MOUs signed with Ensign InfoSecurity, the Land Transport Authority, SBS Transit and SMRT Corporation to address industry skills gaps and provide an inclusive alternative pathway for in-employment learners to upskill and pursue a degree, through the pilot of a new Competency-Based Workplace Learning Pathway.
(From left) Mr Lee Fook Sun, Chairman, Ensign InfoSecurity; Professor Chua Kee Chaing, Deputy President (Academic) & Provost, SIT; Mr Bob Tan, Chairman, SBS Transit; Mr Ong Tze-Ch’in, Chief Executive, SkillsFuture Singapore; Mr Ng Yat Chung, Chairman, Board of Trustees, SIT; Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education; Mr Chan Heng Loon Alan, Chairman, Land Transport Authority; Professor Tan Thiam Soon, President, SIT; Mr Seah Moon Ming, Chairman, SMRT; Professor Cham Tao Soon, Chairman, Singapore Railway Academy.
As part of the efforts to forge greater resilience and upskill manpower for Singapore’s key sectors, the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) has inked two separate Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with leading industry partners Ensign InfoSecurity Pte. Ltd., the Land Transport Authority (LTA), SBS Transit Ltd and SMRT Corporation Ltd to provide more workplace learning opportunities.
The collaborations will see the university piloting a new Competency-Based Workplace Learning Pathway that will provide adult learners, regardless of their starting qualifications, a means to enhance their skills and pursue a degree while working – the first-of-its-kind in Singapore.
The signing ceremonies were graced by Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing, during SkillsFuture Month @SIT today.
As part of the MOUs, SIT will collaborate with these industry partners to upskill their workforce to meet evolving industry needs and achieve greater alignment between academic achievement and work performance. This comes as Singapore’s key sectors, including cybersecurity and transportation, are expected to grow significantly, and critical to that development is a skilled and resilient workforce that will help power sustained growth in the post-pandemic economy.
The new pathway, designed in collaboration with industry partners, will adopt a different modality in delivering two existing SIT degree programmes in cybersecurity and land transportation. Under this new pathway, adult learners will be able to acquire competencies and get recognition of skills at the workplace. They will also be assessed based on their displayed competencies.
“Through our engagements with industry, we see the increasing importance of workplace learning to drive lifelong learning in our workforce and enable our companies to transform and progress,” said Professor Chua Kee Chaing, Deputy President (Academic) & Provost, SIT. “If we can work with companies to curate workplace learning to allow in-employment learners to upgrade and gain relevant higher certifications that are useful to and hence recognised by the companies, we create win-win solutions for both the learners and the companies. That is why SIT is committed to driving Singapore’s first Competency-Based Workplace Learning Pathway.”
“This partnership with SIT will enable Ensign to help grow the cybersecurity talent pool in Singapore by grooming and upskilling cyber professionals. It will provide a much needed pathway for cyber professionals to deepen their knowledge and stay on top of their game while being employed, thereby contributing to our overall efforts to build a set of strong localised cyber-defence capabilities and nurture a sustainable workforce to defend our cyberspace; at the same time providing a helpful relief valve from the intensifying and somewhat unhealthy market competition for cyber professionals,” said Mr Lee Fook Sun, Chairman, Ensign InfoSecurity.
MOU signing between SIT and Ensign InfoSecurity. Witnesses (standing, from left): Mr Ng Yat Chung, Chairman, Board of Trustees, SIT; Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education; Mr Lee Fook Sun, Chairman, Ensign InfoSecurity. Signatories (from left): Professor Tan Thiam Soon, President, SIT; Ms Tammie Tham, Group CEO, Ensign InfoSecurity.
Forging Quality Industry Partnerships
Over the next two decades, the Singapore Government plans to expand public transport connectivity with new rail lines and continue to improve rail reliability of existing lines through systems upgrading and renewal. Ramping up the development of local competencies to operate and maintain our rail systems is critical to these efforts.
To help pave the way for a career in the rail industry, the MOU signed between SIT, LTA, SBS Transit and SMRT Corporation will see the development of a new Postgraduate Certificate in Urban Railway Technology in addition to the competency-based degree pathway in land transportation.
This new postgraduate programme will be co-developed and delivered by SIT and LTA’s Singapore Rail Academy (SGRA), with the support of the two rail operators. Designed for engineering professionals within the local rail industry, the programme draws on SGRA’s industry-standard expertise and experience, as well as SIT’s applied learning approach to equip them with deeper knowledge and practical skillsets in rail engineering, operations and maintenance.
Said LTA’s Chief Executive Ng Lang: “Our rail engineering, operations and maintenance workers are the backbone of a safe and reliable MRT system. Today’s MOU is another step we have taken to continue to nurture and develop a strong pipeline of local talents with deep technical rail expertise and cross-functional capabilities.”
SBS Transit Chief Executive Officer, Mr Cheng Siak Kian, said: “We are very excited to be embarking on this journey with SIT. Our employees have always been at the heart of our business and we recognise the importance of continued education as a necessary investment for employees to broaden and deepen their rail competencies. This initiative will no doubt help our people grow professionally and gain recognition for their skills and expertise.”
Mr Neo Kian Hong, Group Chief Executive Officer, SMRT Corporation, said: “SMRT is delighted to be part of this MOU which provides professionals in the industry with structured and targeted opportunities to upgrade themselves through a workplace learning pathway. We encourage our staff to continually deepen their knowledge and skills as they strive for excellence in their professional development. With a highly skilled workforce, SMRT is also able to maintain a high level of operations and maintenance to better serve our commuters.”
MOU signing between SIT, LTA, SBST and SMRT. Witnesses (standing, from left): Mr Ng Yat Chung, Chairman, Board of Trustees, SIT; Mr Seah Moon Ming, Chairman, SMRT; Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Education; Mr Chan Heng Loon Alan, Chairman, LTA; Mr Bob Tan, Chairman, SBST; Prof Cham Tao Soon, Chairman, SGRA. Signatories (from left): Mr Neo Kian Hong, Group CEO, SMRT; Prof Tan Thiam Soon, President, SIT; Mr Ng Lang, CE, LTA; Mr Cheng Siak Kian, CEO, SBST.
SIT’s Competency-Based Workplace Learning Pathway
The new Competency-Based Workplace Learning Pathway will adopt a collaborative approach with industry partners to make workplace learning more immersive and rewarding for participants, through the following key features:
- Recognition of Prior Learning: This pathway will recognise adult learners’ work experience and prior competencies using competency-based assessment methods, and award credits towards fulfilment of the degree programme’s requirement.
- Learner-Centric: Most of the learning outcomes required for the degree programme will be achieved through curated projects which learners carry out at their place of work. Learners will have access to online lectures for the respective modules within the degree programme, and receive facilitated coaching and instruction from SIT faculty through online platforms. This approach will provide learners with greater flexibility and ownership over their learning journey and pace, minimising disruptions in their work and personal lives.
- Collaborative Engagement with Industry Partners: The new pathway has been developed in close consultation with industry partners. This collaborative process ensures that both the industry’s training needs as well as adult learners’ upgrading aspirations are met.
SIT will pilot the new Competency-Based Workplace Learning Pathway in the following degree programmes from September 2021:
- Bachelor of Engineering in Information and Communications Technology (Information Security), in collaboration with Ensign InfoSecurity Pte. Ltd.;
- Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering Technology in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land), in collaboration with LTA, SBS Transit Ltd and SMRT Corporation Ltd.
SkillsFuture Month @SIT
Anchored around its theme of “Supporting Industry Transformation through Upskilling Singapore Workforce”, SkillsFuture Month @SIT features a series of online workshops on trends in areas such as Digitalisation, Smart Manufacturing, Design Innovation and Sustainability, Health and Food Innovation, and Community & Social Services, amongst others. Held in partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and supported by the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), participants at these workshops can look forward to gaining insights from industry leaders and IHLs, and discover learning opportunities to be future-ready.
About the Singapore Institute of Technology
The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is Singapore’s University of Applied Learning, offering applied degree programmes targeted at growth sectors of the economy. With a mission to nurture and develop individuals who impact society in meaningful ways, SIT aims to be a leader in innovative learning by integrating learning, industry and community.
The University’s unique pedagogy integrates work and study by incorporating applied research for students to work on real industry problems and creating solutions that meet industry needs. SIT also advocates the work-learn continuum, which places an emphasis on upskilling and lifelong learning.
For more information, visit www.SingaporeTech.edu.sg.
About Ensign InfoSecurity Pte. Ltd.
Ensign InfoSecurity is the largest, pure-play end-to-end cybersecurity service provider in Asia. Headquartered in Singapore, Ensign offers bespoke solutions and services to address their clients’ cybersecurity needs. Their core competencies are in the provision of cybersecurity advisory and assurance services, architecture design and systems integration services, and managed security services for advanced threat detection, threat hunting, and incident response. Underpinning these competencies is in-house research and development in cybersecurity. Ensign has two decades of proven track record as a trusted and relevant service provider, serving clients from the public and private sectors in the Asia Pacific region.
For more information, visit www.ensigninfosecurity.com or email marketing@ensigninfosecurity.com.
About Land Transport Authority
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport, which spearheads land transport developments in Singapore. As the agency responsible for planning, designing, building and maintaining Singapore’s land transport infrastructure and systems, we aim to bring about a greener and more inclusive public transport system, complemented by convenient options to walk and cycle from their homes or to their destinations. We leverage technology to strengthen our rail and bus infrastructure and provide exciting options for future land transport.
As part of the Land Transport Industry Transformation Map, LTA established the Singapore Rail Academy in 2017 to uplift the capability development for rail engineering, operations and maintenance. This is carried out through collaborations with rail operators, education institutions and other key industry players to build up rail research capabilities, certify the proficiencies of railway professionals and promote careers in the rail industry. For more information, please visit LTA’s website at www.lta.gov.sg.
About SBS Transit Ltd
SBS Transit is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore. It runs the North East Line, which is the world’s first automated, underground heavy metro system, and also the Downtown Line, which is currently the longest underground MRT line in Singapore. In total, it operates 78 stations with 192 trains running on 83 track-km, including the Sengkang-Punggol Light Rail Transit Systems. An established public bus operator, it is also the biggest and most experienced with a fleet of more than 3,000 buses running some 220 bus routes. Every day, SBS Transit carries more than three million passenger trips (pre-COVID) on its network of buses and trains. It is a member of the ComfortDelGro Group, which is one of the world’s leading land transport companies. For more information, please visit www.sbstransit.com.sg.
About SMRT Corporation Ltd
SMRT Corporation Ltd (SMRT) is a public transport services provider. Our primary business is to manage and operate train services on the North-South Line, East-West Line, the Circle Line, the new Thomson-East Coast Line and the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit. This is complemented by our bus, taxi and private hire vehicle services.
We have set our core values as Respect, Integrity, Service & Safety and Excellence. SMRT is committed to provide safe, reliable and comfortable service for our commuters.
