Senior Minister of State for Transport, Dr Janil Puthucheary launched the Certification for Technical Specialist (Bus) (CTS) at the Bus Technical Specialist Certification Centre (BTSCC) today. These initiatives by the Singapore Bus Academy support the implementation of the Land Transport Industry Transformation Map introduced in February 2018 and the Skills Framework for Public Transport introduced in May 2018, with the aim of upskilling our bus workforce in the long run.

Certification for Technical Specialist (Bus) & Chartership for Bus Engineers

2     The CTS is conferred by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Institution of Engineers Singapore (IES), to benchmark the competencies of our bus technical professionals. More than 900 bus technicians and engineers in the public bus sector will be recognised under this new CTS framework.

3     Bus technicians can be certified under three levels of expertise — Technical Specialist, Senior Technical Specialist and Master Technical Specialist. Upon meeting the prerequisites at each level, the technicians will have to pass a two-stage test which comprises multiple-choice questions and practical tasks related to the seven bus systems^[1] (Refer to Annex A for more details).

4     For a start, LTA will conduct this certification twice a year. The first applicants of the CTS are 19 technicians from four public bus operators, who were conferred the Technical Specialist certifications at the ceremony today.

5     To ensure the relevance of the assessment and to prepare candidates for the certification, the Singapore Bus Academy has set up an Expert Panel comprising representatives from the public bus operators and various industry stakeholders^[2] to define industry standards, develop the assessment and preparatory course materials, including an e-learning platform and consultation sessions with CTS assessors.

6     Bus engineers can also have their competence and experience recognised in the transportation sector through the Chartered Engineer (Singapore) Registry programme administered by IES.

Bus Technical Specialist Certification Centre

7     To support the training needs of these bus technical specialists, the Singapore Bus Academy has expanded their training facilities^[3] by setting up the BTSCC at the Ulu Pandan Bus Depot. BTSCC offers a conducive environment for technical training and certification, with specialised training facilities that use innovative technologies such as augmented reality and tablet devices to provide an interactive learning experience (Refer to Annex B for more details).

8     With comprehensive training facilities like BTSCC, the Singapore Bus Academy has created opportunities for our bus technicians’ training to go beyond classroom-based programmes. This will ensure that their skills remain relevant as they prepare for future developments such as electric and autonomous buses.

Automotive Technology for Bus Technicians (Bridging Programme)

9     To provide new technicians with a head start in their careers, the Singapore Bus Academy has partnered the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to design a five-day bridging programme “Automotive Technology for Bus Technicians” that will prepare participants with foundational knowledge before they deepen their technical skills through on-the-job training. A training subsidy is available for eligible participants under the Place & Train Programme supported by the Employment & Employability Institute.

10     The first session of the bridging programme was held in June 2018 and attended by 14 participants from Go-Ahead Singapore, SBS Transit, SMRT Buses and Woodlands Transport Services, who said they found the programme useful in enhancing their foundational knowledge of the key bus systems. 

ANNEX A – Certification for Technical Specialist (Bus)

ANNEX B – Bus Technical Specialist Certification Centre (BTSCC)

ANNEX C – Singapore Bus Academy (SGBA)

Factsheet