Speech by Minister Khaw Boon Wan on the launch of the Rail Manpower Development Package at the Public Transport Workers’ Appreciation Day

Brothers and Sisters from NTWU,
Colleagues from the Public Transport Industry,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.     Happy to meet you all again, after last week’s NTWU 38th anniversary dinner. The Public Transport Workers’ Appreciation Day, or PTWAD in short, was started two years ago in 2017 at the Bedok Town Square. It is to show appreciation for public transport workers who work tirelessly every day and night. Last year, President Halimah hosted the second edition at the Istana where 445 outstanding transport workers were honoured. This is the third edition, to keep this a yearly affair, so all of us will remember to give thanks to all of you, our public transport workers.

2.     Your hard work has raised customer services significantly. Commuters told me so. SMU’s Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) survey confirmed the anecdotal feedback. This is a significant turnaround and credit goes to each and everyone one of you! On behalf of commuters, let me say a big “thank you” for your hard work and dedication!

3.     We now need to shift our focus from immediate fixes, to long-term sustainability. For buses, we need to work towards cleaner, greener and more efficient buses. A local research (by Dr Erik Velasco from the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Smart Technology) found that tiny particles from vehicle emissions that commuters breathe in at bus stops are about 100 times smaller, and can be more harmful to the body than the PM2.5 pollutants from haze situations. Regular exposure to such vehicle emissions can take a toll on public health. We need to improve this. In June 2016, LTA embarked on a six-month pilot to install fans at five crowded bus stops to improve air circulation. But the best approach is to tackle emissions at the source by shifting towards vehicles that run on cleaner energy.

4.     For rail, we must work towards greater cost efficiency and predictive maintenance. This ensures the financial sustainability of the system, even as we press on with the renewal of aging assets and expand the rail network in the coming years.

5.     A growing rail network must be supported by a growing workforce. Concurrently, your jobs will also become more complex. You will have to deal with new technologies (such as digital signalling, condition monitoring devices and data analytics) and work with new tools like augmented reality, smart glasses, and tablets. But don’t worry! We will prepare you for these changes.

6.     Last month, LTA shared their plans to upskill bus captains, like how to handle driverless buses. For our rail workers, we have been working with the PTOs and the NTWU on a $100M Rail Manpower Development Package. The RMDP is a major five-year initiative to help workers gear up for the future rail network. It comprises three components: 

     a.   First, a manpower development incentive where PTOs have committed to training their workers in new skills and technologies (such as data analytics, conditions based monitoring, and even robotics). This will prepare you for a more digitalised and skills-intensive rail industry. It will help you access higher value-add jobs and enhance your longer term employability. The training plan will take reference from the Public Transport Skills Framework launched last year. We expect some 3000 workers to benefit from this scheme.

     b.   Second, an SGRail Industry Scholarship and an in-service sponsorship initiative, to attract new talent and groom existing workers in the sector to become industry leaders. For existing workers who have a good track record, they can be sponsored for programmes at Institutes of Higher Learning to deepen their engineering expertise. Aspiring young railway leaders, like some of the students here today, can aim for the new SGRail Industry Scholarship, at the ITE, Polytechnic, and University levels. There will also be opportunities for rotation within the industry to forge strong bonds within the One Transport Family.

     c.   Third, co-investments in training equipment to make training more accessible and effective. Today, workers have to carve out time from their day jobs to go for training, or undergo such training during engineering hours in order to simulate real-life scenarios. This is disruptive and slows down the pace of training. With simulators or virtual reality equipment, some of these trainings can now be conducted in a classroom environment instead. This is also safer for our workers, who can learn with greater peace of mind.

7.     The bottom line is this: LTA, NTWU and the PTOs will work tirelessly to make sure you remain relevant even as our industry digitalises and transforms. No one will be left behind!

8.     Thank you for being a part of the #OneTransport family. Thank you for making our daily trips safe, reliable and pleasant!