The Singapore Rail Academy will partner ITE, Nanyang Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic and the Singapore Institute of Technology on training and qualifications for rail workers, in a Land Transport Authority news release on 24 October. LTA, SBS Transit and SMRT signed an agreement on 24 October to run the academy jointly from 1 November.
What changes at the academy
LTA set up the academy in 2017. It now runs more than 20 training sessions a year for 500 or so engineers who are new to rail.
From November the academy takes on a wider job, in line with the Rail Reliability Taskforce’s recommendations from February. It will set common training and assessment standards across both operators, and audit the training run by SMRT Institute and SBS Transit’s Rail Training Institute.
New tools in training
The academy will widen its courses and assessment frameworks to take in artificial intelligence, condition monitoring and simulation-based training. It plans more team-based training simulators with AI tools, so staff from different functions can train together on complex scenarios such as major service disruptions.
LTA ties the push to the growing rail network, the adoption of newer systems, and major renewals on existing lines. Operators keep their own training institutes for line-specific skills.
Pathways for students and workers
Under memoranda of understanding with the five institutions, the academy will build training programmes that lead to qualifications at the Higher Nitec and diploma levels.
- New work-study programmes with the public transport operators, so rail workers can study while they work
- Recognition of academy and operator training courses towards continuing education qualifications
- A rail-sector Workforce Skills Qualifications framework from early 2027, starting with Basic Certificates in Railway Operations and Railway Maintenance
Certification for senior staff
The academy will also create a professional certification scheme for rail workers with deep expertise in maintenance and operations. The target is for 20 per cent of the operations and maintenance workforce to be certified, with these staff serving as trainers for junior colleagues.
An advisory panel of international and local rail experts will guide the academy’s training plans.
