Dell Technologies and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a hybrid cloud Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Centre at ITE. The centre will enhance digital skills development and accelerate AI adoption for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The VDI Centre supports up to 80 virtual machines that are accessible using any web browser. It allows students to learn from anywhere without worrying about hardware specifications, supporting more flexible teaching methods. Powered by Dell VxRail, the VDI Centre delivers agility, scalability and efficiency to enhance the learning experience.
Why Does It Matter?
The traditional classroom model faced significant challenges during the pandemic, including resource bottlenecks and scheduling conflicts. This led to a rapid surge in demand for digital learning. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) eliminates the need for desktops and IT hardware to be physically located in the same space. It allows users to connect to a remote data centre over the Internet or local network, providing a fast and efficient experience wherever the student is and empowers ITE to offer more flexible teaching methods.
Seamless Learning Experience at Scale Powered by Dell
The VDI Centre, built on Dell VxRail hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI), delivers agility and performance through automated lifecycle management.
- The VDI Centre enables virtual lab clients to operate like physical PCs, but accessible from any web browser, offering a seamless user experience. It can run up to 80 virtual machines concurrently.
- Using the virtual machines within the VDI Centre, students can gain access to advanced AI tools like GenAI animation and 3D modelling for experimentation and prototyping, enhancing their learning experience.
- Additionally, the VDI Centre’s flexibility fosters collaboration with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) industry partners such as Convergent Systems (S) Pte Ltd, PilotPulse Pte Ltd, Ninety One Branding & Marketing Pte Ltd and Alteredverse Pte Ltd on AI-focused projects, bridging the gap between education and real-world applications.
As part of establishing the VDI Centre, ITE also aims to deliver a Universal Omniverse Experience (UOX). The UOX entails equipping staff and students with essential digital skills through training, upskilling and certification in key areas such as cloud computing, virtualisation and AI.
Combining academic excellence with real-life practical industry expertise, Dell and ITE are working towards closing the AI skills gap, fostering innovation and accelerating digital transformation.
Collaborating to shape an AI-ready workforce.
ITE and Dell bring together their innovation and technology capabilities to train, upskill and certify ITE staff and students for an AI-ready workforce.
- Train: Dell will provide expertise in IT infrastructure virtualisation and hybrid cloud, essential building blocks that power AI deployment, to enhance ITE’s curriculum and train its staff and students.
- Skill: Dell will deliver state-of-the-art technology infrastructure while collaborating with ITE to develop skill-building programs that equip students with in-demand tech skills. To strengthen industry collaboration, ITE and Dell will host visitors at the VDI Centre, offering support to SMEs incubating industry projects that take advantage of VDI technology. Additionally, ITE will conduct workshops designed to help enterprises adopt and implement VDI solutions, driving cross-industry innovation and growth.
- Certify: ITE and Dell are collaborating to offer short courses to SMEs focused on gaining technical certification in areas like AI and Data Centre virtualisation using the VDI Centre. Participants will receive a Certificate of Competency (CoC) from ITE upon completion of the course.
Underpinned by the three key pillars, the collaboration will support lifelong learning for ITE staff and students as well as strengthen ties with the technology sector.
Perspectives
“Accelerating AI adoption for all is a purpose Dell and Singapore’s National AI Strategy share as enabled by the Singapore FY2025 budget’s Enterprise Compute Initiative dependent on reliable, local access to high-performance computing for AI development,” said Andy Sim, vice president and managing director, Singapore, Dell Technologies. “Our collaboration with ITE aims to nurture AI-savvy talent and enhance tech curricula, supporting enterprises and communities in building an AI-ready workforce.”
Low Khah Gek, chief executive officer, ITE, said, “By leveraging our partnership with Dell Technologies, we are not only enabling our learners to acquire new skills related to AI and virtualisation technologies but also preparing them for the future of work. The hybrid cloud VDI Centre empowers learners to access advanced tools and resources from anywhere, ensuring that our training remains flexible and impactful. Together, we are shaping an AI-ready workforce that will drive innovation and digital transformation in Singapore.”
About Dell Technologies
Dell Technologies helps organisations and individuals build their digital future and transform how they work, live and play. The company provides customers with the industry’s broadest and most innovative technology and services portfolio for the AI era.
