The Challenge: Reaching an Entire Finance Workforce at Once
1FSS was preparing to embark on more progressive and targeted AI training, and wanted to begin with a single session that could introduce the whole organisation to AI in an accessible way. The goal was to build genuine awareness and confidence across a large, predominantly non-technical finance audience, many of whom had questions about what AI would mean for their roles.
1FSS operates within strict IT security policies, and staff work within a defined toolset of Microsoft Copilot and PAIR rather than the wider range of public AI tools. A generic AI talk risked showcasing tools employees could not actually use at work, or leaving staff uncertain about their place in an AI-enabled future.
1FSS therefore needed a session calibrated to its approved tools, grounded in real finance work, and framed around reassurance rather than disruption, all while holding the attention of a large town hall audience in a single hour.
Why Heicoders Academy: A Partner Who Meets the Workforce Where It Is
As Singapore's leading AI-First Skills Accelerator, Heicoders Academy has delivered Generative AI training to hundreds of organisations, including government agencies, financial institutions, and large enterprises. This depth of experience meant the content could be tailored to a regulated environment and delivered by an instructor able to engage a 300-person auditorium.
Crucially, Heicoders designed the session around the tools 1FSS staff can actually use today, and built the live demonstration around a sample 1FSS report so employees could see an immediate parallel to their own daily work. The result was a talk that felt directly relevant rather than abstract.
Heicoders Academy is Singapore's leading AI-First Skills Accelerator, with over 20,000 learners trained, 3,000+ five-star reviews, and 300+ corporate clients including Changi Airport Group, Marriott International, and Temasek Trust.
The Solution: A Customised 1-Hour Town Hall Talk
Heicoders delivered a one-hour AI Appreciation Talk in person at the 1FSS auditorium, in a town hall format for approximately 300 staff, scheduled immediately after the Executive Director's update and delivered by one of the Academy's most engaging instructors. The hour was structured into three focused segments:
- What Is AI and How Does It Work: A plain-language explanation of what actually happens when you type a prompt and press enter, an introduction to hallucinations and why unchecked trust in AI output carries risk, and how AI fits into the tools staff already use, namely Microsoft Copilot and PAIR.
- Prompt Tips for Easy Wins: A simple, practical prompting framework staff could apply immediately, with quick tips for everyday finance tasks such as drafting emails, summarising documents, and preparing reports, without going deep into technical prompt engineering.
- LLMs vs AI Agents, Live Demo: A live demonstration of the difference between a large language model and an AI agent, including a chatbot-based agent building a complete slide deck and a full website from a single instruction, and a workflow-based agent automating the compilation of information across emails into a spreadsheet.
Throughout the session, the customised demonstration using a sample 1FSS report kept the content anchored to the audience's real work, while the overall tone was kept fun, festive, and engaging so that staff left curious to learn more, and reassured that AI is there to support them.
Results: A Confident, Engaged Workforce
The talk was warmly received across the auditorium. By calibrating the content to approved tools and grounding it in a familiar 1FSS report, the session built practical confidence that AI is genuinely useful in everyday finance roles, while easing concerns about job displacement.
1FSS leadership shared positive feedback immediately after the session, reflecting strong engagement across the workforce:
"It was insightful and we enjoyed it thoroughly."
What's Next: Deepening AI Capability Across the Organisation
With awareness now established across the workforce, 1FSS and Heicoders Academy have begun discussing the next steps for more in-depth, hands-on training that builds on this foundation.
The appreciation talk was designed as a first step in a longer journey, and both teams look forward to exploring how AI capability can be developed further across the organisation in the months ahead.
