National Rail Academy to train rail engineers, technicians proposed
SMRT staff at work at SMRT Kim Chuan Depot doing regular tests and maintenance on a train. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — A National Rail Academy that will offer dedicated training for rail engineers and technicians has been proposed, revealed Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan today (Nov 21).
Writing on the Ministry of Transport's (MOT) Moving News blog, Mr Khaw said that the MOT had floated the idea to the Public Transport Tripartite Committee, and the committee was “very supportive”.
He added that while there are already existing courses and programmes for engineers in the rail sector, “we should also find a way to eventually amalgamate these training programmes and offer even more dedicated training for the sector”.
A National Rail Academy would “help brand the industry, assure those who enter the academy of a job after initial training, achieve economies of scale in trainers/training facilities, and allow us to implement apprentice schemes and hence start recruitment early, well before new lines come along,” said Mr Khaw.
The transport minister added he intends to expand existing training programmes related to the sector. “We need a step-jump in training capacity for the rail sector if we are to have enough skilled engineers and technicians,” he said.
Among the existing programmes include one by the Singapore Institute of Technology in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering focusing on rail engineering. This programme was developed in conjunction with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) two years back and its first cohort of about 50 students are now in their second year of study.
Other examples include a new part-time diploma course offered by Singapore Polytechnic in Engineering (Rapid Transit Technology), which was launched this year.
Republic Polytechnic’s diploma course in Engineering Systems and Management diploma with an Urban Transport specialisation option, and a new Higher NITEC course in Rapid Transit Engineering launched by ITE this April. Mr Khaw highlighted that these students, along with other NITEC/higher NITEC engineering graduates, can further deepen their skills through the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn programme, which will be launched by Singapore Poly and WDA next year.
“In brief, the industry needs engineers trained in broader engineering disciplines, whom we can then further train to apply their knowledge to specialised domains,” said Mr Khaw.
“As rail technology continues to evolve and improve, our rail engineers have to keep up,” he added. “Every new line and every new train must be better than their predecessors. This way, we keep our train systems and fleet up-to-date, more reliable, easier to maintain, safer and more cost-effective to operate.
“This means that our rail engineers must continue to learn and re-learn,” he said.
