More manpower support for growing aviation sector
Singapore
WITH its "good growth momentum" even as some other sectors show weakening, aviation is an important hedge in Singapore's diversified economy, said Manpower Minister Josephine Teo.
To keep this sector competitive, Ministry of Manpower statutory board Workforce Singapore (WSG) on Monday announced expanded salary support for retraining programmes in the aviation industry, building on an earlier scheme launched last year.
"If you look at the medium-term and longer-term developments, particularly related to our plans to develop Terminal Five and the expansion of the Changi air hub, there are very good growth opportunities," said Mrs Teo.
"In the process of helping to take advantage of this growth, companies are also minded to transform themselves. In other words, they want to grow in terms of their topline. But in terms of their manpower, they have to find better ways of managing it."
To support manpower needs in the sector, WSG has rolled out a new Redeployment Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) expected to benefit 100 air transport workers.
The Redeployment PCP defrays up to 70 per cent of salary costs for citizens and permanent residents, capped at S$4,000 per month and a total of six months, to reskill full-time employees for a new or enhanced position within a given air transport company.
Citizens over age 40 enjoy a raised cap of 90 per cent and S$6,000 per month.
Redeploying upskilled staff is a win-win solution for company and employee, said Mrs Teo at a tour of SATS's inflight catering facilities.
"It is a win for the company because it means their manpower needs can be met in a more timely manner."
The individual also retains employment and acquires new skills, she said.
"In doing so, they get to extend their career runways - they have more career mobility."
WSG has also doubled the capacity of its existing PCP for Air Transport Professionals, rolled out in February last year, from 100 places to 200.
This PCP defrays salary costs for the same period and with the same caps as the Redeployment PCP, but targets mid-career professionals seeking to transition from outside the industry into airport ground handling, airport management and airline operation and management.
The original 100 places have already been fully utilised by companies such as SATS, Scoot and Singapore Airlines.
SATS in particular has committed to support a total of 100 employees across the two WSG aviation programmes.
Republic Polytechnic, which already has connections to the aviation industry and offers diplomas in aerospace engineering and management, is administering both PCPs.
Besides the polytechnic, the new Redeployment PCP also brings together the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).
The two programmes are the latest in a raft of PCPs directed at sectors including supply chain logistics, energy, management accounting and sea transport.
Mrs Teo said that the "broad directions" for the Singapore economy are internationalisation, a diversified economy, and improving productivity amid land and labour constraints.
"Exactly how you pursue innovation in each sector," she said, "will have a dynamic process."
"You will keep adjusting. But the broad directions, you will have to keep pushing."
