Brother Chee Weng, CEO, Singapore Pools,
Brother Jeremy Ong, CEO, NTUC LearningHub,
Brother Andy Lim, Fellow CC Member,
Sisters and Brothers,
A very good morning to all of you.
I am delighted to join everyone today for the launch of ‘AI for Everyone’ programme and the signing of the MOU between Singapore Pools and NTUC LearningHub.
Earlier, we heard a concise overview of the work that NTUC and our unions do, but we operate in an environment of our country as one of three parts that formulate a certain competitive edge in Singapore’s success. The tripartite partnership has to do with good employers, unions, and our Government.
When NTUC was formed in 1961, the country was mired with all kinds of challenges. If there were opportunities, many of our forefathers saw a very small ‘o’ in ‘opportunities’ but huge challenges.
AI and Its Impact on our Workers and Workforce
Today in the AI age, we are on a completely different platform. While there are challenges, we are looking at these challenges in tandem with great opportunities. Especially if you look at the state of Singapore’s economy after 61 years. In spite of the tumultuous last three years with tariffs and wars, Singapore managed to grow.
So, when we look at AI today, I’m glad that tripartite partners, including Singapore Pools as an employer, is looking to embrace AI technologies, with a view towards opportunities. Even as we address the challenges that may arise in transition, we must ensure that we can ride on this technology for economic growth.
To say simply, for companies, if a business strategist were to look at it, the technology of AI would be an enabler. But from a worker’s perspective, workers are looking at AI with great trepidation, and that AI will likely that away their jobs and their livelihood. But in Singapore, we should not and must not allow that to happen. We must do what we are doing today through this MOU and as a collection of all our endeavours as a society to empower workers.
So that workers can take personal responsibility, to upskill and keep themselves relevant, and institutions can come together to be the engine to nudge and support workers to move forward in this journey. Whether it is Singapore Pools, NTUC LearningHub, NTUC or any other company, we must make the collective effort to move forward together so that Singaporeans know that they have a fair deal when Singapore goes to the next chapter of economic growth.
After all, NTUC has a very simple motto — we want to better lives and livelihoods (for our workers). And using these AI technologies, it must serve the people. It must create better business paradigms for companies and it must drive Singapore towards new heights.
I am glad that Singapore Pools have stepped forward in an increasingly AI dominated world to help workers be better equipped, stay relevant, ready them to adapt to new workforce changes and have the confidence to seize opportunities even if they are anxious about potential job displacements. If workers are equipped with skills, workers themselves will benefit; organisations too will benefit from the collective productivity gains of individuals. We must use AI to ensure responsible gains.
NTUC recognised the advent of AI some years back. In 2015 when there was robotic process automation — or Industry 4.0 — to ready the new technologies. We consolidated most of the Industry 4.0 age and the current AI age, to move AI-Ready SG as a key NTUC initiative this year.
Our aim is to help workers understand, adapt, and benefit from AI so that all of us can remain competitive in our fast-changing economy, and making sure they are confident to access and apply AI practically so all of us can be relevant and have that competitive edge.
AI for Everyone: MOU Signing with Singapore Pools and NTUC LHUB
This morning’s launch of the ‘AI for Everyone’ programme is a key example of what we have started to do with AI-Ready SG, and it’s the vision in action. It reflects the important principle to access AI and all the opportunities should not be limited to a few of us, but we should take every action to ensure that every worker has the access to opportunities and resources, and very importantly the support to explore how AI can help in our individual endeavours and jobs.
This partnership today also complements our Government’s efforts to encourage innovation across the charity and social services sector. Under this MOU, more than 1000 Singapore Pools employees will undergo AI training, provided by NTUC LearningHub. Through this programme, employees, regardless of various AI literacy skills, will learn to apply AI responsibly and effectively in their work.
What makes today’s initiative especially impactful is that Singapore Pools is going beyond your own workforce. I am happy to say that with support from NTUC LearningHub and The Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers' Union (SMMWU), Singapore Pools will bring your charity partners along. More than 300 employees from these charity partners and social service organisations will be able to participate in the AI courses organised by NTUC LearningHub, at no cost.
And these courses will be tailored to different levels of AI proficiency. It does not matter if you are a beginner or if you are going deeper into specific agentic spaces to really drive your productivity and efficiency. For our Sisters and Brothers in this sector, I hope this can mean spending less time doing routine tasks, and spending more time serving our beneficiaries. As we become a mature society, we have an ageing population with everyday needs, and I thank you for coming together with all of us to strengthen this potential community impact.
I believe that what we are doing will not stop here at this event. Going back to our families, going back to colleagues, we can do our part. When one of us learns AI, we help to propagate to reduce the anxieties and hurdles and encourage fellow workers and family members to get into the AI wave. So that they know from you — as a trusted friend and family member, that AI can work for me and AI is critical for the future and that it can do tremendous good.
Let’s dream, let’s dare and let’s do. And let’s do it for our fellow Singaporeans.
In closing, let me once again say my thanks to the whole team at Singapore Pools – for partnering charity organisations, including NTUC, to push frontiers, to serve Singaporeans. Thank you very much for the good work, and to all my union Brothers and Sisters, NTUC LearningHub — let’s keep at it, to dream, dare, do.
With AI, Singapore can break out of the existing economic paradigm, leverage these technologies to bring us on the new ‘S’ curve of development, so that we can enjoy better lives and livelihoods and set new foundations for our country’s success.
Thank you.
