The business wants all employees in Singapore to be trained in AI
Telecommunications firm Singtel has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union of Telecoms Employees of Singapore (UTES) as part of its push to train all its employees in AI.
Singtel signed the MoU on its Company Training Committee with UTES this week. The renewed agreement will focus on:
- Accelerating employee upskilling to build AI, emerging tech, sustainability, and power skills
- Empowering employees in co-creating their own learning pathways through a skills-first approach
- Transforming employee roles to ensure a future-ready workforce
Singtel has more than 13,000 employees in Singapore, according to its website. The telecom wants all of these workers to be AI-trained, with 3,000 as AI practitioners and 300 as AI specialists.
So far, 95% of employees have already undergone a comprehensive programme to train them with foundational AI knowledge in areas such as generative AI, data analytics, and responsible AI use, according to Singtel.
"To be truly AI-ready, we're putting skills first, empowering our people to build the critical capabilities they need, with technology as their trusted co-pilot," said Singtel Group CEO Yuen Kuan Moon in a statement.
"By learning how to make the most of AI, our people will be able to seize new opportunities with confidence, make smarter decisions and play a leading role in driving sustainable growth for the business and for themselves."
Singtel's renewed MoU builds on previous efforts between the company and the UTES, which includes a S$45-million investment in 2019 to deepen the digital skills of employees.
The telecom also announced in 2022 an annual investment of S$20 million to intensify employee training efforts. It also launched Singtel 8George, a learning academy for employees across all levels to develop relevant skills.
These initiatives come as an Indeed report revealed that Singaporeans prefer employers who offer AI training, with 77% saying they want or would want more training in the next two to five years.
