Singapore Maritime Foundation outlines key skills for maritime sector's future readiness

SMF categorises maritime workforce skills into three types.

The Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) released the Tripartite Advisory Panel (TAP) report for the Future-ready Maritime Workforce outlining necessary maritime workforce skills, transformation strategies, and Singapore’s role in digitalisation and decarbonisation.

The report categorises maritime workforce skills into three types: domain skills, digital skills, and soft skills. There are also enduring skills and emerging skills that the maritime workforce should adapt to amidst rapid industry changes.

The report also outlines three main strategies to prepare the workforce for industry needs, which include integrating practical training into revamped maritime education programmes, enhancing sea-to-shore transitions and reviewing HR policies to create multiple career pathways and support talents, and enhancing outreach efforts towards students and non-maritime professionals to attract new talent.

In addition, the TAP suggested the creation of a “Hub for Future Skills” to initiate collaboration aimed at preparing the workforce for change by providing pre-employment training (PET), continuous education training (CET), and a career conversation programme.

“Fundamentally, sustainable, and substantive workforce transformation requires an ecosystem-wide approach. That many leaders from across the industry, the union, higher education, and the technology sector willingly and generously came forward to contribute to the Tripartite Advisory Panel augurs well and is an affirmation of the cohesiveness of Maritime Singapore. This cohesiveness provides an excellent springboard for the way forward,” Hor Weng Yew, chairman of the Singapore Maritime Foundation, said.