Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

YITU Technology (YITU), an artificial intelligence (AI) research and innovation firm, and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently to drive AI capabilities in Singapore and boost industry-relevant AI education and research.

The MOU is a three-year partnership between YITU and NYP that looks to pave the way for both parties to jointly develop industry-relevant AI training courses aimed at boosting local AI skillsets, in line with Singapore’s Smart Nation push.

The AI training courses will be available for NYP students, staff, and working professionals, in support of lifelong learning and workforce resilience in the AI economy. Real-life AI applications and case studies generated from YITU’s insights into industry trends will be introduced as part of the curriculum as well.

Since the launch of its first international office in Singapore, YITU has worked to deepen its partnerships with academia and industry, with a view to developing the local AI talent pool. In line with YITU’s collaborative approach, YITU and NYP will explore offering NYP students and staff access to YITU’s AI technologies to build their own AI applications for final-year and R&D projects in areas related to aerospace, Internet of Things (IoT) and Human Factor Engineering.

As part of the AI training courses, YITU will partner NYP to equip students and staff with practical hands-on experience in building AI applications for industries such as retail and financial services as well.

For working professionals, advanced and masterclass AI courses jointly developed by YITU and NYP will be offered as part of NYP’s Continuing Education and Training (CET) curriculum. The AI courses will focus on upskilling and retraining to prepare CET learners for AI-related roles in an AI-centric economy.

YITU will also provide internship opportunities for NYP learners and NYP staff training, in addition to company visits. It is envisioned that about 300 learners from NYP could benefit from these exposures.

To accelerate digital transformation and innovation efforts, the MOU also sets the foundation for further collaboration between YITU and NYP in three key areas.

1. Enhancing student engagement
   YITU and NYP will explore the use of AI technologies to enhance campus services and improve classroom learning.
2. Improving employee readiness-for-work evaluation
   YITU and NYP will explore the use of AI technologies to evaluate employee readiness-for-work and help raise workplace productivity.
3. Transforming the Smart Retail Industry
   YITU and NYP will explore the use of AI retail technologies to offer consumers a unique retail experience and boost retailers’ competitive edge.

Staff and students from NYP will work with AI researchers from YITU R&D Centre – Singapore to research and testbed these AI solutions.

“AI is a disruptive technology capable of transforming various industries. Through this timely collaboration between NYP and YITU, our learners will continue to deepen their skillsets in AI. They will be able to harness AI technologies to tackle challenges faced by retail and other industries, creating more opportunities for this technology to be used in both work and play”, said Lee Youn Kay, Director of NYP’s School of Engineering

“The rapid advancement of AI technologies plays an important role in furthering Singapore’s Smart Nation vision. As more enterprises seek to adopt AI to pivot and transform their businesses, there has also been a corresponding demand for AI expertise and skillsets. Our collaboration with NYP is a timely step forward in addressing the growing industry demand for AI talent. This partnership underscores YITU’s commitment in collaborating with local educational institutes to help develop Singapore’s workforce of the future,” said Dr. Zhang Zhenjie, R&D Director of YITU Singapore.

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