Under the partnership with a tech company, The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central will set up its first AI training facility, equipped with a supercomputing platform that is used for the development of AI applications. Close to 400 ITE students will be trained to apply and integrate AI systems. Students will work with companies to develop AI solutions to address business needs. This will provide ITE students with “a suite of AI capabilities.
Students will be exposed to skillsets in computer vision, pattern recognition and data analytics, and trained to support AI applications in predictive maintenance, industrial inspection and video analytics. They will be equipped with industry experience in implementing AI systems, which are crucial to Singapore’s goal of transforming its economy with technology by 2030.
– Chan Chun Sing, Minister of Education
The partnership is expected to benefit up to about 2,000 students in the next three years. Under the AI Workforce Readiness Programme, these students will meet the growing demand for skilled workers to adopt AI systems. A wide spectrum of skill sets and job roles are necessary to achieve Singapore’s national AI strategy, which “cannot be fulfilled by a single pipeline of university graduates.
These range from “tech-heavy roles” focused on more complex functions and innovation to jobs that operate AI, such as digital marketing executives, where skills such as data analytics are important. There is a growing range of job roles required to deploy and integrate AI systems. Examples include business analysts and AI translators, user experience designers, quality assurance managers and marketing analysts.
Students under the programme can add value to ITE’s local industry partners in sectors such as engineering, logistics, retail and manufacturing – industries well-placed for AI adoption. Under the agreement, ITE will also launch its first AI training facility equipped with the tech company’s supercomputing platform by the first quarter of this year. The computing platform will help to enable the fast development, deployment and enhancement of AI models for innovations such as driverless cars and cyber security.
The institute is looking to help more than 4,500 companies offering internships to ITE students and another 450 companies taking on ITE trainees to tap AI-enabled solutions from the company’s network of local start-ups. Students under the programme will be involved in the development process and apply their AI skills in a real-world context, while staff at these companies will be trained to manage these AI applications.
As reported by OpenGov Asia, Students at Temasek Polytechnic are using Virtual Reality (VR) technology to have virtual field trips. Aspiring aerospace engineers can hone their practical skills by getting up close and personal with virtual plane engines. The pandemic has challenged polytechnics to find new ways of providing practical skills. They have responded by adopting new tech tools for immersive learning, like using VR to give aerospace engineering students a hands-on experience.
Students can use VR to take part in virtual field trips, enabling them to have up-close experiences with training equipment. For example, aerospace engineering students can use the technology to perform maintenance on the aircraft landing gear and fuel systems. They also learn how to start an engine from the rest using VR. The tool can be useful for students who need access to training equipment that is expensive or unavailable.
Educational institutions are not letting the pandemic get in the way of developing hands-on skills. VR technology is enabling students to get up close and personal with training equipment, while lecturers learn how to support students in real-time with data analytics.
