South West District residents get help to use AI in daily tasks and at work

SINGAPORE - Residents in the south-west of Singapore who are unfamiliar with AI agents can now learn how to use them more confidently through live demonstrations held near their homes.

The South West Community Development Council (CDC) is working with the Singapore AI Association to set up these booths at community and grassroots events over the next three years.

This is part of efforts to help residents keep pace with changes in the way people live, learn and work due to AI, said South West District Mayor Low Yen Ling on Oct 16 at an annual festival for career opportunities and professional development at Westgate in Jurong.

The three-year partnership seeks to equip more than 3,000 residents of various ages with practical AI skills for their personal lives and their careers and to promote the responsible use of AI, said the organisers of the two-day SkillsFuture Festival @ South West, which ends on Oct 17.

Education Minister Desmond Lee, who was the event’s guest-of-honour, also announced that residents across the island can continue to seek advice on skills and career development under a renewed partnership between the five CDCs and the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA).

Amid concerns about how AI will affect jobs, residents can also ask about courses and resources to help them use AI at work and manage their careers.

This SkillsFuture Advice initiative will be renamed Careers and Skills for Community.

It seeks to be the first point of contact for residents who need career guidance, training and employment support. It aims to provide more targeted help, including referrals to relevant SWDA programmes, training opportunities and job services.

Lee said close to 60,000 people attended SkillsFuture Advice consultations in 2025, of which about 15,000 later enrolled in a course.

He added that the goal is to reach about 150,000 people over three years.

Under the tie-up with the Singapore AI Association, Lee also launched a new network of volunteer “AI ambassadors” in the South West District, which covers areas like Jurong, Bukit Batok and Choa Chu Kang.

These volunteers will share their AI skills with residents and help them use it responsibly, said South West CDC and SWDA in a statement. The network will start with 15 volunteers and progressively expand, they added, without specifying a target size.

At the event in Westgate, residents could try using an AI tool to solve basic workplace problems. There were also booths promoting courses and skills pathways in the digital, green and care sectors.

The festival is the third of five such events being held across the five districts. The next one will be held in Northpoint City in Yishun on Oct 23 and 24 for North West residents, followed by the last festival in Our Tampines Hub on Oct 27 and 28 for those in the North East.

A six-day community job fair that ends on Oct 17 was held concurrently in Westgate, with at least five participating companies each day from sectors like healthcare, F&B and hospitality.

Low said over 300 job opportunities in various sectors were available at the job fair.

Jurong resident June Ng said she has been looking for a part-time role for four years.

The 65-year-old attended the job fair earlier in the week but said the roles on offer then did not suit her as most were in the F&B sector or required long hours of standing.

Ng said she was glad to find a more suitable call centre supervisor role she could interview for on her second visit on Oct 16.