SINGAPORE: Just six months after joining Delta Air Lines as a customer experience specialist, Ms Sharmeet Kaur is handling more than 400 calls a month.
"When I came in, it was very nerve-racking because I didn't know anything about the aviation side. But they had very good support … and very good team leads, who actually assisted us in the proficiencies in the systems,” the 31-year-old former public servant told CNA.
“Readapting is one thing – being able to be comfortable in a new environment is another.”
Ms Kaur was among more than 100 employees of the major US airline who were trained or hired under the Singapore government’s Career Conversion Programme (CCP). Such a move has allowed Delta to keep up with growing travel demand post-pandemic.
According to a recent report by travel search platform Skyscanner, travel demand is expected to grow up to 15 per cent this year.
This demand, however, has led experts to warn of a lack of manpower in the aviation sector – even as more who made mid-career switches like Ms Kaur have stayed in the industry in recent years.
Workforce Singapore (WSG), a statutory board under the Manpower Ministry, told CNA that more than 4,300 people signed up for the CCP in the sector over the past six years. Nine in 10 are still employed 24 months after embarking on the CCP.
Institutes of higher learning have also reported more students taking aviation-related courses. At the Singapore Institute of Technology, for example, enrolment in its aerospace and aviation courses jumped 20 per cent between 2021 and last year.
WSG’s director of manufacturing and connectivity Anderson Ee said that the CCP can help to address manpower challenges in the sector by bringing in talent from other sectors and improving the skills of current workers.
Through the CCP, companies also have the flexibility to let their employees undergo structured, on-the-job training to take on new and redesigned jobs within the sector, Mr Ee added.
Delta’s engagement centre director, Ms Nirmala Krishnan, said the programme was a big help amid a manpower shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airline does not fly out of Singapore but serves the Asia-Pacific region and the US.
“Coming out of the pandemic, right after that, the travel industry was picking up. We also had a crunch of resources – our manpower was not where it (was) expected to be. We had to hire about 60 per cent more, gradually within the year,” Ms Nirmala said.
“Doing it all by ourselves was nearly impossible, because the platforms that we could reach were not that attractive, and it became much more challenging to recruit the desired talents.”
When Delta came onboard the CCP, it was able to reskill more than 100 employees. It could also tap a broader pool of talent who could speak to customers across the world.
“Going into CCP would give us active jobseekers who were ready to do a conversion from their current role to a new experience,” Ms Nirmala added.
Some industry observers said that to attract new blood, airlines may have to turn to new technologies or other strategies.
Mr Alan Lim, director of Alton Aviation Consultancy, noted that many experienced aviation workers left during the pandemic when travel ground to a halt. These include pilots and technicians, who require several years of training.
Mr Lim said that the aviation sector has been impacted by recent geopolitical events, which has led to elevated fuel and oil prices. Competition has also increased post-pandemic, with major airlines trying to expand their networks and increase capacity.
Over the next two decades, the sector will need about 650,000 new pilots and more than 700,000 new technicians to address growing demand, with 40 per cent of these new requirements coming from the Asia-Pacific region, Mr Lim added.
“There is a very steady and fast-growing demand for manpower in aviation,” he said.
“There is really a big challenge for the industry to try and find different ways to either bring up the supply or at least manage this growth in demand.”
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"When I came in, it was very nerve-racking because I didn't know anything about the aviation side. But they had very good support … and very good team leads, who actually assisted us in the proficiencies in the systems,” the 31-year-old former public servant told CNA.
“Readapting is one thing – being able to be comfortable in a new environment is another.”
Ms Kaur was among more than 100 employees of the major US airline who were trained or hired under the Singapore government’s Career Conversion Programme (CCP). Such a move has allowed Delta to keep up with growing travel demand post-pandemic.
According to a recent report by travel search platform Skyscanner, travel demand is expected to grow up to 15 per cent this year.
This demand, however, has led experts to warn of a lack of manpower in the aviation sector – even as more who made mid-career switches like Ms Kaur have stayed in the industry in recent years.
Workforce Singapore (WSG), a statutory board under the Manpower Ministry, told CNA that more than 4,300 people signed up for the CCP in the sector over the past six years. Nine in 10 are still employed 24 months after embarking on the CCP.
Institutes of higher learning have also reported more students taking aviation-related courses. At the Singapore Institute of Technology, for example, enrolment in its aerospace and aviation courses jumped 20 per cent between 2021 and last year.
STAFF CAN ALSO RESKILL
WSG’s director of manufacturing and connectivity Anderson Ee said that the CCP can help to address manpower challenges in the sector by bringing in talent from other sectors and improving the skills of current workers.
Through the CCP, companies also have the flexibility to let their employees undergo structured, on-the-job training to take on new and redesigned jobs within the sector, Mr Ee added.
Delta’s engagement centre director, Ms Nirmala Krishnan, said the programme was a big help amid a manpower shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airline does not fly out of Singapore but serves the Asia-Pacific region and the US.
“Coming out of the pandemic, right after that, the travel industry was picking up. We also had a crunch of resources – our manpower was not where it (was) expected to be. We had to hire about 60 per cent more, gradually within the year,” Ms Nirmala said.
“Doing it all by ourselves was nearly impossible, because the platforms that we could reach were not that attractive, and it became much more challenging to recruit the desired talents.”
When Delta came onboard the CCP, it was able to reskill more than 100 employees. It could also tap a broader pool of talent who could speak to customers across the world.
“Going into CCP would give us active jobseekers who were ready to do a conversion from their current role to a new experience,” Ms Nirmala added.
Related:
MORE COMPETITION IN AVIATION
Some industry observers said that to attract new blood, airlines may have to turn to new technologies or other strategies.
Mr Alan Lim, director of Alton Aviation Consultancy, noted that many experienced aviation workers left during the pandemic when travel ground to a halt. These include pilots and technicians, who require several years of training.
Mr Lim said that the aviation sector has been impacted by recent geopolitical events, which has led to elevated fuel and oil prices. Competition has also increased post-pandemic, with major airlines trying to expand their networks and increase capacity.
Over the next two decades, the sector will need about 650,000 new pilots and more than 700,000 new technicians to address growing demand, with 40 per cent of these new requirements coming from the Asia-Pacific region, Mr Lim added.
“There is a very steady and fast-growing demand for manpower in aviation,” he said.
“There is really a big challenge for the industry to try and find different ways to either bring up the supply or at least manage this growth in demand.”
Continue reading...