Pacific International Lines
(PIL) has launched
recently its learning and development centre of excellence, the PIL Academy, to provide training in maritime and
transport logistics for all its employees. The academy aims to strengthen
workforce capabilities and future proof careers. It will collaborate with
organisations and technology partners to develop a holistic curriculum with
accredited courses that will benefit the company and industry.
Officiating the launch of the
PIL Academy as the Guest of Honour was Mr Chee Hong Tat, Singapore’s Minister
for Transport and 2nd Minister for Finance, together with PIL’s Executive
Chairman Mr S.S. Teo, and CEO, Mr Lars Kastrup.
Minister Chee said, “Singapore aims to be a
global hub for maritime talent development, leveraging on our strong tripartite
partnership between the government, industry and unions. As the global maritime
industry embraces new challenges such as digitalisation and decarbonisation,
Maritime Singapore must continue to upskill and reskill our workforce so that
workers can remain relevant and competitive. The PIL Academy is an important
step forward to achieve Maritime Singapore’s goal of developing a future-ready
workforce.”
As the 12th largest shipping
carrier in the world and Southeast Asia’s largest homegrown liner, PIL employs
around 8,000 employees including 4,000 seafarers around the world. The academy
aims to provide structured and customised training to all its employees, taking
into account their diverse backgrounds and varied training needs. This will not
only enhance the capabilities of the company for the long-term but also
contribute to growing the industry’s competencies.
The holistic curriculum ranges
from technical courses in fleet and vessel operations; safety, quality and
productivity; maritime, finance and commercial; sustainability and
decarbonisation to softer skills in leadership, innovation and communications.
Lars Kastrup, CEO of PIL said, “The PIL Academy is part of
our people-centric and future-focused commitment to invest in the training and
development of our employees. PIL is focussed on the upskilling, career
development and international mobility of our employees, as well as supporting
sea-to-shore career progression.
“We aim to enhance their
capabilities and future proof their careers, while ensuring we have business
sustainability, increased productivity and innovation at PIL. As PIL transforms
into a stronger, more efficient, innovative, sustainable, and future ready
organisation, we are empowering our employees to propel the company ahead
through PIL Academy’s structured and comprehensive programmes.
“The PIL Academy will also
support our Management Associate Programme and provide a smooth integration of
new talents into the company in Singapore and abroad.”
PIL Academy Partnerships
As a start, PIL Academy has
signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) to enhance the skills of its
workforce, cultivate maritime collaboration and develop training expertise.
It signed an industry-first
MOU with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) to jointly develop
micro-credentials for the Competency-based Stackable Micro-credential (CSM)
pathway for PIL employees.
To harness digital learning, PIL
Academy is partnering with JobKred, a skills management software company,
to automate skills planning, talent agility and capability deployment. With
technology-based learning, employees have the flexibility to learn at their own
pace while juggling work commitments.
In addition, PIL Academy will
offer bespoke diplomas in maritime studies through their MOU with the Maritime
Training Academy, an international leader in supplying distance-learning marine
diplomas. The collaboration will enable students to choose from a diverse
portfolio of short maritime courses developed by experts in their field.
Dr Victor Goh, Dean of the PIL
Academy, said,
“We aim to provide a smart learning environment and foster a culture of
learning that excites employees in their skills development. Our systematic
approach will enable employees to have a common baseline of skills and
knowledge, which helps ensure a consistent and high-quality performance across
the company. In addition, the academy provides a variety of pathways for our
staff to grow their career and excel in the maritime transport and logistics
sectors.”
The PIL Academy is an
essential pillar for the growth of the company, providing flexible learning for
employees with competency-based courses; leveraging technology to track, retain
and develop talents; creating smart learning environments; and championing
innovation.