Surbana Jurong, one of the largest Asia-based urban, infrastructure and management services consulting firms, together with the Building Construction And Timber Industries Employees’ Union (BATU), has committed to equip 630 employees in Singapore with digital skills in line with key focus areas set out in the Construction Industry Transformation Map. This commitment was sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding signed today, witnessed by National Trades Union Congress Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, to form a Company Training Committee (CTC) as the key vehicle to drive further upskilling efforts in the company.

Through the CTC, employees will be equipped with advanced industry-specific technology skills in the areas of design, construction and site inspection which they will immediately apply in current or near-term projects. Training places will also be set aside specifically for new employees, to enable them to get up to speed with the latest industry technologies. Training will also be stepped up for more employees to embrace and adopt new digital tools that will enable more productive and safer work environments for employees.

Upskilling multi-disciplinary urban planners
In 2016, Surbana Jurong set up a Digital Management Office to accelerate its digitalisation journey to further improve productivity among its Singapore workforce, attract talent and build capabilities as part of the group’s growth. Specifically, the Office is tasked to speed up the development and deployment of advanced technologies such as End to End Building Information Modelling (BIM), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and drone capabilities.  Today, with a Singapore consultancy workforce of 3,900, Surbana Jurong’s enhanced digitalisation efforts is further strengthening the foundation for the group’s competitive advantage as a leading consultancy that provides best-in-class solutions that cover the entire project life cycle from planning and design through to delivery and management.

The CTC formed today is part of the next phase of Surbana Jurong’s digitalisation journey, and aims to be a key vehicle to develop a skilled and competent workforce in Singapore that supports the vision of the Construction Industry Transformation Map. Co-driven by BATU and with support from NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and NTUC LearningHub, training will be accelerated to Surbana Jurong’s Singapore workforce starting with equipping 630 employees through the following initiatives:

Digitally-ready: Embracing new ways of work
• Curate relevant adaptive and technological skill sets for Surbana Jurong employees to help them embrace technology as an enabler for work and to adapt to an increasingly digitalised workplace.
• Develop mentorship programmes to help mentors learn how to guide employees, and subsequently coach them as they apply their new-found skills in the course of work.

Digitally-savvy: Keeping up with industry transformation
• Identify and ensure all new and existing relevant technical staff are trained in 3D BIM, in particular those with project or industry-specific requirements
• Roll out training of site supervision employees in the use of a proprietary digital tool called AUDIANCE, to facilitate data collection and inspections on site. In time, AUDIANCE will be the main platform for such employees in their course of work, thereby greatly improving productivity and ensure safer working environment.
• Expand training of employees in the use of drones, as part of efforts by Surbana Jurong to seek accreditation as an authorised training centre for drones in Singapore

Digitally-advanced: Becoming next-gen urban planners and consultants
• Upgrade and increase computational training of existing BIM users to further augment their capabilities in using advanced BIM tools to engage in complex geometric and complicated models.

To ensure successful outcomes of the CTC, BATU will leverage its strength in mobilising workers on the ground and facilitate two-way feedback from employees during and after their training. In this way, training content and delivery will be continually fine-tuned according to the needs and competency levels of employees. BATU will also work with management to ensure that their training is applied to good use in current or upcoming projects, with mentorship provided by experienced colleagues where necessary.

Mr Wong Heang Fine, Group CEO of Surbana Jurong said, "Surbana Jurong’s core competencies are in helping our clients tackle increasingly complex challenges in urban and infrastructure developments. We therefore need to employ the latest and most advanced digital technologies to better serve them.  Since early on, we have decided on a people-centric approach in our adoption of digital technologies by placing emphasis on inculcating in our workforce a culture of innovation. We are happy that BATU has invited us to form this Company Training Committee, which will contribute significantly towards supporting our efforts to prepare our Singapore workforce for a transition to the digital world.  In particular, we are working to adopt the Integrated Digital Delivery process in support of the Industry Transformation Map for the Singapore construction industry. Over the longer term, as a leading urban and infrastructure consultancy group in Singapore, Surbana Jurong aspires to be a key contributor to the overall upskilling in digitalisation in our industry in Singapore.”

Mr Zainal Sapari, Executive Secretary of BATU, said, “We are pleased to partner Surbana Jurong to reap the benefits of higher productivity and efficiencies through digitalisation. We at BATU are committed to walk this journey with our workers. Firstly, by helping them visualise the potential of such transformation sweeping across the construction sector. Secondly, by equipping them with adaptive skills especially in change management that not only complements their mastery of new technologies but also empowers them to become agents of change within the company. And thirdly, to ultimately enable them to move up the value chain and seize better wages, welfare and work prospects.”

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