SINGAPORE - Multipurpose port operator Jurong Port has launched a new training academy to upskill port workers.
Opened on Friday (Jan 20), the Jurong Port Academy at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability (e2i) in the Jurong Gateway area is part of Jurong Port's efforts to "create a future-ready workforce".
The S$2.8 million facility, which features the use of simulators, will train and certify port professionals from Jurong Port and local stevedore companies to apply the latest port mechanisation and automation technologies.
"As workers are at the centre of port operations, a technology-enabled workforce can move away from routine and labour-intensive tasks to focus on productive and higher value-added activities," said Jurong Port in a statement.
Besides the Academy's premises at e2i, Jurong Port has built a dedicated training yard within the port for workers to conduct hands-on equipment training.
"The Jurong Port Academy is an integral component in our bid to transform the multipurpose port industry, enabling a sustainable and promising future for all industry participants, port users, stevedoring service providers and Jurong Port itself, with its vision of being a world-class multipurpose port operator," said Jurong Port chief executive Ooi Boon Hoe.
The setting up of Jurong Port Academy involved consultation with government agencies such as the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), which also provided funding for the project.
MPA chief executive Andrew Tan noted that Jurong Port's initiative is "timely" as Singapore prepares its workforce with "new skillsets that are not only relevant for the future, but will improve the productivity, efficiency and reliability of our port".
"The Port of Singapore must continue to stay ahead of competition and grow from strength to strength, while continuing to provide good jobs and maintain its key role in Singapore's economy," he said.
Last year, Jurong Port's local and overseas terminals handled close to 35 million tonnes of general and bulk cargo, as well as 560,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) of container cargo.
It launched the Combi Terminal last August - a one-stop terminal that services multipurpose vessels carrying a combination of containers and general cargo. They are able to load and unload their goods at the Combi Terminal without having to call at separate terminals or berths to load or unload different cargo types.
