IHL students to develop innovative solutions to help tackle real-world operations and maintenance challenges. I had the opportunity to interact with some of the teams earlier, and I was very pleased to see the innovative ideas they presented. It is gratifying to see how this competition sparks curiosity and nurtures fresh ideas from young minds. Through this segment, I hope the IHL students are inspired to pursue a career in the public transport sector. We should make good use of all these talents that we have nurtured, trained and cultivated. 

Importance of upskilling the workforce 

7.     As our public transport system continues to expand and evolve, it is essential that we consistently invest in the development and growth of our workforce. 

8.     For example, with the progressive deployment of cleaner energy buses, we are intensifying our efforts to equip our technicians with the skills needed to safely handle both electric and hybrid buses. The National EV Specialist Safety Bus programme, launched by the Singapore Bus Academy last December, has already successfully trained close to 400 bus technicians to meet these emerging challenges. 

9.     Mr Tan Kim Kee from SMRT Buses is one of those participants who have successfully finished the course. Kim Kee started as an undercarriage technician and was promoted to 2nd-in-charge within his section in recognition of his exemplary work ethic and performance. Kim Kee demonstrates commendable initiative in upskilling and cross-training himself, with the goal of becoming an expert in his field - he completed the National EV Specialist Safety Bus programme in preparation for the transition to cleaner energy buses in the coming years and has also obtained the Chartered Engineering Technician Certification. Recently, Kim Kee volunteered to undergo vehicle inspection and equipment training, while pursuing a part-time NITEC course in Automotive Technology. 

10.    Many among our rail technicians and engineers have embraced lifelong learning as well, like Mr Ong Boon Tiong, one of our Hands-on Practical Challenge participants. Driven by a passion to continually upskill himself, Mr Ong recently attained the Chartered Engineering Technologist Certification for Land Transport (Railway). 

11.    I want to encourage all our technicians to embrace lifelong learning and take full advantage of these training opportunities to acquire new knowledge and upgrade your skills, and prepare yourselves for the future. In fact, for all our students from the IHLs, this also shows that you have opportunities after graduation to continue to upskill yourself and move up the career pathway.

Closing Remarks 

12.    I hope our Grand Challenge will also continue to fuel a spirit of learning and improvement among the students and all our public transport technicians. 

13.    Thank you to everyone for your support and for participating in these challenges. Your dedication makes a real difference, and I hope that all of you have enjoyed the experience and gained new knowledge, skills and friendships. I also extend my heartfelt thanks to our organising committee, partners and participants for making this year’s BusTech and RailTech Challenges a great success! My heartiest congratulations to all the participants in the Grand Challenges! 

14.    Let’s continue to innovate, collaborate, and build a better, smarter future for public transport in Singapore!