TUM Asia Partners with SBS Transit to Boost Training in Land Transport

21 August 2023

The MOU was signed at the North East Line Depot between SBS Transit’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jeffrey Sim (seated from left) and Technical University of Munich Asia, Managing Director, Dr Markus Wächter (seated on right). This was witnessed by National Transport Workers’ Union, Executive Secretary, Mr Melvin Yong, (standing on left), and German Ambassador to Singapore, His Excellency Dr Norbert Riedel (standing on right).   

Monday, 21 August 2023 – The Technical University of Munich (TUM) Asia, the first overseas campus of one of Europe’s leading technical universities based in Singapore, and SBS Transit signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today, formalising the partnership to build a robust talent pipeline and elevate training competencies for the land transport industry.

As part of the collaboration, SBS Transit will provide internship opportunities to TUM Asia students specialising in transport-related courses, including degree and master’s programmes. This will enable them to apply their academic knowledge to practical industry scenarios and gain real-world experience. In addition, SBS Transit will facilitate thesis research opportunities for TUM Asia’s master’s programme students. TUM Asia students and employees will also have the opportunity to take up attachments and learning journeys with SBS Transit to keep abreast of the current land transport industry practices in Singapore.

Central to the MOU is the development of industry certification programmes. TUM Asia and SBS Transit will collaborate closely to design and develop certification courses aligned with the industry’s accreditation needs in transport operations and engineering. TUM Asia will offer consultancy services to SBS Transit for these certifications by providing the industry’s best practices in the areas such as public transportation planning, traffic engineering, and trackwork.

To stay ahead of the emerging trends and challenges in the land transport industry, TUM Asia and SBS Transit will co-develop courses designed for local and international dissemination. These courses will equip public transport operators with the best industry practices, methodologies and latest technologies to enhance their capabilities in the land transport industry.

Dr. Markus Wächter, Managing Director of TUM Asia, said, ”This MOU will cultivate more opportunities for collaborations between TUM Asia and SBS Transit through academic knowledge transfer, industry practices, talent mobility and business connectivity within Singapore as well as in the European region. We hope to boost the industry capability and growth of talent pool in the land-transport field globally by enabling our youth to access the opportunities the region has to offer and contribute their knowledge and expertise in making a tangible impact in the land-transport industry.”

Mr Jeffrey Sim, Group Chief Executive Officer, SBS Transit, said: “We believe that cultivating a strong talent pool is paramount to driving the future of public transportation. This collaboration with TUM Asia is part of our commitment to boost the land transport industry capabilities through our company training committee, established with the National Transport Workers’ Union, where we foster the growth of talents who will shape the future of public transportation.”

About TUM Asia: 

Technical University of Munich (TUM) was founded in 1868 and is the top university in Germany as ranked by QS World Ranking 2023, Times Higher Education 2022, and Shanghai Ranking 2022. Known as one of Europe’s leading technical universities, TUM strives to create sustainable solutions for society through excellence in education and research. 18 TUM professors and alumni have also been awarded the Nobel Prize since 1927. Through TUM’s unwavering commitment to the betterment of society, TUM Asia was set up in 2002 as the first academic branch campus of any German university. TUM Asia offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees conferred by TUM and other universities in Singapore. Additionally, TUM Asia now offers a new suite of Executive Education courses in areas such as Industrie 4.0 and Precision Engineering.

As the first German academic venture abroad, TUM Asia is supported by the Singapore Government through the Economic Development Board (EDB), and by the German Government through the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

To know more, visit https://tum-asia.edu.sg 

About SBS Transit

SBS Transit is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore. It runs the North East Line, which is the world’s first automated, underground heavy metro system, and also the Downtown Line, which is currently the longest underground MRT line in Singapore. In total, it operates 78 stations with 192 trains running on 83 track-km, including the Sengkang-Punggol Light Rail Transit Systems. An established public bus operator, it is also the biggest and most experienced with a fleet of more than 3,000 buses running some 220 bus routes. Every day, SBS Transit carries more than three million passenger trips (pre-COVID) on its network of buses and trains. It is a member of the ComfortDelGro Group, which is one of the world’s leading land transport companies. For more information, please visit www.sbstransit.com.sg

For further information, please contact: 

Chia Peifen

Assistant Manager, Office of Marketing and Communications

DID: 6777 7407 ext. 116

Mobile: 9450 7787

Email: peifen.chia@tum-asia.edu.sg