Learning More with Less

Upskilling Accelerated for the Future

How do you future-proof your organization in a time of rapid technology changes? This was the challenge that Singtel, the Singapore-headquartered communications technology group, faced. To meet business needs in new areas like 5G, IoT and cybersecurity, Singtel had to upskill its employees to enable them to thrive in the digital economy and prepare for future roles.

Creating a strategy to train employees for their current roles was challenging enough. To do so for roles that did not yet exist was unchartered territory for Singtel. Without a training roadmap, employees would not be well-equipped for their careers in the longer term. An already limited talent pool in Singapore for emerging technologies meant that Singtel also needed to ensure its existing workforce developed the competencies to address the company’s new businesses and technology needs swiftly.

Although Singtel had invested in employee development and provided a global learning management system, regional training and technical courses, these efforts were no longer enough. The company needed to do more with less to equip its employees with the skills for the future in an engaging and efficient way.

How did Singtel achieve this? Chee Keat Koh, Director of Learning & Development, oversaw the development of a digital learning experience platform, aptly named #CURIOUS, that changed the paradigm of learning and benefited both the employees and the organization.

Singtel mapped a clear direction to future roles and used #CURIOUS to help employees gain new knowledge and skills through curated learning channels. In addition, Singtel rolled out initiatives to raise awareness across the company about the 150,000 courses available on #CURIOUS covering a variety of topics, including blockchain, IoT and analytics. It aimed to turn every employee into a “digital citizen” and ensure everyone participated in this digital transformation journey.

With this 24/7 digital experience implemented, Singtel optimized its resources. Not only did Singtel bolster the skillsets of employees and accelerate the conversion to new roles, but Singtel also reduced its learning and development spend and delivered more learning opportunities for employees.

The journey to a fully future-proofed organization is ongoing. Singtel’s next step? Ensuring employees apply their newfound skills adequately to fully realize the company’s learning ROI.