REALISTIC, RELEVANT TRAINING FOR NEW GENERATION OF SAILORS

To gain an understanding of the capabilities of a military force, one must always look at the source of the troop's training - the training schools - where it all begins for every serviceman, to learn the principles and values, and the capabilities required of every serviceman.

Senior Minister of State for Defence Dr Mohamad Maliki bin Osman said this after his visit to the Maritime Training and Doctrine Command (MTDC) on 1 Dec. Located in RSS Panglima in Changi Naval Base, the MTDC is a centralised training centre for the sailors of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).

During the half-day visit, Dr Maliki toured the various training and teaching facilities in the MTDC, which included Smart Classrooms, simulators and replicas of systems in the platforms.

"We wanted to give Dr Maliki a good sense of the Navy's training system and what goes on during training. We also wanted to let him know that we place heavy emphasis on ensuring that our training system is responsive to the latest requirements" explained Commander MTDC Colonel (COL) Gerald Heng.

Smart classrooms, smarter sailors

This was evident in the Smart Classroom, where Dr Maliki observed new sailors learning about RSN ships through a game. A question was flashed on the board, and trainees had to key their answers into their individual tablets, all of which were linked. The fastest and most accurate answers earned them the most points.

"We try to keep up with the latest pedagogy that our trainee sailors might be used to. They spent about 13 to14 years in the Singapore education system. When they come into the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces), we need to make sure that the way we train them is in line with the methods and environments that they are familiar with," said COL Heng.

The class was part of the first batch of MTDC trainees to make use of LEARNet Portal 2.0 (LEARNet 2), the SAF's next generation Internet-based learning platform. In addition to the interactive mode of teaching, course material is also available to the trainees through e-learning.

Although only three weeks into the course, MTDC instructor Military Expert 3 (ME3) Chua Yee Wah already noticed the benefits it brought to the trainees.

She said: "LEARNet 2 gives the trainees more chances to learn at their own pace. Different trainees have different learning methods, and some might need more time (to learn). With e-learning, they can access their lessons anytime - not just in the base, but at home as well."

Added ME3 Chua, who was part of the team that revised the old curriculum to suit the new learning platform: "It has helped shorten our training hours so that we can spend more time on practical lessons. It has also given them (the trainees) more ownership of their learning."

Simulator training

During his visit, Dr Maliki viewed the MTDC's various training simulators, such as the Missile Corvette Combat Simulation Trainer, Full Mission Shiphandling Simulator and Damage Control Trainer.

At the Damage Control Trainer, Dr Maliki watched trainees contain the flooding of a ship in a simulated scenario.

He said: "I think realism is critical in simulation training, so that at some point in time, you don't feel that you are in a simulator (anymore). Kudos to the engineers who created those systems that allow us to bring that level of fidelity.

"That's really the essence of a good training school: to be able to provide the best training for every trainee, so that when the trainee goes out, he or she is able to apply the skills as well as the knowledge that have been acquired through the training programme."

He added: "Human resource is critical. We must make sure that every personnel we have is equipped, and the potential that he or she has is harnessed to the fullest."