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[SINGAPORE] More aviation-related courses and a new S$200 million fund are among efforts to boost Singapore’s aviation talent pipeline, in line with a new report on the sector’s manpower needs released on Friday (Jul 18).

The moves and the report, produced by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Workforce Singapore, were announced by Senior Minister of State for Transport Sun Xueling at the OneAviation Careers and Education fair.

Describing Singapore’s air hub as a “cornerstone and key enabler of our economy”, she said that with the development of Terminal 5, Changi is well-positioned to capture the demand for air travel, given that the Asia-Pacific will be the fastest-growing region for aviation.

“To ensure we are ready for the future, we must continue to plan ahead and prepare our workforce to stay competitive and resilient,” added Sun, who is also senior minister of state for national development.

“The aviation sector will continue to be one that offers a multitude of opportunities to Singaporeans. Recognising the strong growth of the sector in the coming years, we are putting in place the building blocks now to ensure our long-term success.”

More aviation-related courses and specialisations are to come, with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) having been signed between CAAS and nine institutes of higher learning.

CAAS will work with the institutions to grow education capabilities and programmes, develop and expand courses and specialisations, and improve awareness of career opportunities through fairs and scholarships.

The partners are the Institute of Technical Education; five polytechnics – Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic; and three universities – Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore University of Social Sciences and Singapore University of Technology and Design.

CAAS director-general Han Kok Juan said that the report, S$200 million fund and collaboration agreement signed “will give a big boost to Singapore’s aviation manpower development efforts”.

Trends to change aviation jobs

Strengthening cooperation between the industry and educational institutions is one of the recommendations in the report, which is a study of Singapore’s air-hub workforce.

Resulting from a year-long study involving over 200 companies, it assesses trends that affect jobs and skills in the sector, and sets out plans for workforce development.

Besides industry-education partnerships, the sector will accelerate investment in technology, with CAAS to work with industry, unions and the research community on a multi-year technology road map.

Under a separate MOU signed on Friday, CAAS will work with AI Singapore, Changi Airport Group, Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Sats to develop the industry’s artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and talent, and create a long-term plan for AI development in aviation.

A third area is providing targeted support for workers through companies, with the establishment of the S$200 million OneAviation Manpower Fund.

Part of the additional S$1 billion set aside in Budget 2025 for the development of Changi air hub, this fund will support efforts to attract, develop and retain aviation workers.

Future trends

The sector “is expected to grow robustly over the next few decades, including with the opening of Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 5 in the mid-2030s”, noted CAAS in a statement.

Angela Ng, director for the aviation industry at CAAS, said: “We expect the Singapore aviation workforce to grow in tandem with air travel demand, especially with the opening of the Changi Airport Terminal Five (T5) in the mid-2030s. Over the next five years, we will seek to attract more Singaporeans into the aviation sector.

“The actual number needed for when T5 opens will be determined in the early 2030s, to take into account the operating environment then.”

The largest share – 18,000 workers or 30 per cent – work for local carriers SIA and Scoot. Most are in-flight operations roles, including pilots and cabin crew.

This is followed by ground handling, with around 14,000 jobs or 24 per cent. These comprise passenger services such as check-in and boarding, in-flight catering, as well as “below-wing” jobs, such as baggage handling and aircraft marshalling.

The other areas are:

• Airport operations and services: 10,000 jobs or 16 per cent

• Aircraft maintenance: 6,000 jobs or 10 per cent

• Non-domestic airlines and cargo: 5,000 jobs or 8 per cent

• Security: 4,000 jobs or 7 per cent

• Government services: 3,000 jobs or 5 per cent.

But major trends mean that around 29 per cent of the sector’s jobs may need moderate to extensive adjustments, said the report.

It identified six trends across the next five years: automation, AI, digitalisation, changing consumer and workforce preferences and sustainability.

Workers in affected roles will need reskilling or upskilling, said the report.

One example is baggage transportation, which may be carried out by autonomous vehicles in the future. This creates a new role for supervising such autonomous fleets, while current baggage vehicle drivers can take on safety-related tasks instead.