To attract, retain and upskill talent in the fast-transforming maritime sector, a set of initiatives were unveiled by Mr Niam Chiang Meng, Chairman of Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). The announcement was made at the Maritime Manpower Forum, jointly organised by MPA and the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF), which was held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) 2021. More than 300 participants attended the forum, according to MPA's release.
The rapid transformation of the maritime sector, with key driving forces of digitalisation and sustainability, brings new opportunities for growth. These industry-wide changes will require new skillsets and create new jobs for Maritime Singapore. MPA and SMF will jointly partner maritime companies to attract and engage young graduates and mid-careerists, and support companies’ efforts to help their current workforce adapt and upskill to meet future needs.
MPA will be conducting industry consultations with maritime HR and business-function leaders in May 2021 to discuss maritime jobs suitable for job redesign.
In addition, MPA will be launching the inaugural run of the Maritime Leadership Programme in the second half of 2021 to nurture future maritime business leaders. The 10-day programme will train up to 20 junior management employees annually in leadership capabilities and provide a platform for participants to extend their business networks in Singapore and beyond.
SMF has secured an additional S$2.5 million in pledged scholarships from the maritime community under the MaritimeONE Scholarships. New companies such as Maersk Group, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Atlantic Lloyd and Equatorial Marine have come onboard as sponsors to support the industry’s vision of building a future-ready workforce and a sustainable talent pipeline.
SMF will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with youth-led non-profit organisation Advisory, to explore collaborative opportunities to spark interest and passion amongst youths for the maritime sector. In addition, SMF is enhancing its Maritime Singapore Connect (MSC) portal, including improved user experience, personalised job recommendations for job seekers, and a new dashboard for maritime companies.
The forum provided a platform for participants to discuss key trends affecting the maritime workforce. Mercer Singapore shared about how maritime jobs could potentially change with technological advancement and industry transformation, and how job redesign could raise productivity, improve attractiveness of maritime jobs and build resilience for the maritime sector. A panel of industry leaders also discussed the impetus for, and potential benefits from, workforce transformation in the maritime industry.