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SINGAPORE: Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced on Tuesday (November 3) that it had established a new branch that would offer training programs for external companies and organizations in the broad areas of service excellence, operational excellence, organizational innovation and digital transformation.
The Singapore Airlines Academy will leverage the “wide range of globally recognized skills and competencies that exist within SIA, which have enabled the airline to establish a preeminent position in a highly competitive industry,” the national airline said in a press release .
“It will also build on the decades of experience that SIA staff have accumulated,” he added.
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Among the programs offered are Service Mindfulness and Awareness, Effective Communication and Professional Image, which targets front-line personnel and covers topics such as practicing proper self-grooming techniques.
There is also the Innovation Program and Strategy Book, a two-day program that teaches how to build a culture of innovation for an organization and design a leadership practice to support staff in innovation work.
Training packages can be customized to meet the requirements of individual companies and organizations. The courses will be led by SIA trainers, who are certified instructors and facilitators with practical frontline experience, the airline said.
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“SIA receives many requests from organizations who want to know how we have
earned our reputation for industry leading service and operational excellence, and
to better understand how we achieve our successful digital transformation, “said Ms. Vanessa Ng, Senior Vice President, Human Resources.
“Our focus on developing people and investing in training has been key to
achieving these world-class standards. We are happy to share our skills by
offering specialized training programs to external organizations. This too
enable us to contribute to Singapore’s national goal of retraining and improving
country’s labor force.
“The Singapore Airlines Academy is also a strategic move for the SIA Group, and
it has the potential to add a new source of income for years to come, “added Ms Ng.
SIA began offering external courses in September, when it collaborated with Khoo Teck Puat Hospital on a personalized training program for patient care officers. The three-day course included topics such as effective interpersonal communication and customer management.
Like other players in the aviation industry, SIA has had to make drastic changes to its business under enormous pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic. The group reported a 98.1% year-on-year decline in passenger transport in September, even as Singapore opened its borders to more places.
In May, an internal task force was set up to reevaluate the company’s operations and map out how it could get out of the outbreak.
In September, SIA said it would cut about 4,300 jobs at its three airlines, although this number is likely to be lowered by measures such as a hiring freeze, early retirement plan and voluntary release plan.
That same month, SIA launched a limited service of airline meals, food delivery and public tours of its training grounds.
Since the early days of the pandemic, the company has also been reassigning some of its cabin crew to hospitals and nursing homes to work as Care Ambassadors.