Trainers reaching more Singaporeans with People's Association's digital courses – over 90 courses now available for sign-ups

With a studio light, a speaker and a music stand as a makeshift prop for his laptop, he rolls out a yoga mat and gets ready for a Zumba class.

A fitness trainer of almost eight years, Mr Faiz Aman, 33, has shifted all his classes online since the start of the circuit breaker.

He will continue to do so through the People's Association (PA), which is now offering more than 90 digital courses on the arts, cooking, personal wellness and fitness.

Mr Faiz, who offers one-hour classes ranging from high intensity interval training to dance fitness, said going digital has helped him to reach out to a wider audience.

He said: "I'm seeing new faces and more mix in the age groups. Some of my clients, like young mothers, have even taken my classes in their kitchen in between cooking."

His class size has also increased. From teaching 25 people per session, he can now teach up to 200 at once over Zoom, a video conferencing application.

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Cooking and food culture trainer Yeo Li Li, 61, who has been in the culinary teaching business for 38 years, will hold her first online class over Zoom at the end of this month.

Madam Yeo, whose clients are mostly women in their 50s, said: "I'm enthusiastic to learn the ropes but others who are older may have teething problems because they're not so good with technology."

Another challenge is not being able to correct her students' baking techniques on the spot. She said that the method of folding, mixing and stirring a mixture needs due care and the correct form.

Madam Yeo said: "The elderly may be hesitant to go digital but (my advice is to) start small and familiarise yourself with the technology first."

You can sign up for the courses, which cost $5 per person per class, at www.onePA.sg and use the keyword search "online".

Mr Kia Siang Wei, director for lifeskills and lifestyle at PA, said: "The online courses can engage a wider community and even as small-sized classes can resume in community centres in phase two, we want to continue to go digital to reach out to more Singaporeans across all age groups."