Certis and Singapore University of Technology and Design Forge Strategic Partnership to Accelerate AI Literacy & Professional Growth

11 Oct 2024

Three-tier AI literacy programme aims to upskill 5,000 professionals by end 2027, including 2,000 Certis managers and security supervisors over the next year

In a pivotal move for Singapore’s security industry, Certis and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) have joined forces to enhance AI literacy and digital mastery, equipping security professionals and frontline personnel with the latest digital skills required to excel in today’s fast-evolving work environment.

The joint Certis-SUTD AI Literacy Programme was officially launched by Minister of State (MOS) for Education and Manpower, Ms Gan Siow Huang – alongside Mr Paul Chong, President and Group CEO of Certis; Dr Jaclyn Lee, Certis’ Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Executive of Certis Corporate University; Prof Lim Seh Chun, Acting Provost of SUTD; and Mr John Leong, Director of SUTD Academy – at a launch ceremony held at Certis today.

In line with the most recent launch of Smart Nation 2.0, this collaboration sets the stage for empowering professionals in the security sector, by co-developing an AI literacy roadmap catered towards enhancing the skillset of the entire workforce, from entry-level roles to senior management. With AI rapidly transforming workplaces, this initiative will ensure that all executives, managers, and operational supervisors are not only prepared for, but can also thrive in, today’s digital-first environment.

Officiating the launch of the programme as Guest-of-Honour, MOS Gan commended Certis and SUTD for embarking on the partnership: “Through this partnership, Certis and SUTD are leveraging each other’s strengths to co-design and deliver AI literacy courses for security professionals, beginning with Certis employees. This initiative complements our broader efforts to prepare Singaporeans for the changing nature of work, and I commend Certis and SUTD for pioneering this collaboration. I look forward to seeing its positive impact on levelling up the AI literacy and digital competency of the security sector.”

Unlocking Employee Potential through AI
At the heart of this partnership is the belief that AI is not just a tool, but a key enabler of employee growth and development. For Certis staff, the integration of AI into their daily roles will bring a significant shift from performing repetitive, manual tasks to focusing on higher-level problem-solving, decision-making, and innovation. By leveraging AI tools, employees will enhance their productivity and unlock new opportunities for career development.

The partnership will roll out a three-tiered digital literacy framework, comprising Digital Discovery, Digital Mastery, and Digital Expertise. These programmes will ensure a wide spectrum of learning, from basic AI understanding to advanced applications, allowing employees to upskill and reskill according to their career needs.

In the first wave of training, Certis targets to train 2,000 Certis professionals, including security supervisors, in the first course of the series, "AI Basics for Work Productivity" by 2025.

Real-World Benefits for Employees
Since 2018, Certis has integrated AI into its enterprise technology solutions. With the rapid growth in AI adoption over the past year, Certis has expanded its use into daily operations, enabling staff to benefit from streamlined workflows in various areas, including:

Incident Reporting: AI automatically corrects and refines incident reports, reducing time spent on administrative tasks and allowing Certis staff to focus on critical decision-making.
Knowledge/Information Distribution: AI-enabled chatbots provide timely responses to user inquiries on various topics - tasks previously handled by administrative staff. This reduces the administrative workload while enhancing the overall employee experience.

In the coming year, Certis plans to extend the use of AI into additional areas:

Operational Learning: AI-enabled digital assistants to empower frontline staff in performing tasks with accuracy and confidence, while also supporting continuous learning through gamification.
Resource Allocation: AI ensures optimal deployment of personnel, improving efficiency in managing ground operations.
Smart Command Centre: Multi-modal AI enhances event detection and categorisation, reducing manpower resource in command centres while improving detection accuracy.

With these applications, Certis aims to prepare its workforce for the AI era, enabling employees to boost productivity and engage in reskilling.

Empowering a Future-Ready Workforce
As part of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Security Industry Transformation Map 2025, the partnership with SUTD underscores Certis’ commitment to a future-ready workforce. Employees will gain proficiency with Certis’ proprietary AI-enabled systems like Mozart and Argus and learn how to harness AI for operational efficiency and innovation.

Moreover, Certis aims to cultivate a pool of citizen developers within its workforce, empowering staff to build simple apps and platforms through low-code tech and AI. This democratisation of digital tools will encourage employees to innovate and contribute to the company’s growth while improving their job satisfaction.

A Long-Term Vision for Growth
Dr Jaclyn Lee, Certis’ Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Executive Officer of Certis Corporate University added: "We are thrilled to join forces with SUTD to empower our workforce with AI skills, the first such collaboration in Singapore. This partnership cements our commitment to fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation not just within Certis, but across the industry. By equipping our professionals with the latest AI and digital literacy skills, we are not only enhancing their career prospects but also driving the digital transformation of Certis."

Mr John Leong, Director of SUTD Academy, added: "AI is no longer a futuristic concept as it is influencing and reshaping every industry, from healthcare to finance and even security. Its prevalence will only grow in strength and stature. As such, SUTD is excited to partner Certis in empowering individuals with essential AI and digital literacy skills by harnessing SUTD’s expertise in design x AI x technology. The launch of this comprehensive AI literacy programme signifies a major leap towards cultivating a digitally skilled workforce."

The first phase of the programme commenced in September 2024, with subsequent phases rolling out over the next year. Both institutions are committed to ensuring the highest quality of education and training, paving the way for a digitally empowered workforce.

Certis-SUTD AI Literacy Programme

The collaboration will unfold in three phases over three years: Digital Discovery, Digital Mastery, and Digital Expertise. Here's a glimpse of what each phase involves:

Phase 1: Digital Discovery
By mastering the fundamental principles, concepts, and benefits of AI, individuals can leverage their transformative potential in their daily work. This knowledge empowers them to seamlessly integrate low-code AI tools into their workflows, significantly boosting their productivity and efficiency.

Certis and SUTD have developed a two-day course titled ‘AI Basics for Productivity' that will bring participants on this journey. Here's an overview of the learning outcomes from the course:

Overview of AI	Covering the history of AI, recent advancements, general AI and data science processes, and the vital role of data.
Types of AI and Applications	Exploring AI types like search and planning, and reinforcement learning, focusing on their practical applications from a non-technical perspective.
Introduction to Gen AI and Copilot	It starts with an introduction to deep learning, which is a sub-field of AI that utilises brain-inspired techniques called neural networks, followed by generative AI, which are built upon various advancements in technology.
Project Work and Presentation	The aim of the project is to allow participants to make use of AI in the planning and execution of a corporate event and sharing their strategies with their colleagues in deriving productivity in the workplace.
Introduction to AI Technologies	It provides a high-level understanding of the various models and algorithms used in AI, with a particular emphasis on deep learning, which serves as the foundation behind many generative AI technologies.
Sharing of Case Studies	Examining multiple case studies that involve the practical use of AI including those from Certis business functions, such as Human Resources, Training, Project Management, Finance, and Security.
Understanding limitations of AI / Societal and Ethical Issues	Discussing and raising awareness of the limitations and impacts when applying AI, as part of a holistic design innovation process.
Online Quiz	Assessing participants’ understanding of the two-day programme.
The Future of Work	This talk is shared by Certis Corporate University and Human Resources team to explore how the workplace of the future will be like.

Phase 2: Digital Mastery
The next phase which is scheduled for launch in 2025 will allow individuals to gain comprehensive skills that cover a variety of advanced topics. They will gain skillsets on how to develop advanced low-code AI solutions, learn the most popular language used in AI called Python, and understand how to import open-source large language models (LLMs). They will also learn to build a Generative AI chatbot with an on-premise LLM tailored for application in their area of work, ensuring a hands-on, practical learning experience that aligns with their professional needs.

Phase 3: Digital Expertise
The last phase is scheduled for launch in 2025. The aim is for individuals to be able to develop in-house solutions and proof of concept experiments, fine-tune AI models, and create advanced RAG and deep learning solutions such as speech-to-text models and complex image recognition systems. These skills will enable them to be at the forefront of technology in the industry through a range of innovative initiatives.

About Certis

Backed by more than 65 years of experience in security, Certis is today a leader in smart integrated technology, leveraging technology to power transformations in security, manpower and IFM solutions. Guided by our Operational Design First philosophy, our service offerings capitalise on our strong security heritage and deep operational expertise, enhanced by data solutions for better decision making and effective outcomes. Central to our approach is our unique Business Process Re-engineering and Operations (BPRO®) framework, where we help customers manage change and enhance efficiencies through design thinking and a problem-solving approach.

Incorporated in 2004, Certis is headquartered in Singapore, with an international presence extending to Australia, Qatar, Hong Kong and Macau. We are a trusted partner dedicated to our clients' success, supported by our 27,000-strong global team, always striving to make our world safer, smarter, better. For more information, please visit www.certisgroup.com.