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

South West District Mayor Low Yen Ling and Education Minister Desmond Lee with residents at the SkillsFuture Festival @ South West in Westgate on Oct 16, 2026.

ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN

Published Oct 16, 2026, 04:40 PM

Updated Oct 16, 2026, 04:40 PM

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 D istrict, 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 .

Wong Yang is a journalist who covers politics and policy.

Community Development Councils

2026年10月16日，西南区区长刘燕玲和教育部长李智陞与居民在西城购物中心西南区技能创前程节上合影。

圣徒照片：吴索銮

发布于2026年10月16日下午4:40

更新于2026年10月16日下午4:40

新加坡——新加坡西南部不熟悉人工智能代理的居民，现在可以在家附近参加现场演示，学习如何更自信地使用人工智能代理。

西南社区发展理事会 (CDC) 将与新加坡人工智能协会合作，在未来三年内在社区和基层活动中设立这些展位。

西南区区长刘燕玲于 10 月 16 日在裕廊西城购物中心举行的年度职业机会和专业发展节上表示，这是为了帮助居民跟上人工智能带来的人们生活、学习和工作方式的变化而采取的措施之一。

为期三年的合作旨在为 3000 多名不同年龄段的居民提供实用的人工智能技能，以帮助他们更好地融入个人生活和职业生涯，并促进人工智能的负责任使用。为期两天的西南地区技能创前程节的组织者表示，该节日将于 10 月 17 日结束。

教育部长李智陞作为本次活动的特邀嘉宾，宣布全岛居民可以通过五个社区发展中心与技能和劳动力发展署（SWDA）之间重新建立的合作关系，继续寻求技能和职业发展方面的建议。

在人们担忧人工智能将如何影响就业之际，居民们还可以咨询相关课程和资源，以帮助他们更好地在工作中使用人工智能并管理自己的职业生涯。

这项“技能创前程咨询计划”将更名为“社区职业与技能”。

它致力于成为需要职业指导、培训和就业支持的居民的首选联系点。其目标是提供更有针对性的帮助，包括转介至相关的SWDA项目、培训机会和就业服务。

李表示，2025 年将有近 6 万人参加技能创前程咨询服务，其中约有 1.5 万人后来报名参加了相关课程。

他还补充说，目标是在三年内覆盖约 15 万人。

在与新加坡人工智能协会的合作下，李显龙还在西南区（包括裕廊、武吉巴督和蔡厝港等地区）启动了一个新的志愿者“人工智能大使”网络。

西南地区疾病控制与预防中心（South West CDC）和西南发展局（SWDA）在一份声明中表示，这些志愿者将与居民分享他们的人工智能技能，并帮助他们负责任地使用人工智能。声明还补充说，该网络最初将由15名志愿者组成，并逐步扩大规模，但并未具体说明目标规模。

在韦斯特盖特举办的活动中，居民们可以尝试使用人工智能工具解决一些基本的职场问题。现场还有展位宣传数字、绿色和护理领域的课程和技能提升途径。

该节日是五个区举办的五场同类活动中的第三场。下一场将于10月23日和24日在义顺的北角城（Northpoint City）举行，面向西北区居民；最后一场将于10月27日和28日在淡滨尼天地（Our Tampines Hub）举行，面向东北区居民。

为期六天的社区招聘会于 10 月 17 日在 Westgate 同时举行，每天至少有五家公司参加，涵盖医疗保健、餐饮和酒店等行业。

Low表示，招聘会上提供了各个行业的300多个工作机会。

裕廊居民吴琼表示，她已经找了四年兼职工作了。

这位 65 岁的老人本周早些时候参加了招聘会，但她表示当时提供的职位并不适合她，因为大多数职位都在餐饮行业，或者需要长时间站立。

Ng表示，她很高兴在10月16日的第二次来访中找到了一个更合适的呼叫中心主管职位，可以去面试。

黄阳是一位报道政治和政策的记者。

社区发展委员会