- Cheryl Tan
Singapore Announces New Programme To Help Poly & ITE Students Kickstart Career in Tech
Updated: Nov 14, 2022
At the 40th anniversary celebration for SGTech, Singapore's technology industry association, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Heng Swee Keat announced the TechSkills Accelerator for ITE and Polytechnics (TIP) alliance, a programme aimed at helping students and graduates from these tertiary institutions kickstart a career in the tech industry.
Helmed by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), students will be provided with private-sector internships that will help in acquiring skills essential for roles such as data engineers, database administrators and more. Graduates will also be able to apply for apprenticeships in participating companies to learn the ropes.
The programme will start this year, with 1,000 students expected to be trained over the next three years, with big names like Google, Dell Technologies, DBS, GovTech, Carousell and more included in the list of companies joining the TIP Alliance.
DPM Heng, in his speech, elucidated his hope that the initiative would "contribute to the shift of hiring practices from qualification-based to skill-based, giving capable jobseeker equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of their starting point or educational background".
Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Communications and Information, added: “At the Ministry of Communications and Information’s Committee of Supply debates earlier this year, I shared the formation of the TIP Alliance to deliver structured, end-to-end pathways, to support Polytechnic and ITE graduates in acquiring industry-relevant skills and have exciting and fulfilling careers in tech. I am very pleased that this initiative has received strong support from SGTech, SCS, and employers across tech and non-tech sectors alike.”
Additionally, a new SGTech publication called TransformLife.sg will be launched. With inputs from industry leaders and key stakeholders, the publication will not only provide a history of Singapore's tech sector but also survey Singapore's tech landscape and feature emerging tech such as NFTs, cybersecurity, Future of Work and more.
To help bring both initiatives to life, SGTech's Alumni Network has been launched as well, to bring together leaders of SGTech's chapters and people who played instrumental roles in Singapore's tech journey. They will be involved in the new initiatives and help mentor other tech leaders.
"SGTech has played an important role over the decades to bring industry players together and forge collaborations with the Government to drive growth and innovation in the tech ecosystem and the economy, " said Zaqy Mohamad, Senior Minister of State for Manpower and Defence. "It gives me great pleasure to officiate the launch of SGTech’s Alumni Leaders Network, which will serve to empower, engage and elevate our tech talent in Singapore."
SGTech celebrates its 40th anniversary and announces new initiatives in the tech sector, including one to aid tertiary students in Singapore in kickstarting their careers in the tech industry.
Helmed by IMDA, the TechSkills Accelerator for ITE and Polytechnics (TIP) Alliance will provide internships and apprenticeships for students and graduates.
TransformLife.sg, a new publication, will also be launched to provide a history of Singapore's tech sector and more.