AI Workforce Readiness Programme to train students through real-world AI projects
The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and global technology firm NVIDIA have entered a three-year partnership to collaborate in enhancing AI training for ITE students, through a jointly developed AI Workforce Readiness Programme.
This involves the establishment of an AI training facility at ITE College Central, which hosts NVIDIA’s supercomputing platform[1]. Called AiTE, it serves as a living lab where students can work with companies to co-develop AI solutions which address business needs. This will be the first facility at ITE which enables
students to work directly on real-world AI projects.
Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing officiated the launch of the AI Workforce Readiness Programme at ITE College Central today, where he also viewed a showcase of NVIDIApowered AI applications which support students’ learning (see Annex A).
Building AI Capabilities and Talents
Besides nurturing young AI talents, the AI Workforce Readiness Programme aims to drive the adoption of AI among companies in Singapore and create related job opportunities. Through the Programme, companies can use AiTE to explore and develop AI solutions
that meet their digitalisation needs. Students from ITE’s AI-related courses will have the opportunity to participate in such industry projects and play an active role in areas such as data collection and annotation for AI model training.
NVIDIA will also be training ITE lecturers as its certified instructors, who will in turn deliver NVIDIA’s AI curriculum to students. Close to 400 students will benefit from the partnership each year.
Ms Low Khah Gek, Chief Executive Officer of ITE, said, “AI is a key driver of Singapore’s digital economy and Smart Nation vision. More companies are also seeking to reap gains in productivity through AI. With the strong push towards AI,
there is a strong demand for skilled AI talents. What is special about this partnership is that it allows our students to hone their skills through real-world AI projects, while supporting businesses in the adoption of AI. This reinforces our
efforts to equip students with skills that are relevant to industry needs.”
Mr Dennis Ang, Senior Director, Enterprise Business, SEA and ANZ Region, NVIDIA Worldwide Field Operations, said, “AI is a once-in-a-generation technology that is transforming industries around the world. As a leader in this space
through GPU accelerated computing, NVIDIA will work closely with ITE to share and transfer knowledge, advance AI curriculum, and prepare the workforce of tomorrow for Singapore.”
[1] Capable of processing data and performing
complex calculations at high speeds, supercomputers are widely used for the development of AI applications.
Annex A
AI Showcase at Launch of Workforce Readiness Programme
| Title | Description |
Automated Student
Interview Training
System | In this showcase, students go through a practice interview, which is captured by a webcam.
Based on the video and audio feed, the system uses natural language processing and video analytics to analyse students’:
- Verbal responses to the interview questions
- Facial expressions when responding to the interview questions
It then provides feedback to the students on how they could improve the delivery of their responses, demonstrating how AI is used to help students perform better at interviews. |
Automatic Video
Analytics Training
System | In this showcase, students perform tasks, such as the assembly and disassembly of a desktop computer. Head-mounted cameras capture all the actions performed by the students.
Video analytics then detect if the students
adopted the correct procedures in completing the task, and score the students’ performance based on a set of marking rubrics.
With this system, lecturers will not need to manually assess every student’s
work during a training session. Lecturers can also use video playback to provide more detailed feedback to their students on areas for improvement.
This demonstrates how AI is used to improve marking efficiency, as
well as reinforcing learning for students. |
Hands-On Gate
Valve Maintenance | In this showcase, students perform a task and their actions are recorded and analysed. The example used is the maintenance of a gate valve, which controls or reroutes water flow through a pipeline.
The actions performed
by students will be captured by surrounding cameras and video analytics then detect if the students have adopted the right procedures and tools in identifying and rectifying issues in the gate valve.
This demonstrates
another example of how AI is used to enhance training and assessment of students in the practical application of skills. |