Last month, ABB was one of the first 30 companies to sign an MOU with the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees' Union (SISEU) to set up a Company Training Committee (CTC), ensuring employees are ready for technological and digital change.
As a pioneering leader in digital industries, ABB develops solutions and technologies to bring performance improvements to customers through digitalization.
Taking employees on the digitalization journey is paramount, ensuring the workforce keeps up with industry transformation and new ways of working. ABB’s new commitment brings it together with unions and e2i (the Employment and Employability Institute) to help workers upgrade their skills for future jobs by effectively mapping and matching training requirements.
Johan de Villiers, Country Managing Director, ABB Singapore (seated far right) signs the MoU along with other industry leaders 
ABB representatives with NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Koh Poh Koon
NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Koh Poh Koon said: “Singapore’s companies and workers in the manufacturing sector are very well supported – not only do they enjoy grants and assistance from the Government to move towards Industry 4.0, but they can also tap on our unions to help hold the ground and mobilize workers for training.
“The CTCs will help to drive transformation within the company and ensure that workers are not being left behind. At the end of the day, we want our workers to be able to enjoy better wages, welfare, and work prospects as the company successfully transforms.”
“Training will ensure employees maintain and develop skills and also re-train and upskill to better contribute to an increasingly dynamic manufacturing landscape.”
“This could include skills to improve use, understanding and application of digital technologies and AI, or softer skills such as creative thinking and innovation, which are increasingly important for the future. What is certain is that the skills that we consider important now will be different to the ones important in the future and this is why we want to continue to develop employees to ensure they are future-ready,” said Johan deVilliers, Country Managing Director.
This is the latest ABB commitment to skills development in Singapore. Other contributions include collaborations and partnerships with ITE, Singapore Polytechnic, NTU and NUS, as well as the secondary schools and the Science Center Singapore.
