\n<\/p>\n
The overhaul of the Singapore Rail Academy follows recommendations by the Rail Reliability Taskforce, as Singapore seeks to strengthen its rail workforce amid an ageing and increasingly complex MRT network.<\/p>\n
Established by LTA in 2017, the academy currently conducts more than 20 training sessions annually for about 500 engineers who are new to the rail industry.<\/p>\n
Rail operators SMRT and SBS also run their own training programmes for their wider operations and maintenance workforces, including competencies specific to each rail line.<\/p>\n
Under the revamped academy, these programmes will be consolidated into a common curriculum to standardise training and make skills more transferable across operators.<\/p>\n
It will also expand its training scope beyond engineers to include technicians and operations staff and professionalise training by providing new industry certification pathways. \u00a0<\/p>\n
For example, the academy will develop a new sector-wide professional certification scheme to recognise rail professionals who demonstrate \u201cexceptional expertise and mastery\u201d in rail maintenance and operations, LTA said.<\/p>\n
The target is for 20 per cent of the rail operations and maintenance workforce to be recognised under this certification scheme, LTA added.<\/p>\n
From early 2027, the academy will also progressively establish a rail-sector Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) certification framework, starting from Basic Certificates in Railway Operations and Railway Maintenance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An advisory panel comprising local and international rail experts will also be convened to provide strategic guidance and share best practices on training and capability development.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaken together, these changes to the Rail Academy will help us build a stronger pipeline of skilled train professionals … with clear standards and pathways to progress,\u201d said Mr Siow.<\/p>\n
Mr Siow noted that the responsibilities of transport workers have changed over the years as the public transport system evolves.<\/p>\n
The government is progressively electrifying Singapore\u2019s bus fleet, with half of public buses to be electric by 2030 and the entire fleet to run on cleaner energy by 2040.<\/p>\n
For bus engineers and technicians, this means learning to work with new high-voltage battery systems, electrical components and digital diagnostic tools \u2013 which are \u201centirely different\u201d from managing a conventional diesel bus, said Mr Siow.<\/p>\n
At the same time, Singapore\u2019s MRT network is also ageing, and older lines will need to undergo major renewals even as the network continues to expand.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact, we will shift our emphasis from opening new lines, to maintaining and upgrading existing ones,\u201d Mr Siow said.<\/p>\n
This was why authorities began extended scheduled closures of parts of the rail network for major upgrading projects last year, allowing projects to be carried out more quickly, efficiently and safely.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we focus more on upgrading and maintenance, we must build up an army of engineers and technicians who understand these systems deeply, who can make sound decisions, and carry out works safely,\u201d Mr Siow said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n