About 1,250 workers will benefit from Shell’s new training council and local employees union

SINGAPORE: Oil giant Shell partnered with the Singapore Shell Employees Union (SSEU) to establish a council to train and upgrade some 1,250 workers, in line with the company’s 10-year plan to reduce its own carbon emissions in Singapore third.

The Joint Capability Council (JCC), which comprises management representatives from both groups, aims to address training gaps in existing programs and help equip workers with relevant skills, Shell and SSEU said in a statement. set on Monday (November 30).

“This initiative, among others, will complement Shell’s digitization efforts to turn its manufacturing business into new low-carbon value chains,” the statement said.

About 1,250 workers from all Shell companies will benefit from the training plans to create a workforce that will remain “resilient” through the transformation of the company, according to the statement. Shell has more than 3,100 workers in Singapore.

READ: Shell Singapore to reuse its core business and downsize the Pulau Bukom refinery in a low-carbon shift

The company had said earlier this month that its strategic shift to a low-carbon future will involve reducing the number of employees at the Pulau Bukom refinery from 1,300 to 800 by the end of 2023.

The announcement comes after parent company Royal Dutch Shell pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050.

On Monday, Shell and SSEU said that under the JCC, they will develop courses for workers in areas such as adaptive skills, digital literacy and data analysis.

The training programs will be offered to more than 500 process and maintenance technicians in the first phase of the initiative.

Shell and SSEU committed to the measure by signing a Memorandum of Understanding, which was witnessed by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who is also an advisor to the union.

READ: Shell launches major cost-cutting campaign to prepare for energy transition

THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES

Pointing to Shell’s history of more than a century in Singapore, Dr. Balakrishnan said that the “early phase of the oil age” and “the right circumstances made a difference to the company’s history and longevity in Singapore.”

“We are now at another tipping point and energy sources, transportation, connectivity, communication and planning are being transformed,” said Dr Balakrishnan during a tour of the Shell site in Pulau Bukom.

“If we don’t position ourselves again at the right time, in the right place, (with the) right workforce, the right skills, we will miss the revolution that is happening in front of our eyes,” he added.

Shell Companies Singapore Chairman Aw Kah Peng also said competition will continue to intensify, even as the company embarks on efforts to transform.

“There will and will be newer, leaner and more efficient plants that will come into operation. We also see digital technologies that continue to change and impact businesses, ”he said.

“What will really allow us to reach our full potential is how we are transforming ourselves,” he added, citing the need for a “learning mindset.”

CONTINUOUS LEARNING

The general secretary of the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), Ng Chee Meng, who accompanied Dr. Balakrishnan on the tour of the Shell facilities, said that the JCC will allow workers to have “a formal structure that allows continuous learning to prepare for the future. “

Mr. Ng added that the council will make a “real difference in improving” job security for employees and help them secure “better job prospects in the medium and long term.”

SSEU Secretary General Munirman Abdul Manaf agreed, saying the new skills will “hopefully also decrease (stress on workers)” if they end up having to look for new jobs.

He added that the union will continue to work closely with management to boost training efforts and help workers maintain paid employment.