Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat officially launched a series of panel discussions, roadshows and free online courses to support Singaporeans as they leverage technology to emerge stronger from the effects of COVID-19 on 11 March 2021.
Themed “Reclaiming our Lives with Technology”, the Smart Nation & U 2021 event was jointly organised by the Smart Nation & Digital Government Office (SNDGO) and NTUC.
Mr Heng was at the Smart Nation CityScape in the Urban Redevelopment Board’s (URA’s) Singapore City Gallery for the launch of the event.
“The force of digital disruption is gaining pace. By working together, I am confident that we can ride on these winds of change, to build a brighter and more digital future, one that will create a more vibrant economy, better jobs for workers, and better lives for everyone in Singapore,” said Mr Heng.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, Singapore Business Federation (SBF) Chairman Lim Ming Yan and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) Chief Executive Lew Chuen Hong kicked off the first day of the event with a panel discussion.
Titled “Pivoting to adapt: My job or business during COVID-19”, the discussion covered a wide scope of issues on digitalisation, taking questions from both the 50 participants who were physically at the event at Marina Bay Sands, as well as some 1,000 contributors who were participating online via Zoom.
On digitalising for businesses, Mr Ng said: “I would suggest that you look at digitalisation as an enabler for your business.
“How would you seize new business opportunities, how would you use these technologies to appeal to the workers, and how do you empower yourself with new skills and be relevant to the marketplace.”
The 15-day event will be held until 26 March 2021. Members of the public can register for the sessions at go.gov.sg/LetsTalk.
Other components of the Smart Nation & U 2021 include:
There will be another panel discussion and fireside chat on Friday, 12 March 2021.
There is the panel discussion called “The COVID-19 digital tsunami – leaving no one behind” from 4 to 5.30pm, which will include panellists like Communications and Information Minister S Iswaran, and the fireside chat called “Forging new frontiers: Tech producers in a post-COVID Smart Nation” from 7.30pm to 9pm, which will be chaired by Minister-in-Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan.
“Let’s Go” is a jobs and skills fair for the public to understand more about career and upskilling opportunities in technology.
The event also offers a chance to speak with career and skills advisors from NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), as well as SkillsFuture Singapore.
There will also be an exhibition on the technology used in the fight against COVID-19, where the public can learn about the technological innovations that were developed.
The event will take place concurrently at five locations islandwide, namely Downtown East, Jurong Point, NEX, Suntec City and Toa Payoh HDB Hub.
NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) will also be organising the Smart Nation & U: Virtual Career Fair, from 13 to 27 March 2021, for the public to explore job opportunities empowered by tech in the post-COVID economy.
To encourage Singaporeans to upskill in the areas of tech, NTUC LearningHub (LHUB) will be offering 23 free webinars, which will include courses on live streaming, robotic process automation, data analytics, artificial intelligence and more.
Over 40 subsidised courses delivered by LHUB, who is the official Continuing Education & Training Provider powering Let’s Learn, will also be available during the same period for those who wish to sign up for more in-depth tech learning.
Interested applicants who are unable to take part in the webinars and subsidised courses can also learn through LHUB GO - NTUC LHUB’s online learning platform.
All webinar and Let’s Go participants can get the LHUB GO Discover25 Package at $20 instead of the usual $25.
