Singapore – During a visit to Grab’s headquarters on February 5, Senior Labor Minister Koh Poh Koon said the government was looking for better ways to “embed school into the workplace, and more workplace requirements into the schools themselves.”
“In that sense, we’re going to be reshaping the traditional situation of studying as much as you can, learning as much as you can, graduating and getting a job, and moving towards a more integrated two-way relationship between work and study.” he said.
“Some of the old paradigms need to shift to meet the new needs of this new economy.”
Company visits are part of this
Economic Strategic Review (ESR) Human Capital Committee
Work with employers to gather feedback on their recommendations and plans. This committee is chaired by Dr. Koh. David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Communities and Youth and Senior Minister of State for Education, was tasked with supporting career mobility and resilience in the workforce.
The committee assembled under the ESR stated on January 29:
National workforce strategy aimed at building artificial intelligence (AI) literacy
Competitiveness among Singapore’s workers could help them remain competitive in a changing economy.
“Technology and AI will cause certain business models to change rapidly and evolve over time much faster than before,” Dr Koh said.
Another area of focus is increasing workforce preparedness for the impending disruption caused by AI. As part of the committee’s deliberations, ways to improve broader AI literacy are being considered to improve the public’s basic understanding of AI.
Senior Minister of Education David Neo (centre left), Senior Minister of Labor and Health Koh Poh Koon and Grab partners attended an AI skills upskilling workshop conducted by GrabAcademy on February 5th.
Photo: Kevin Lim
He pointed out that many people have anxiety and fear about losing their jobs to AI, and one reason for this is a lack of awareness about what AI can do.
“The truth is that it doesn’t take a lot of effort and deep understanding of coding to be able to use AI as a tool. Instead of just looking at AI as a replacement, think of it as a complement,” he said.
Beyond these recommendations, there will be a range of initiatives to help people navigate this space, including looking at the career and support ecosystem to assist workers, Dr Koh added.
“If they have to move from job to job, how do we help them navigate this area? And what skills do they need to develop?” he said.
“We need to look at an individual’s career life course and help them find ways to navigate that field and gain more insight into their strengths and weaknesses.”
At the event, learning and development platform GrabAcademy was running a workshop for 30 ride-hailing drivers to learn new ways to do more with AI. Drivers were seen learning how to use AI tools such as Gemini, ChatGPT and ElevenLab, and performing tasks such as translating phrases into five different languages.
Ong Chin Yin, Grab’s chief organizational capability officer, said the company has been developing its workforce by not only ensuring that employees know what AI is, but also preparing them to experience it first-hand.
He said the company aims to train more than 10,000 drivers and merchant partners by 2028.
Over 300 sales partners have been trained on AI skills and how to use them to actually increase sales and revenue. of Improve productivity in restaurants.
More than 50 people were also hired by Grab AI center of Excellence founded in May 2025
Mr Ong added that the company also looks at the career aspirations and skills of its driver-partners to see if a specific career transition is required.
“Thanks to the training we provided, more than 300 driver-partners have transitioned from our platform into part-time or full-time careers on their own.
Grab partners participating in the AI upskilling workshop conducted by GrabAcademy on February 5th.
Photo: Kevin Lim
“Some people tell us this may be a temporary stop, but we will help them move on to the next position, the next destination, if they wish.”
Dr Koh said the committee was still considering some of its recommendations and suggested devising strategies to make it easier for businesses to incorporate some of the experience they already have. passed by.
“You can then get a clearer idea of how to apply AI to your business processes, and at the same time involve your employees in this effort.
“We will need some more time to consider them, but hopefully we will have final recommendations later this year.”
