Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) and the Education Services Union (ESU) announced they are jointly investing SGD 500,000 in a new training fund to upskill and equip the university’s employees with digital skills and competencies to meet the demands of Industry 4.0.
NTUC Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) Dr Koh Poh Koon and Tan Aik Na, NTU’s Senior Vice President (Administration) witnessed the signing of the new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ESU and NTU, signed by ESU General Secretary Arshad Ismail and NTU Chief Human Resources Officer Esther Quek.
“There is an increasing need for digitalisation due to the disruptions brought on by COVID-19, and the education sector is no exception. With the CTC as an enabler, our union and management can work closely to assess skill gaps, identify training needs and carry out job redesign for our workers," NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Koh Poh Koon said.
Some 2,000 of NTU’s union-member employees are expected to benefit from the new fund. These employees can look forward to 17 curated courses co-developed by the university, union and training partners such as NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).
These courses will be rolled out progressively from this month and will cover six key aspects: Digital Awareness, Critical Thinking, Effective Communication, Data Management, Project Management and Process Improvement.
NTU Senior Vice President for Administration Tan Aik Na said that as digital technologies continue to disrupt and transform the global economy, upskilling has become a necessity.
“For NTU, deepening our employees’ digital capabilities is essential as the university accelerates its own digital transformation efforts to better support the entire student life cycle, from matriculation to graduation, and continuing education,” she added.
NTU is contributing 90 per cent of the new fund, while ESU provides the remaining 10 per cent through the National Trades Union Congress’ NTUC-Education and Training Fund.
As part of the MoU, NTU and ESU will also establish a new Company Training Committee (CTC) that will enable the university and union to jointly identify new growth areas and map out new skills and competencies through targeted training programmes.
“We are happy to collaborate with NTU and support the university’s efforts in upskilling its employees to meet future challenges as the university and the education sector change with technology. Through this training initiative, employees will be able to take ownership of their learning and receive customised training tailored for their specific skills development needs," ESU General Secretary Arshad Ismail said.