Up to 3,000 workers in the air transport and ancillary sectors will benefit from training and reskilling through the Singapore OneAviation Reskilling (SOAR) Grant.
The $3-million grant by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore’s (CAAS) and NTUC was launched on 22 June 2021.
Meanwhile, NTUC has also committed a further $1.5 million from the NTUC-Education and Training Fund (NETF) Collaborative Fund (NCF) to boost the training capacity of unionised companies.
NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Cham Hui Fong said that NTUC and its unions have been working closely with air transport companies through the Company Training Committees (CTC) even before the pandemic.
She said: “Under SOAR, our union leaders will proactively solicit ground feedback from workers themselves on training gaps and needs, before surfacing them to management at CTC discussions. We believe this is important as it allows workers to take ownership of their training and development needs.
“We hope that the additional funding provided by the NETF Collaborative Fund will provide further meaningful support to the air transport industry during this difficult time.”
The SOAR grant will provide funding support for air transport-related training courses that are self-initiated by workers, or collectively through the unions through the joint union-management CTCs.
The grant is administered by NTUC and will reimburse companies with up to $100 per day of training for each worker upon completion of each course.
CAAS Director-General Kevin Shum said that the SOAR grant will support ongoing efforts in preserving core capabilities within the sector.
“This [the SOAR grant] ensures that Singapore’s aviation hub retains a strong pool of talent and expertise to support smooth operations at Changi Airport,” he said.
The grant aims to uplift the competencies of lower-skilled air transport workers, extend the productive careers of older workers, and support career progression and retention of talents in the sector.
The sector’s essential workers such as cleaners, trolley service officers, landscape officers, taxi coordinators, and freight forwarders, will also benefit from the grant.
NTUC will work with Singapore Airlines, SATS, SIA Engineering Company – as well as relevant industry associations – as training providers to offer courses and programmes that are beneficial to workers.
The SOAR grant is open to all Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who work in the air transport sector, including those who work in companies supporting air transport operations.
Interested applicants can approach their union or human resource representatives for more information.
The NCF is a funding scheme launched in March 2019 that provides training support for unionised companies to send their employees who are NTUC union members for training.
Through the NCF, companies can tap on additional funding of up to $50 per worker per day, capped at five days.
The NTUC Aerospace & Aviation (A&A) Cluster and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) will also mobilise companies, both unionised and non-unionised, to tap on the expanded training support to upskill and reskill in preparation for sector transformation when the sector recovers.
