SBS Transit Has Launched the Rail Training Institute at Sengkang Depot

SBS Transit Has Launched the Rail Training Institute at Sengkang Depot. (Photo: SBS Transit/Facebook)

Public transport operator SBS Transit has launched the Rail Training Institute on Friday (Dec 9), where it will invest $1 million to develop progressive training and development frameworks for rail employees.

The facility, located at the Sengkang Depot, which houses trains for the North East Line (NEL) and Sengkang–Punggol LRT (SPLRT), will also leverage innovative augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies to provide staff training on the go.

Mr Desmond Tan, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, officiated the opening on Friday.

Launch of SBS Transit’s Rail Training Institute

Training materials for employees are more conveniently accessible

“Mr Gerald Lee, Assistant Manager of the North East Line’s Rolling Stock, (left) sharing about the use of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality technologies in our training to DSG of NTUC and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Desmond Tan (right).” (Photo: SBS Transit/Facebook)

SBS Transit said its new facility will allow its employees to access training materials more conveniently during off-peak times instead of travelling to conventional training centres.

It added that its training materials are more targeted to each employee and are bite-sized.

Mr Jeffrey Sim, Chief Executive of SBS Transit Rail, who spoke to The Straits Times on Friday, said the institute will allow training time to be cut down considerably.

He cited an example of a signalling technician who currently has to undergo a 12-month training programme before being deployed.

Mr Sim said with the new training approach, training time will be reduced to between four and six months.

Memorandum of Understanding between SBS Transit and NTUC LearningHub

Mr Desmond Tan, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, trying out the Downtown Line (DTL) train simulator at Sengkang Depot. (Photo: Desmond Tan/Facebook)

Concurrently, with the opening of the Rail Training Institute, SBS Transit has signed a memorandum of understanding with education and training provider NTUC LearningHub.

SBS Transit and NTUC LearningHub will jointly collaborate to train land transport workers over the next three years under the Skills Framework of SkillsFuture Singapore.

Mr Desmond Tan, who also witnessed the signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding, said in a Facebook post that this collaboration will “drive the development of a training curriculum aimed at upskilling land transport workers and future-proofing the workforce”.

The framework will be used to train and certify bus captains, as well as bus and rail technicians, in various scopes which will in turn benefit passengers through better customer experience.

SBS Transit said trainers and facilitators from NTUC LearningHub will assist in developing contextualised training programmes tailored for the public transport industry.

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Related Links
North East Line – SGTrains
Sengkang LRT – SGTrains
Punggol LRT – SGTrains

External Links
SBS Transit Invests In The Future Of Training With Rail Training Institute – SBS Transit [Accessed 13 Dec 2022]
“For many, joining a new company is often an anxiety-filled experience.” – SBS Transit/Facebook [Accessed 13 Dec 2022]
“[NTUC LearningHub and SBS Transit MOU Signing]” – Desmond Tan/Facebook [Accessed 13 Dec 2022]

Images: SBS Transit/Facebook, Desmond Tan/Facebook.
This article first appeared on SGTrains.