NTUC LearningHub recently announced the launch of the NTUC LHUB Thinking Academy, Singapore’s first training academy dedicated to equipping professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) with essential thinking skills for the Generative AI (GenAI) era, including critical thinking, design thinking, and creative thinking. Officially launched by Ng Chee Meng, secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the NTUC LHUB Thinking Academy pioneers a targeted approach to honing thinking skills, helping PMEs navigate the complex business landscape, make ethical data-driven decisions, and drive innovation in the digital-first world. The launch is part of NTUC’s continuous efforts to provide better support for PMEs in their career, especially in adapting to emerging technologies at the workplace.
Ng Chee Meng, NTUC secretary-general, said, “The rise of GenAI brings both challenges and opportunities, making it vital for workers and PMEs to acquire GenAI skills and essential thinking skills to navigate complex business environments and stay competitive. Through the NTUC LHUB Thinking Academy, we hope to equip PMEs with some tools and knowledge needed to adapt and thrive in the digital age. NTUC remains committed to expanding our suite of innovative solutions to better support PMEs in their career progression, ensuring that our workforce is future-ready and resilient.”
Refreshed courses infused with GenAI to help PMEs acquire essential thinking skills
According to NTUC LHUB’s Special Report 2024 on Thinking Skills in a Digital Age, nearly all business leaders surveyed (47% very important, 49% somewhat important) view thinking skills as crucial for augmenting or supplementing employees’ technical skills in the face of emerging technologies like AI. However, more than four in five of them (28% to a large extent, 57% to a moderate extent) acknowledged that there is a gap in thinking skills in their organisation to a certain degree. Despite this, less than half of business leaders (43%) have sent their employees for thinking skills training in 2024.
The NTUC LHUB Thinking Academy addresses this need for training in thinking skills today. By integrating interactive learning experiences and AI-powered tools, the courses under the Academy aim to enhance learners’ ability to analyse complex problems and make informed, data-driven decisions. Course participants will utilise GenAI to assess industry trends and evaluate business scenarios, facilitating strategic decision-making that considers cost implications, audience engagement, and competitive dynamics in real-time. The Academy will also emphasize ethical AI application, guiding learners to critically evaluate AI-generated insights for potential biases and ensure that their decisions are aligned with ethical standards.
Under the NTUC LHUB Thinking Academy, three existing thinking skills courses are refreshed with GenAI content, integrating prompt engineering and AI-powered decision-making to equip PMEs with the critical skills needed for the future workforce. The courses are:
- Design Thinking Fundamentals, which introduces a human-centric approach to innovation and incorporates GenAI to enhance ideation and problem-solving,
- Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Display Critical Thinking and Analytical Skills Powered by Wiley, enabling professionals to master logical inquiry, stakeholder engagement, and AI-enhanced problem-solving, and
- Critical Thinking is designed for senior professionals to help them leverage AI tools such as ChatGPT to refine decision-making and mitigate cognitive biases. Refer to Annex A for more information on these courses.
Beyond the three refreshed thinking skills courses, there are also courses in the areas of systems thinking, creative thinking, and strategic thinking being developed and expected to be launched by third quarter of this year.
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