Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative is a bold national vision that seeks to harness technology to transform the city-state into a digitally empowered society and economy. Central to this vision is the critical collaboration between academia and industry, especially technology vendors, who play a pivotal role in equipping the workforce with future-ready skills and driving innovation.
Dell Technologies and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in Singapore have embarked on a transformative partnership to bridge the AI skills gap and accelerate digital adoption among students and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
This collaboration centres on the launch of a hybrid cloud Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Centre at ITE, designed to revolutionise digital skills development and foster innovation through cutting-edge technology.
Revolutionising learning with the hybrid cloud VDI centre
The VDI Centre, powered by Dell's VxRail hyper-converged infrastructure, supports up to 80 virtual machines accessible from any web browser. This setup allows students to learn from anywhere without concerns about hardware limitations, enabling flexible and scalable teaching methods.
Andy Sim, vice president and managing director of Dell Technologies Singapore, emphasises the initiative's purpose: "Our vision is to build technologies to help students access the curriculum from anywhere at any time," highlighting the centre's role in delivering seamless, location-independent learning.
"Without such technology, the students wouldn't be able to access their classes, and a lot of companies and government agencies wouldn't be able to function", Greg Chew, deputy director of Info-Comm Technology at ITE College Central explaining the practical impact of the collaboration.
He underscores the centre's role in providing essential infrastructure that supports digital transformation, including data access and processing capabilities, storage, and hybrid cloud strategies.
Addressing the challenges of traditional learning models
The pandemic exposed significant limitations of traditional classroom models, such as resource bottlenecks and scheduling conflicts, leading to a surge in demand for digital learning solutions. VDI technology eliminates the need for physical proximity between desktops and IT hardware by enabling remote access to virtual desktops hosted in data centres.
This innovation empowers ITE to offer flexible teaching methods and a fast, efficient learning experience regardless of students' location.
Chew highlights the importance of starting small and learning through experimentation:
"When we started to explore with the VxRail, we literally had stuff on the floor, wires being plugged into the wall... We wanted to understand what it took to get that technology and what was needed to move forward." Greg Chew
This hands-on approach helped ITE staff grasp the technology's potential and limitations, shaping how it would be integrated into training and collaboration with SMEs.
Enhancing learning with advanced AI tools and industry collaboration
The VDI Centre enables virtual lab clients to operate like physical PCs but accessible from any browser, offering a seamless user experience. Students gain access to advanced AI tools such as Generative AI animation and 3D modelling, which facilitate experimentation and prototyping, enriching their learning journey.
Moreover, the centre collaborates with local SMEs on AI-focused projects, including Convergent Systems, PilotPulse, 91 Branding&Marketing, and Alteredverse.
This engagement bridges the gap between academic learning and real-world applications, ensuring students develop skills relevant to industry needs.
Building an AI-ready workforce through TUC
The partnership between Dell and ITE is underpinned by three key pillars: training, skilling, and certifying.
Training: Dell contributes its expertise in IT infrastructure virtualisation and hybrid cloud technologies to enhance ITE's curriculum and train staff and students.
Dell's Sim elaborates on the broader purpose:
"Accelerating AI adoption for all is a purpose Dell and Singapore's National AI Strategy share... Our collaboration with ITE aims to nurture AI-savvy talent and enhance tech curricula, supporting enterprises and communities in building an AI-ready workforce." Andy Sim
This aligns with Singapore's Enterprise Compute Initiative, emphasising reliable local access to high-performance computing for AI development.
Skilling: Dell provides state-of-the-art infrastructure and collaborates with ITE to develop skill-building programmes that equip students with in-demand tech skills. The VDI Centre also serves as a hub for hosting visitors and supporting SMEs incubating industry projects, thereby driving cross-industry innovation and growth.
Certification is another critical element. ITE and Dell jointly offer short courses to SMEs focusing on AI and data centre virtualisation, with participants earning a Certificate of Competency upon completion. This initiative supports lifelong learning and strengthens ties with the technology sector.
Fundamentals and future-proofing skills
ITE's Chew stresses the importance of grounding students in the fundamentals of technology, especially mathematics and programming, to prepare them for a rapidly evolving tech landscape.
"Behind all this graphics, behind all this artificial intelligence, is mathematics... We focus a lot on programming... so that as the world moves, the fundamentals don't change," he explains.
This approach ensures that students are trained in current technologies and adaptable to future changes, which is necessary given the fast pace of AI and digital transformation.
Supporting SMEs in the digital transformation journey
The collaboration's significant focus is helping SMEs overcome barriers to adopting AI and cloud technologies. Chew points out the "last mile capability development" challenge, where SMEs want to leverage AI and cloud services but lack the configuration and skills to do so effectively.
Sim outlines the key technology areas promoted to SMEs: AI (including machine learning and AI PCs), cloud computing, and data centre virtualisation. He notes that “SMEs can start small, for example, by testing cloud services before moving to hybrid cloud setups, thereby avoiding heavy upfront investments.”
To engage SMEs, ITE and Dell conduct workshops and provide hands-on support, helping enterprises adopt VDI solutions and integrate AI technologies into their operations. This outreach is crucial for driving innovation and growth across industries.
Sim hopes that the collaboration will address some of the challenges of SMEs in Singapore: “Whatever we do and whatever we teach must benefit society and business organisations. In Singapore, the biggest addressable market for us is SMEs. So, I think that vision has been very clear for us throughout this journey.”
Mutual benefits and long-term vision
Beyond the commercial aspects, both Dell and ITE derive significant value from the partnership. Sim reflects, "We use technologies to help with human progress... We're transforming the lives of the students and the institution, keeping them relevant."
He also highlights the feedback loop from students and SMEs, which informs Dell's product development and ecosystem partnerships.
Chew describes the partnership as a "lighthouse project" that attracts AI companies and SMEs and shapes the future of real-time training and industry collaboration. He echoes the earlier suggestion by Chew, encouraging other institutions to start small, find champions within their organisations, and build partnerships that can evolve with technology trends.
“This is where our focus is—to bridge that gap and empower both students and SMEs to thrive in this evolving technological landscape.” Greg Chew
Beyond today
The collaboration between Dell Technologies and ITE Singapore exemplifies how strategic partnerships can harness technology to close the AI skills gap, enhance education, and support SME digital transformation.
By combining robust infrastructure, practical training, and industry engagement, the hybrid cloud VDI Centre is transforming how students learn and preparing an AI-ready workforce that will drive Singapore's innovation and digital economy forward.
As Sim summarises, "The sky is the limit for us, but what we have provided as a foundation," signalling a future where technology and education work together to empower individuals and enterprises alike.
