Opening Remarks at Signing of MOU between SWDA and SMRT
SPS Shawn Huang, Staytion Lifestyle Centre @ Dhoby Ghaut MRT
Ms Dilys Boey, Chief Executive of the Skills and Workforce Development Agency;
Mr Seah Moon Ming, Chairman of SMRT Corporation Ltd and SMRT Trains Ltd;
Distinguished guests,
Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to be here today to witness the formalisation of the partnership between the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) and SMRT.
2. This partnership comes at an important time. As technology advances, business models evolve and our workforce grows more slowly, Singapore’s continued success will depend on how well businesses and workers adapt together.
3. Employers are central to this effort. By investing in their people, redesigning jobs and building skills for emerging needs, businesses can strengthen their competitiveness while helping workers remain relevant and access better career opportunities.
4. This is why we brought skills and career development together under SWDA – to partner employers in making workforce development an integral part of business transformation. The partnership we are celebrating today embodies this approach in action. Beyond partnerships such as these, SWDA also provides a range of support to help businesses transform their workforce and workers seize new opportunities.
Resources available to business and individuals
5. For example, the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package supports businesses in redesigning jobs, training workers and implementing workforce transformation initiatives. By helping employers build the skills and capabilities needed for growth, the Package enables workers to benefit from better jobs, stronger career prospects and opportunities to take on higher-value roles as businesses evolve.
6. At the same time, we want to empower Singaporeans to take charge of their career health and and stay adaptable in a changing economy. As industries evolve and jobs change, workers may also need support to move into new opportunities. SWDA supports individuals at different stages of their careers through career guidance, skills upgrading and job transition support. In particular, SWDA's Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) help workers reskill and take on new or redesigned roles, while giving employers access to talent equipped with skills relevant to their business needs.
Collaborations and partnerships
7. Employers have a keen understanding of how their businesses will evolve and are well-placed to create opportunities for workers to learn, adapt and grow. That is why I am heartened that SMRT has been proactive in supporting the upskilling and reskilling through the adoption of CCPs.
8. Since 2016, SMRT has also onboarded over 750 CCP participants, many of whom have joined the rail industry from diverse sectors ranging from manufacturing, wholesale trade and the built environment.
9. One example is Mr Ng Kim Guan, an Assistant Station Manager at Siglap station. Mr Ng was previously a taxi driver. In 2023, he participated in the CCP, which gave him a grounding in rail operations and training in railway safety, train operations and commuter service. As part of the team that helped to open Siglap station in June 2024, he ran operational exercises, and prepared equipment to ensure that the station was ready to serve passengers. Today, he is also a Service Champion who promotes a positive service culture in SMRT.
10. Ms Siti Aisha, an Assistant Station Manager at Shenton Way station, is another good example of how CCPs can benefit employees while helping employers meet their manpower needs. Previously in the security industry, Ms Aisha jumped at the opportunity to join the CCP, transition into the rail industry, develop her skills and advance her career at SMRT. Having worked at SMRT for over three years, Ms Aisha takes great pride in knowing that her work contributes to commuters’ safety and their daily journeys.
11. Such good outcomes are made possible through close and deep partnerships between the public and private sectors, such as the one that SWDA has with SMRT. I also wanted to highlight that SMRT’s previous appointment as a SkillsFuture Queen Bee enabled it to bring Kaizen practices to 70 enterprises in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology.
Memorandum of Understanding with SMRT
12. The MOU to be signed today is the first in a series of formal partnerships that SWDA will forge with key industry players. It also marks the next chapter in our partnership with SMRT. Together, we will strengthen support for SMRT’s workforce by:
a. Strengthening career health through SWDA’s Career Advisory Programme which offers personalised advice for employees navigating career progression or transitions;
b. Supporting mid-career workers who wish to reskill through the CCPs; and
c. Exploring further opportunities for workforce transformation and job redesign.
13. We will also work with SMRT to share messages on career health, skills development and lifelong learning with Singaporeans through SMRT’s island-wide media network.
Closing
14. In closing, I would like to say that business and workforce transformation requires strong, credible and competent leadership. I would like to thank Mr Seah Moon Ming for being a champion in transforming businesses, leading the industry, building capabilities and driving workforce transformation. I will close with a Chinese phrase: 天行健，君子以自强不息. Mr Seah has embodied this, and I hope more industry leaders will step up to drive more capability building for Singapore and Singaporeans.
Thank you.