Opening Remarks by SMS Chee Hong Tat at the Singapore Bustech Grand Challenge 2022

Ladies and gentlemen
Sisters and Brothers from NTWU and e2i

1.     Good evening. I would like to thank the Land Transport Authority, Singapore Bus Academy, and Employment and Employability Institute, or e2i, for inviting me to join you today at the 2022 Singapore BusTech Grand Challenge. I would also like to thank our Institutes of Higher Learning, and our various partners and sponsors who have contributed to this event, including our bus operators, bus Original Equipment Manufacturers and National Transport Workers’ Union, for their support.

2.     I launched the inaugural Singapore BusTech Grand Challenge last year at Ulu Pandan Depot and I’m glad to be back. It’s heartening to see that the Grand Challenge has grown bigger and now involves students from our Institutes of Higher Learning too!

The importance of our bus technicians

3.     Every day, our public buses carry about four million commuters. For many of us, public buses are an indispensable part of our lives, carrying us safely, reliably, and comfortably to our destinations.

4.     To do this requires many complex pieces of machinery to all be in excellent condition and working perfectly together. Our bus technicians play an important role in achieving this outcome.

5.     They work night and day to keep our buses running: inspecting engines and other mechanical parts so our buses can continue moving, troubleshooting electrical faults so our doors don’t get stuck, and our air-cons continue working, repairing valves, undercarriages, and tires, so our commuters can continue to enjoy smooth and comfortable journeys.

6.     Recognising the technical excellence of our bus technicians and raising technical standards of the bus technical workforce are the goals of the Singapore BusTech Grand Challenge. I am honoured to join all of you here today to celebrate the good work that our bus technicians do. I also wish to use this opportunity to share with you about our current efforts and future plans.

Today – A rewarding career

7.     Today, a bus technician’s career is a rewarding one that recognises the expertise that our bus technicians develop over the course of their career and their crucial role in the public transport system.

8.     Our bus technicians learn valuable and transferable skills in electrical and mechanical engineering, automotive technology, and diagnostics. They are trained to be all-rounders, so they can perform in all these areas.

9.      LTA and The Institution of Engineers, Singapore have launched several professional certifications for bus technicians to recognise the technical skills, competencies, and work experience our bus technicians have developed. These include the Certificate for Technical Specialist (Bus), the Chartered Engineering Technicians and the Chartered Engineering Technologists certifications.

10.    With these programmes, engineering technicians and technologists now have a non-academic route to progress in their professional advancement and skills- based career development. To date, over one third of our technicians have received at least one form of certification and chartership from the Institution of Engineers, Singapore.

11.    For those who want to go further, we will support their skills upgrading using the Skills Framework for Public Transport, which LTA, Public Transport Operators (PTOs), and the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) have jointly developed with SkillsFuture Singapore and Workforce Singapore.

12.    A good example is Mr Kumaran A/L Renganathan, who has been with SMRT Buses for 21 years. He started as an undercarriage technician and was rotated across multiple sections as an Automotive Technical Officer. He has earned the Singapore Bus Academy’s Certificate for Technical Specialist and could progress to IES Chartership subsequently. He is also on track to becoming a Master Automotive Technical Officer through his commitment to lifelong learning!

Tomorrow – A future-ready bus technician workforce

13.    Looking ahead, I am heartened to see many youths from our Institutes of Higher Learning coming together to form teams to participate in this year’s Challenge. You have demonstrated passion and creativity in approaching the problems in this Challenge. These are the attributes we need from our people to build a cleaner and better public transport system for the future.

14.    One of the priority areas is to electrify our bus fleet. We are on track to achieving 50% public bus electrification by 2030 and transitioning to a full fleet of cleaner energy buses by 2040.

15.    As we continue to invest in cleaner energy buses and transform our public bus population, we are likewise committed to transforming our bus workforce to support this transition and help our workers to benefit from new opportunities in the green economy.

16.    LTA is working closely with industry stakeholders to plan for this workforce transformation. They have brought together automotive manufacturers, PTOs and training providers like Institutes of Higher Learning to identify the skillsets needed for our workforce, and the training that they would need.

17.    A bus technician who has benefitted from these programmes is Vehicle Technician Mr Chua Yong Seong from Tower Transit Singapore. Yong Seong began his journey in automotive engineering 11 years ago. Curious about the inner workings of engines, he started as a workshop technician responsible for carrying out maintenance of the buses and the breakdown team. He has since earned a Certification for Technical Specialist (Level 1), passed the assessment for Chartered Engineering Technician, and become Electric Vehicle-certified, through training at the Singapore Bus Academy and in-house training. Yong Seong is now equipped with the skills to repair and maintain hybrid and electric vehicles.

18.    The Government, NTWU and PTOs will continue to support our bus technicians to acquire the necessary skills to be future-ready. LTA, SSG and IHLs have come together to launch the National EV Specialist Safety (NESS) certification, focusing on baseline competencies in the safe handling of EV high-voltage systems.

19.    Whether you are a technician who is starting out on your career, whether you are a student who is thinking about joining this sector or a seasoned professional with decades of experience, we have a suitable course to help you acquire new skills as we shift to cleaner bus types over time. Please find out more about these courses, please sign up, please attend the courses and upgrade your skills - open up new doors for yourselves.

Conclusion

20.    Let me conclude by thanking everyone for being here at this year’s BusTech Grand Challenge, and a special thanks to our bus technicians for keeping our buses safe and sound.

21.    I also encourage everyone to have a look at the exhibits at the public transport career fair. There are many new and exciting careers in the public transport sector in areas such as digitalisation, sustainability, automation and electrical vehicle technology. You can enjoy a rewarding career while keeping our world-class transport system running and be part of the team to create a better, smarter, and cleaner future for our public transport industry.

22.    Thank you.