More bus drivers, technicians needed in next 5 years:
Josephine Teo
SINGAPORE: More bus captains, technicians and schedulers will be
needed in the next five years to meet Singapore's transport needs,
said Second Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo on Monday (Jul
24).
It's estimated that the bus industry will need a workforce of
about 11,100 by 2022. This is an increase of about 13 per cent from
the 9,800 workers currently.
Mrs Teo, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office,
noted that the number of workers in the bus industry has already
been growing, with the number of bus captains growing by 30 per
cent in the last five years.
Equally important, she said, is the professionalism of the
workforce, not just its size.
Newly minted bus captain Aw Weihan told Channel NewsAsia he
chose this line of work as he was familiar with the service
industry and was not keen on a desk-bound job. He said the training
at SGBA helped him improve his awareness of potential road hazards
so that he can better anticipate road situations.
The academy was developed by the Public Transport Sectoral
Tripartite Committee last October to provide standardised training
and improve competency standards across the industry.
New bus captains have to complete a five-day Enhanced Vocational
Licence Training Programme (EVLTP), which is a requirement for them
to attain their Omnibus Driver’s Vocational Licence.
The programme is conducted by in-house trainers from the
academy, the National Transport Workers' Union, as well as bus
operators SBS Transit and SMRT.
Trainees have to learn safe driving techniques, an overview of
the public transport industry and rules of the road, as part of
their training.
Source: CNA/hs
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/more-bus-drivers-technicians-needed-in-next-5-years-josephine-9058010