Aviation Sector Commits to Sending Workers to Fill

5 April 2020 MEDIA RELEASE AVIATION SECTOR COMMITS TO SENDING WORKERS TO FILL MORE THAN 17,500 TRAINING PLACES ~These efforts will see aviation workers undergoing some 39,500 days of training ~ 1. All major aviation companies have committed to sending their workers to fill more than 17,500 training places, even as the industry continues to grapple with the suspension of flights. This was affirmed at a closed-door dialogue hosted by NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Ng Chee Meng on Friday, 3 April 2020. Attendees at the dialogue include Mr Goh Choon Phong, Chief Executive Officer, SIA; Ms Vanessa Ng, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, SIA; Mr Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer, Scoot; Ms Theresa Tan, Vice President, HR, Scoot; Mr Ng Chin Chwee, Chief Executive Officer, SIA Engineering Company; Ms Zarina Piperdi, Senior Vice President, HR, SIA Engineering Company; Mr Alex Hungate, Chief Executive Officer, SATs; Ms Lilian Tan, Chief Human Capital Officer, SATs; Ms Cham Hui Fong, Group Director, Workforce, NTUC, and Ms Sylvia Choo, Director, Unions, NTUC. Whole of Sector Commits to Upskilling Workers 2. These top leaders represent the key players in the aviation sector. They were invited to discuss the ongoing challenges brought about by COVID-19 over a one- and-a-half-hour dialogue, held at NTUC Centre, One Marina Boulevard. At the session, the topic of leveraging downtime to expedite workers’ training and upskilling in terms of developing real technical capabilities and capacities was brought to the fore. This includes training for workers including PMEs in the sector, to accelerate a digital shift across all levels. 3. NTUC SG Ng Chee Meng shared his hopes that the aviation sector will continue to plug into the strong and positive bilateral ties it currently enjoys with NTUC and 1 our unions, and to work hand-in-glove to ensure that workers are taken care of. The session ended with the respective companies reaffirming their commitment to work closer with NTUC and their unions to develop the capabilities and productivity of their workforce, in preparation for when the economy recovers. 4. NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said, “We had a frank and fruitful discussion. It has been a very challenging time for both our companies and workers. It is therefore heartening to see our aviation sector unions and companies working together to send workers to fill more than 17,500 training places. In these times, schemes such as the Jobs Support Scheme will help companies save manpower cost as they invest in their workforce. NTUC and our unions stand ready to work with companies through set ups such as Company Training Committees to upskill and upgrade our workers during this downtime, so that when the storm clears, both company and worker can be better positioned to exploit all the opportunities that the world will show us again.” Train to Save Jobs 5. Already, the sector has seen some early training initiatives take flight. For example, supported by NTUC LearningHub (LHUB), Scoot will be sending some 1,900 flight crew and cabin crew for digital awareness training. This represents more than 75% of Scoot’s total workforce. The training, which will include home-based learning, aims to help participants develop awareness of emerging technologies and build self-confidence in leveraging technology. To date, the first batch of 23 flight crew and cabin crew have completed the training course, with the rest set to follow within the coming months. 6. This follows through the recent enhanced training and support package for the aviation sector that was announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat. In addition, NTUC had also previously committed an additional $500,000 that will be made available to help unionised companies in the 2 sector send their workers for training.1 These schemes aim to help companies save costs while upskilling their workforce – not only in preparation for the future, but ultimately to save jobs. 7. Looking ahead, other courses that will be made available to workers include change management, project management, service excellence related courses and technical training. For example, cabin crew could undergo courses to upgrade their skills in the areas of frontline service while pilots could benefit from training in areas such as managing fatigue. For others, training will be made available in areas such as handling of dangerous goods, cargo documentation, aircraft maintenance amongst others. These efforts will translate to more than 39,500 training days. Ramping up Training Capacity and Support 8. As a key training provider, NTUC LHUB is rapidly ramping up its training capacity to meet demand from the various sectors, and this will be augmented by Virtual Live Classes (VLCs) options. NTUC LHUB has curated a series of courses for the Aviation sector, to ensure that Aviation workers can use this downtime to upskill and emerge stronger. The series includes courses on mindset change, service, technology and data. 9. Mr Kwek Kok Kwong, CEO of NTUC LearningHub said, “Working closely with the Labour Movement and employers, NTUC LearningHub is acting swiftly to help Aviation workers and companies build their resilience and adaptability by gaining new skills. We believe that upskilling is even more important in times of change. It is heartening to see that many trainees have remained positive and have kept their minds so open to upgrading their skills. Companies can also use this time to seize the opportunity to transform, enrich their workforce and keep their eyes on long- term goals. NTUC LearningHub will walk this journey with workers and companies so that together, we can overcome challenges and emerge even stronger.” 1 [Media Release] Air Transport Sector gets enhanced training and support package to upskill workers and save jobs 3 Help for Affected Workers to Secure Work and Support Themselves 10. Ongoing efforts to optimise excess capabilities, including manpower, also formed part of the dialogue. To help affected workers secure temporary assignments and augment their income, the NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster is also tapping on the wider union and Labour Movement network. The cluster will aggregate manpower needs identified by unionised companies within the sector as well as across sectors, and work with companies’ human resources personnel to send workers for job interviews. Since mid-last week to date, some 500 aviation workers have signed up to be referred for temporary assignments that are available. This includes Scoot, who through the union network, is facilitating temporary assignments for their crew by posting pre-approved job openings in its internal communications portal for employees to peruse and apply. A number of crew members have since taken on jobs to help manage crowd control and help with temperature screening at Mercatus Co-operative, an NTUC Social Enterprise. Likewise, SIA has also facilitated such temporary work arrangements for workers to take up roles such as SG Clean Ambassadors and Safe Distancing Ambassadors. Going forward 11. The NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster will continue to work with companies to keep workers in their jobs and retrain them for when the economy recovers. # # # Chinese Names and Terms 中文名称与词汇 National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) 全国职工总会 (职总) Ng Chee Meng 黄志明 Secretary-General, NTUC 职总秘书长 Cham Hui Fong 詹惠凤 Group Director, Workforce, NTUC 职总工作群总长 Sylvia Choo 朱素秋 Director, Unions, NTUC 职总工会处处长 NTUC Aerospace and Aviation Cluster 航空与航天业工会群体 4 Kwek Kok Kwong 郭国光 Chief Executive Officer 职总恒习私人有限公司总裁 NTUC LearningHub Campbell Wilson 查贝尔威尔森 Scoot Chief Executive Officer 酷航首席执行官 About National Trades Union Congress The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions as well as a network of professional associations and partners across all sectors in Singapore. NTUC’s objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and working people remain employable for life; to enhance the social status and wellbeing of our members and working people; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour movement. NTUC’s vision is to be an inclusive labour movement for all collars, ages and nationalities. NTUC is at the heart of the Labour Movement, which comprises 59 affiliated unions, five affiliated associations, 12 social enterprises, six related organisations as well as a growing ecosystem of U Associates and enterprise partners. For more details on NTUC, please visit www.ntuc.org.sg. About NTUC LearningHub NTUC LearningHub was corporatised in 2004 with the vision of transforming the lifelong employability of working people. We work with both corporate and individual clients and provide learning solutions in areas such as Infocomm Technology, Healthcare, Employability & Literacy, Business Excellence, Workplace Safety & Health, Security, Human Resources and Foreign Worker Training. To date, NTUC LearningHub has helped over 21,000 organisations and achieved over 2.5 million training places across more than 500 courses with a pool of over 400 certified trainers. As a Total Learning Solutions provider to organisations, we also forge partnerships and provide a wide range of relevant end-to-end training solutions and work constantly to improve our training quality and delivery. Visit www.ntuclearninghub.com for more information. About Scoot Scoot is the low-cost arm of the Singapore Airlines Group. Scoot took to the skies in June 2012 and merged with Tigerair Singapore in July 2017, retaining the Scoot brand and positioning it well for a new chapter of growth. Scoot has carried over 65 million guests and now has a fleet of 20 state of the art, widebody Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 29 young and modern Airbus A320 family aircraft, with two more Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 30 Airbus A320neo and 16 A321neo aircraft on order. Scoot’s network presently encompasses 67 destinations across 15 countries and territories, with six more destinations from Indonesia to join the network by the second half of 2020.

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