Ngee Ann Polytechnic launches human-centred design institute

Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP)’s Continuing Education & Training Academy (CETA), has launched a Human-Centred Design Institute (HCDI) in partnership with the global training institute LUMA, with the support of SkillsFuture, Singapore. 

CETA offers customised training solutions for organisations.

Launched by Singapore’s Minister of State for Education and Manpower, Gan Siow Huang, HCDI will allow CETA will train up to 1,200 professionals from 30 organisations in human-centred design over the next three years to “unlock the innovation potential of organisations through skills training”. 

NP’s Principal and CEO, Lim Kok Kiang, said that the HCDI provides a platform for organisations to “innovate and problem-solve”.

He said organisations that commission CETA for training programmes would “acquire fundamental design skills” in ethnographic research, understanding people and systems, and concept ideation. 

Lim added that the employees would also “gain access” to the LUMA Workplace digital platform comprising a suite of resources, including planning templates and guides that will allow them to effectively apply human-centred design in their daily work.

According to NP, OCBC bank, under its Future Smart programme, partnered with CETA to benefit from its customised training solutions.

Last year, CETA curated “six short courses” lasting six months for OCBC employees.

Besides human-centred design, employees were exposed to other customer-centric approaches, including UI/UX design, participatory design and behavioural insights. 

Before this, the bank had worked with NP to “develop” a data certification pathway to deep-skill colleagues in data science and analytics. 

NP added that Singapore Public Service’s central agency for corporate shared services, VITAL, worked with NP CETA to design a “22-day training programme” spread over four months, to equip government officers with “data analytics” and related critical core skills.