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SINGAPORE – Aerospace workers, hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, will now be able to access more training courses with higher rates of subsidies.
More than 13,000 training places will be made available to the sector in about 100 courses. The training will cover topics such as aircraft maintenance, analysis and robotic operation.
Workers who attend training will receive their pay during the training period, as well as the course fees, subsidized up to 90 per cent.
Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing and Manpower Minister of State Gan Siow Huang announced the support measure during a visit to Singapore Aero Engine Services facilities on Tuesday (September 1).
The National University of Singapore, NTUC LearningHub, SIA Engineering Company, ST Engineering Aerospace and Temasek Polytechnic will conduct the courses.
The measure is an extension of the Enhanced Training Support Package, which had initially been offered to six other industries heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
So far, more than 35,000 employees from 920 companies in tourism, air travel, retail, food services, ground transportation, and arts and culture have taken advantage of the package. As a worker can take more than one course, a total of 84,000 training places were filled.
Chan said Tuesday that while the aerospace sector has been hit by a drop in demand, its medium and long-term prospects remain good.
The extension of the reinforced support for training to the sector shows the government’s confidence in it, the minister said.
“We are not only investing in the skills for the current generation of engines, but also in new skills, including the digital skills to manage the new generation of engines that will power the aviation industry,” he added.
Chan also stressed the long-term importance of retaining workers in the sector despite the current recession.
“The capabilities of the aerospace industry are something very unique. It’s not something you can take and then let go before you go back, ”he said.
“Therefore, it is important that we continue to maintain a certain consistency in the workflow … without which it will be very difficult for us to increase the number of qualified engineers needed by the industry when demand returns.”
On new training support for the aerospace sector, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) said that they will help the sector overcome the impact of Covid-19, while encouraging companies to improve worker skills and prepare for the future. Recovery.
“Through this scheme, we hope that many aerospace workers will have the opportunity to expand and deepen their skills,” said SSG CEO Ong Tze-Ch’in.
EDB Managing Director Chng Kai Fong said the aerospace industry remains an important industry for Singapore. He added that EDB will continue to help businesses weather the pandemic while preserving jobs and skills.
The aerospace sector accounted for 1 percent of Singapore’s gross domestic product. Last year it produced $ 13.1 billion in production and employs more than 22,000 workers, of which 74 percent are professionals, managers, executives, sand technicians or PMETs.
Companies in the aerospace industry range from aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul to aircraft component manufacturing. Companies in the related aviation sector include commercial carriers such as Singapore Airlines and cargo handlers.
But with the demand for air travel nearly wiped out by the Covid-19 pandemic, both sectors have been hit hard.
Aerospace giant Pratt & Whitney last month laid off about 400 employees, 20 percent of its workforce, at five of its six facilities.
Sazali Zainal, vice president of NTUC’s Aviation and Aerospace Cluster and president of the Singapore Industrial and Service Employees Union, said unions have been pushing hard for an improved training and support package for the sector as part of efforts to save jobs. .
“We urge companies to make the most of this opportunity to deepen worker skills and, most importantly, to work with the union to overcome any challenges they may face during this difficult time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sia Kheng Yok, executive director of the Aerospace Industries Association, said that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated changes in industry and technology, which in turn has made it more urgent to improve skills in Workers.
He said the aerospace community welcomed the improved training support, adding: “It is an encouragement to prepare workers for the changes ahead, and to renew and reinforce our core capabilities.”
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