NTUC Club, SATS, and AESU Collaborate to Prepare Youths to be Work-ready in the Aviation Sector

NTUC Club, SATS Ltd. (SATS), and the Air Transport Executive Staff Union (AESU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today. The collaboration will provide youths with early exposure to the aviation industry in Singapore, via a stream of focused Work-Ready programmes and opportunities.

In addition to networking and industry dialogues, the entities will collaborate on learning journeys and internship opportunities for these students. The three-year agreement was signed by Ms Gigi Low, Head of Department, Membership Engagement and Experience, NTUC Club; Ms Lilian Tan, Chief Human Capital Officer of SATS; and Mr Daniel Loh, President of AESU.

Guest-of-Honour, Mr Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General of NTUC, witnessed the signing of this MOU, together with Mr Alex Hungate, President and CEO of SATS, and Mr Lim Eng Lee, CEO of NTUC Club.

Mr Ng Chee Meng shared, “In NTUC we believe that it is important to engage our youths before they enter the workforce. We believe that we can provide them with the opportunities to gain exposure so that they can make more informed career choices especially in sectors where we believe there are good jobs. The aviation sector is a critical one for Singapore, especially once we emerge out of COVID-19. It is important for us to build a pool of strong local talent for the sector, which is why this initiative is key and timely as we align our efforts to support our youths in their learning journeys. This collaboration is just the start of more to come, as we continue to onboard more unions and unionised companies in the various industries.”

Getting a Headstart into the Aviation industry

nEbO is the youth membership arm of NTUC run by NTUC Club, which actively reaches out to youths aged 12-25. One of the community’s key focus areas is to prepare youth to be Work-Ready workers of tomorrow. This is made possible with the Headstart programme - a structured developmental programme comprising four main components - internships, workshops, dialogue sessions, and learning journeys.

The Headstart programme launched in July 2020, has seen over 1,000 students across various institutions such as NUS, NTU, SIM, Temasek and Republic Polytechnics, as well as various private institutions benefitting from the programme. Last year, Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Design and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) also signed MOUs with nEbO to enhance their students’ developmental progress. nEbO is in discussions to onboard more Institute of Higher Learning (IHLs).

“I am currently studying in SIT, doing a Bachelors of Science in Air Transport Management. After I graduate, I would like to work in the aviation industry as an air traffic controller or other flight related areas. I am glad that the Headstart programme provided a good platform for me to gain exposure into the industry, and I’m looking forward to the dialogue session later,” shared Ms Marianne Lee Yi Lin, 21.

As the economy gradually reopens, nEbO moves into the next phase of its programme, leveraging the network of unions and unionised companies to onboard industry partners and scale up the programme. As part of this MOU, the entities will collaborate in areas relating to student internships, learning journeys, and other networking and character-building initiatives.

SATS and AESU will endeavour to offer student internship placements and learning journeys which will allow youths to gain real knowledge of the aviation industry. This is amongst other initiatives like industry dialogue sessions and work exposure opportunities, which aim to extend the students’ exposure to the aviation industry.

Mr Alex Hungate, President and Chief Executive Officer of SATS, said, “Air travel services must change dynamically to meet the new hygiene and sustainability expectations of travellers. SATS is developing industry 4.0 digital and technology capabilities as we help the industry move towards this future vision. SATS Academy offers a comprehensive, world-class curriculum that sets new standards for the aviation services industry. We are pleased to open up learning opportunities at SATS Academy to young talents in order to strengthen the skills of our Singapore core.”

Attracting New Talents

In a virtual dialogue session after the MOU signing, 15 nEbO members and IHL students in aviation courses joined a video-conference with Mr Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General of NTUC; Ms Cham Hui Fong, Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC; Mr Lim Eng Lee, CEO of NTUC Club; Mr Alex Hungate, CEO of SATS; Ms Lilian Tan, Chief Human Capital Officer of SATS; and Mr Daniel Loh, President of AESU.

The panelists discussed the current job climate during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the challenges and key changes made by their organisations to adapt and transform.

Mr Daniel Loh, President of AESU, shared, “With this collaboration, we hope to raise awareness among young people of the opportunities available in aviation. Some students may think that entering the aviation sector is going to be challenging as the future of air travel is still quite uncertain. However, Singapore is a small country dependent on trade and the aviation industry remains vital for this country. Thus, it is important to inspire more young people to pursue rewarding careers in aviation, so that the industry can continue to attract new talents and rejuvenate.”

The virtual dialogue session also touched on how the union and organisation can help to prepare and ready the workers of tomorrow, as well as the scenarios of how the industry will be like post-COVID, with new process changes, and new functions and jobs created.