Mr Lim Kok Kiang, Principal & CEO Ngee Ann Polytechnic,
Mr Gavin Pryke, Client Partnership Group Director, LUMA Institute,
Ladies and gentlemen
1. Good morning. The theme for this year, Being Human in the Post-COVID Workplace, reminds us to place people at the heart of everything we do.
2. Taking a human-centred approach is all the more important at this time when enterprises are grappling with changes in technology, business models and supply chain disruptions. Thinking ahead, there are questions such as how we can design future workplaces, and how to make businesses more sustainable and inclusive. There may be uncertainties, but there are also lots of opportunities. Hence, we need to equip companies and employees well, so they are ready for these changes.
3. I am honoured today to witness the official launch of Ngee Ann Polytechnic's Human-Centred Design Institute (HCDI), which is established in partnership with LUMA Institute. I am confident that the newly launched HCDI will in time become a key asset in Singapore, in enabling company transformation and also building up the capabilities of our adult educators.
Human-Centred Design Creates Value for Businesses
4. What is Human-Centred Design? It is an approach towards problem-solving that focuses on the end-users. It starts by establishing who the user of the product or service is, and is anchored on developing empathy and a deep understanding of the user's needs.
5. There are many case studies of how organisations including our Public Service, have used Human-Centred Design to transform the client or citizen experience. We see this in healthcare for instance, in terms of patient care and social services. A more recent example is how GovTech developed the Parking.SG Mobile App, which transformed the way we use parking coupons.
6. Similarly, enterprises have been using Human-Centred Design to catalyse new products, services, business models and work processes. Using design thinking methodology, Ngee Ann Polytechnic has been working with the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC) to develop a training programme for junior staff and middle management on customer centricity, covering skills such as identification of customers' needs, relationship management and business data analytics. This is one of many examples of the polytechnic's ongoing collaborations with industry.
7. Riding on these successes, the launch of the HCDI will allow Ngee Ann Polytechnic to scale up Human-Centred Design training to 1,200 employees across 30 local enterprises, including SMEs, over the next three years. This would boost our ongoing enterprise transformation efforts.
Human Centred Design Benefitting Adult Educators
8. Educators and professionals also require tools, and I am glad that in our Training and Adult Education (TAE) sector will benefit from developing Human-Centred Design capabilities. By putting themselves in the shoes of the adult learners, CET professionals can better design curriculum and adapt their delivery to meet the diverse needs of the learners. The enhanced access and quality of CET courses in turn can improve training participation and potentially lead to better CET outcomes. And this benefits not just companies, but individuals who attend the training.
9. On this note, I'm glad to hear that Ngee Ann Polytechnic will also be training 580 of its own staff in Human-Centred Design over the next three years.
Conclusion
10. I am confident that NP's Human Centred Design Institute, with the support of SkillsFuture Singapore, will help catalyse our national enterprise and workforce transformation efforts.
11. Lastly, I look forward to hearing more success stories in the years to come, and the exciting journeys of the companies and individuals who will benefit from this new tool. Thank you.