SINGAPORE (THE BUSINESS TIMES) - More than 100 cabin crew from Scoot have taken on temporary employment with ams Sensors Singapore for a period of at least three months from May this year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, both companies said in a joint statement on Thursday (June 4).

ams Sensors Singapore designs and manufactures sensor solutions, while Scoot is the budget arm of national carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA).

This arrangement marks Scoot's first cross-industry partnership with a private-sector organisation, following various deployments to public hospitals and other government organisations. With this new deployment, nearly 400 Scoot crew members have been deployed to support other industries, the companies said.

"These assignments enable crew, whose flying hours have been greatly reduced due to Covid-19's impact on the aviation industry, to supplement their income and gain new knowledge and soft skills. They also allow Scoot to retain its front-line talent through this downturn," they added.

Prior to the Scoot staff taking up the new roles, ams Sensors Singapore required them to undergo an interview, where they were assessed on communication skills, attention to detail, and goal-driven attributes to meet production standards. This was followed by a period of on-the-job training.

Scoot cabin crew member Tong Qian said: "I feel fortunate to be able to contribute to our manufacturing industry and experience working in a new field. I am learning how to operate sensor testing machines, from displaying the sensor chips on the tray to ensuring that the production quality is correctly tallied with the check sheet."

Soh Lip Leong, general manager and senior vice-president of front-end and back-end operations and global test at ams Sensors Singapore, said: "We are pleased to have achieved this win-win result with the Scoot team to offer alternative employment to their staff. The new recruits are a good match for our operations in Singapore.

"Despite coming from another industry, their robust service background makes them adaptable to new situations. We have also found them to be very meticulous, solution-oriented and goal-driven."

With most of its network temporarily suspended, Scoot has enrolled its cabin crew and pilots in a series of training programmes for upskilling and career development, the companies said.

In collaboration with NTUC LearningHub, 1,900 crew members attended a home-based virtual learning course, SkillsFuture for Digital Workplace, which focused on building their knowledge of emerging technologies in the workplace.

Scoot's tie-up with ams Sensors Singapore comes as more employees in the aviation industry take up alternative jobs, with international travel severely hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Most recently, more than 350 Changi Airport workers took up temporary new jobs in sectors such as e-commerce and logistics.

In February this year, SIA said it would cut salaries of senior management by 10 to 15 per cent starting March 1, and offer a voluntary no-pay leave scheme to staff.

Subsequently in March, SIA said it would slash capacity by 96 per cent, adding that the company's cost cuts would affect 10,000 employees. It also initiated deeper salary reductions for senior management. The national carrier said then that Scoot was suspending the vast majority of its network and grounding 47 of its 49 aircraft, though SIA Cargo continues to operate its seven freighters.

As at 11.34am on Thursday, SIA shares were trading at $4.37, up $0.06 or 1.4 per cent.