KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): "This is the perfect time for the staff to reinvent themselves," says Captain Izham Ismail, group chief executive officer of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), which includes Malaysia Airlines Bhd, as the Covid-19 pandemic, which shows little sign of ebbing, forces some airlines to halt operations.

In a statement by Malaysia Airlines today, Izham said it is important for MAG to prepare its workforce with new skill sets to become more efficient in their current roles or shift into emerging positions to support MAG's business goals.

Malaysia Airlines had recently introduced its upskilling and reskilling programme, which is open to more than 2,000 employees, including pilots, cabin crew and other front-line community, who are affected by the airline’s current reduced network and operational capacity, said the statement.

Malaysia Airlines said most importantly, the programme enables employees to lend their expertise and services to support the long-term business sustainability of the company, and explore new avenues to grow and develop their potential in MAG.

"Subject to approval, [this] group of employees will be temporarily re-assigned to support other departments that require workforce for critical roles or job functions resulting from the constrained workforce due to added deliverables and attrition,” the airline said.

According to Malaysia Airlines, the new normal resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalisation adoption, whereby employees lacking in technology skills would find it difficult to survive in the digital era. 

"Recognising the need for a robust, agile and digital workforce, the airline is pushing to strengthen its focus by leveraging on technology,” it said.